Leighton Lake

Leighton Lake sits at the top of the Minnesota PCA grading rubric with an A, a mark reached by the cleanest lakes in Minnesota.

The lake's low TSI puts it in oligotrophic territory — the cleanest of the four trophic classes, but also the most vulnerable to nutrient-driven shifts. The lake's 63 ft maximum depth is in the upper tier for Minnesota — deep enough for cold-water fish to find refuge in summer. Leighton Lake covers 245 acres alongside 4.1 miles of shoreline — a mid-sized water that supports a working fishery without being so large that conditions diverge between basins. Among the 141 graded lakes in Itasca County, Leighton Lake sits at rank 37, above the county median.

No invasive species are currently listed at Leighton Lake — the lake remains off the Minnesota infested-waters roster. Walleye are documented at Leighton Lake, one of 11 fish species on record for the lake. Public access is available — the lake is on the Minnesota PCA public-access list. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.