Long Lake

Long Lake carries a solid B grade — strong on most parameters, with measurements that hold up well across the summer season.

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. Long Lake reaches 46 ft at its deepest point — typical for Minnesota mid-sized lakes, with seasonal stratification but limited cold-water refuge. At 153 acres, Long Lake fits the Minnesota median for monitored lakes, with 2.9 miles of shoreline. Long Lake ranks 10 of 55 in Stearns County, putting it in the upper tier of locally monitored lakes.

Long Lake has no invasive species recorded in Minnesota state databases as of 2024, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. Walleye are documented at Long Lake, one of 11 fish species on record for the lake. The lake lacks a documented public access point, so visitor use is limited. 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.