Horseshoe Lake

On the LakeGrade rubric Horseshoe Lake fails the cutoffs — a TSI of 67 and persistent algal pressure put it in the bottom tier.

At a TSI of 67, Horseshoe Lake reads as eutrophic — nutrient-rich enough that summer algal growth and reduced clarity are expected, not unusual. A maximum depth of 26 ft puts Horseshoe Lake in the middle of Minnesota's depth distribution. The lake's 417 acres and 5.2 miles of shoreline put it in the mid-range bucket — large enough for varied use, small enough that watershed inputs reach the whole basin. Among the 12 graded lakes in Rice County, Horseshoe Lake sits at rank 5, above the county median.

An invasive species record — flowering rush — has been logged at Horseshoe Lake; Minnesota PCA maintains the official infested-waters list. The fishery includes walleye among the lake's 13 documented species — a notable draw for Minnesota anglers. Public access is available — the lake is on the Minnesota PCA public-access list. Ice-out has been recorded 13 times at Horseshoe Lake, with a median around Apr 6. 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.