Echo Lake
Carlton County, Minnesota108 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Echo Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 47 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Echo Lake in Carlton County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 47 ft. Surface area: 108.3 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 23, 2021 caught 3.50 northern pike per gill net at Echo Lake. DNR survey details →
Echo Lake is a 108-acre lake in Carlton County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 47 feet (20-foot average). Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 10 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-07-21. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Echo Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water11 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing10 species recorded
- Deep water47 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Echo Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota DNR and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Echo Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Echo Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 11 ft. TSI 43.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 11ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 43 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Echo Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 23, 2021 caught 3.50 northern pike per gill net at Echo Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Echo Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
5 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2021-08-23 (Standard Survey).
5 surveys on file · most recent 2021-08-23 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth Bass | 26.43 | 2–19 in 2021-08-23 | 1.01 lb |
| Bluegill | 13.73 | 3–8 in 2021-08-23 | 0.15 lb |
| Bluntnose Minnow | 8.08 |
CPUE = catch per unit effort, fish caught per net per set in a standardised survey. It measures abundance, not size, and is not a weekly bite report.
Length Distributions
Number of fish caught at each inch class in the most recent survey that recorded lengths. Red dashed line marks an approximate trophy threshold for that species.
Largemouth Bass
Bluegill
From the 2021-08-23 survey
Echo Lake is a 104.5-acre lake with 19.3 (18%) acres of littoral area and a maximum depth of 47 feet. The lake is located partially within Moose Lake State Park, east of Moose Lake, MN and has a MN DNR owned concrete access on the northeast side of the lake. Echo Lake is managed as primarily a Largemouth Bass fishery,…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Echo Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — EchoFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Echo (0266)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Echo (2068)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — EchoPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
47 ft
Average depth
20 ft
Surface area
108 acres
Shoreline
2.8 mi
Littoral zone
18%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,079 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Echo LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Echo Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Echo Lake in Carlton County, Minnesota — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Echo Lake
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Follow Echo Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Echo Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2020–2024). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Echo Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Moose Lake State Park (completed 1988), built primarily for fish and wildlife pond on the Moose Horn River-OS; earth-type dam, 14 ft tall and 400 ft long.
- Surface area
- 10 ac
- Normal storage
- 23 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 60 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 1 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- MNDNR-Parks
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MN00922 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.76 km)
Nearby Lakes in Carlton County
Frequently asked questions about Echo Lake
Where is Echo Lake?
- Echo Lake is a lake in Carlton County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Echo Lake?
- Echo Lake in Carlton County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 47 ft. Surface area: 108.3 acres.
Is Echo Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Echo Lake?
- Echo Lake has a maximum depth of 47 feet and an average depth of 20 feet. The lake covers 108.3 acres.
What fish are in Echo Lake?
- Fish species found in Echo Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Echo Lake is located in Carlton County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Echo Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 23, 2021 caught 3.50 northern pike per gill net at Echo Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Echo Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Are there boat ramps on Echo Lake?
- Echo Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Echo Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Echo Lake?
- Echo Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Minnesota's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Echo Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
4 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA4 samples · 2020–2024
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory