Ida Lake

Ida Lake earns an A — water clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate among the best monitored waters in Wright County. The three sub-grades — clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a — track close together, so no single parameter is dragging the average.

The lake sits in the mesotrophic zone — the band where most well-managed Minnesota lakes fall. At 60 ft of maximum depth, Ida Lake stratifies reliably through the summer — the hypolimnion stays cooler and clearer than the surface layer suggests. At 226 acres, Ida Lake fits the Minnesota median for monitored lakes, with 2.8 miles of shoreline. Within Wright County's 64 graded waters, Ida Lake sits at rank 8, near the top of the local distribution.

No invasive species are currently listed at Ida Lake — the lake remains off the Minnesota infested-waters roster. The fishery is bass-led, with 10 documented species across the lake's records. Public access is available — the lake is on the Minnesota PCA public-access list. Ice-out has been recorded 16 times at Ida Lake, with a median around Apr 5. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.