Heart Lake
Clearwater County, Minnesota224 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Heart Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 55 ft max depth
- Limited data
Heart Lake in Clearwater County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 17 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 55 ft. Surface area: 224.49 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 1, 2013 caught 7.00 northern pike per gill net at Heart Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 14–37 inches. DNR survey details →
Heart Lake is a 224-acre lake in Clearwater County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 55 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 5 documented fish species including bluegill, hybrid sunfish, and largemouth bass. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-10-11. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Heart Lake covers about 220 acres in Clearwater County. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Heart Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Heart Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water17 ft of visibility
- Fishing5 species recorded
- Deep water55 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 Heart 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 Heart Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Heart Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Crystal clear, you can see 17 ft down. TSI 36.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 17ft | 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. | 36 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Heart Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Heart Lake typically sits around 58°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 74°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 76°F) and coldest in Oct (about 58°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (58°F) to its warmest (76°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 36 field readings (2022–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Heart Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 1, 2013 caught 7.00 northern pike per gill net at Heart Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 14–37 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Heart Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
2 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2013-07-01 (Standard Survey).
2 surveys on file · most recent 2013-07-01 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 27.28 | 2–9 in 2013-07-01 | 0.19 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 19.67 | 5–17 in 2013-07-01 | 0.82 lb |
| Northern Pike | 6.14 | 14–37 in 2013-07-01 | 2.39 lb |
| Rock Bass | 2.92 | 3–9 in 2013-07-01 | 0.44 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 2.41 | 4–7 in 2013-07-01 | 0.13 lb |
| Black Crappie | 1.67 | 5–12 in 2013-07-01 | 0.4 lb |
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.
Bluegill
Largemouth Bass
Northern Pike
Rock Bass
From the 2013-07-01 survey
Update 06/17/2014; There has been a change in public access status. The public access was leased by Clearwater County from the White Earth Reservation. That lease expired and has not been renewed. Heart Lake is a 206-acre lake with a maximum depth of 55 feet located 8 miles northwest of Itasca State Park in southern…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Heart Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — HeartFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Heart (1692)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — HeartFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
55 ft
Surface area
224 acres
Shoreline
3.5 mi
Littoral zone
24%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
7 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,565 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Heart Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Heart Lake in Clearwater 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 Heart Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Minnesota’s top lakes →
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Heart Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2021–2025).
Water clarity
Improving5 years
Nearby Lakes in Clearwater County
Frequently asked questions about Heart Lake
Where is Heart Lake?
- Heart Lake is a lake in Clearwater County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Heart Lake?
- Heart Lake in Clearwater County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 17 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 55 ft. Surface area: 224.49 acres.
Is Heart Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Heart Lake?
- Heart Lake typically sits around 58°F at the surface in October, from 36 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2022–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Heart Lake?
- Heart Lake has a maximum depth of 55 feet. The lake covers 224.49 acres.
What fish are in Heart Lake?
- Fish species found in Heart Lake include bluegill, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, rock bass, yellow perch. Heart Lake is located in Clearwater County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Heart Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 1, 2013 caught 7.00 northern pike per gill net at Heart Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 14–37 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Heart Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Heart Lake?
- Public access to Heart Lake is listed as no on the lake record, so confirm before you make the trip. 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 Heart Lake across LakeQuality
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Fish species and best lakes in Clearwater County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where this data comes from
46 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2021–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA46 samples · 2021–2025
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