Forest Lake

The LakeGrade rubric puts Forest Lake at a C: clarity at 8.0 ft, phosphorus readings still being added, and a TSI of 47 signal an intermediate trophic state. 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. Forest Lake reaches 37 ft at its deepest point — typical for Minnesota mid-sized lakes, with seasonal stratification but limited cold-water refuge. Forest Lake covers 2,271 acres alongside 15.7 miles of shoreline, large enough that conditions can vary meaningfully between bays. Forest Lake ranks 15 of 31 in Washington County — solidly in the upper half of the local distribution.

Forest Lake is on the Minnesota infested-waters list for zebra mussels — boaters should follow clean-drain-dry protocols when moving gear to or from the lake. Forest Lake's fishery is anchored by muskellunge, with 18 documented species in total — a destination water for muskie anglers. A documented public access point at Forest Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. Ice-out has been logged at Forest Lake more than two dozen times, putting the median around Apr 9 — a useful baseline for tracking climate trends. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.