Little Pelican Lake

Little Pelican Lake sits at the top of the Minnesota PCA grading rubric with an A, a mark reached by the cleanest lakes in Minnesota. The three sub-grades — clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a — track close together, so no single parameter is dragging the average.

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. A maximum depth of 34 ft puts Little Pelican Lake in the middle of Minnesota's depth distribution. At 271 acres, Little Pelican Lake fits the Minnesota median for monitored lakes, with 3.7 miles of shoreline. Among the 120 graded lakes in Crow Wing County, Little Pelican Lake sits at rank 31, above the county median.

No invasive species are currently listed at Little Pelican Lake — the lake remains off the Minnesota infested-waters roster. Walleye are documented at Little Pelican Lake, one of 12 fish species on record for the lake. A documented public access point at Little Pelican Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.