East Twin Lake

On the LakeGrade rubric, East Twin Lake pulls an A: clarity at 13.1 ft and 7 µg/L of phosphorus put it in the top bracket for Minnesota. The three sub-grades — clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a — track close together, so no single parameter is dragging the average.

A TSI value of 36 puts East Twin Lake in the oligotrophic range, where biological productivity stays low and the water column remains clear. East Twin Lake is unusually deep for Minnesota at 51 ft, which buffers the lake against summer warming and helps the deep water stay oxygenated. At 224 acres, East Twin Lake fits the Minnesota median for monitored lakes, with 6.8 miles of shoreline. Among the 215 graded lakes in St. Louis County, East Twin Lake ranks 34 — in the top quartile locally.

East Twin Lake has no invasive species recorded in Minnesota state databases as of 2025, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. The fishery includes walleye alongside the lake's other 8 documented species — a notable draw for Minnesota anglers. A documented public access point at East Twin Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. Monitoring depth is thin here: the LakeGrade rubric is applied to a small number of sample years, and the grade will be revised as more data accumulates.