Edward Lake

Edward Lake sits at the top of the Minnesota PCA grading rubric with an A, a mark reached by the cleanest lakes in Minnesota. Clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate similarly, so there is no obvious single lever to pull on watershed management.

The lake sits in the mesotrophic zone — the band where most well-managed Minnesota lakes fall. Edward Lake is unusually deep for Minnesota at 75 ft, which buffers the lake against summer warming and helps the deep water stay oxygenated. At 2,628 acres, Edward Lake is one of the larger lakes in Crow Wing County, with 8.6 miles of shoreline supporting multiple distinct use patterns. Among the 120 graded lakes in Crow Wing County, Edward Lake sits at rank 39, above the county median.

Zebra mussels have been documented at Edward Lake, which alters the filter-feeding balance and can paradoxically increase water clarity while disrupting the food web. Walleye are documented at Edward Lake, one of 15 fish species on record for the lake. A documented public access point at Edward Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. The lake has a partial ice record — 19 observed ice-outs, centered near Apr 14. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.