Moon Lake
Barnes County, North DakotaView mapDirections
ND DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Moon Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 28 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Moon Lake in Barnes County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.4 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 8.5 µg/L.
Moon Lake is a lake in Barnes County, North Dakota with an estimated average depth of about 28 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDDEQ, last sampled 2020-10-02. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Moon Lake has one public boat landing. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Moon Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Moon Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Moon Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Moon Lake
These are the measurements ND DEQ publishes for Moon Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 4.4 ft. Chlorophyll-a 8.5 µg/L. TSI 54.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 4.4ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 8.5µg/L | Measured, not scored The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 54 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Moon Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Moon Lake typically sits around 51°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 63°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 65°F) and coldest in Oct (about 51°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (51°F) to its warmest (65°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 12 field readings (2020–2020) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Moon Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~28 ft est.
Public access
Yes
Listed by ND DEQ
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. North Dakota has not published bathymetry for Moon Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
2 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
82 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1.7 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,457 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Recreation & Access
- Moon LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Moon Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Moon Lake in Barnes County, North Dakota — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Moon Lake
Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at North Dakota’s top lakes →
Follow Moon Lake’s readings
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Fishing Moon Lake
Nearby Lakes in Barnes County
Frequently asked questions about Moon Lake
Where is Moon Lake?
- Moon Lake is a lake in Barnes County, North Dakota. Its water-quality measurements are published by ND DEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Moon Lake?
- Moon Lake in Barnes County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.4 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 8.5 µg/L.
Is Moon Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Moon Lake?
- Moon Lake typically sits around 51°F at the surface in October, from 12 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2020–2020). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Moon Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Moon Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 28 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Are there boat ramps on Moon Lake?
- Moon Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Moon Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Moon Lake?
- Moon Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by North Dakota's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Moon Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
9 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North Dakota Department Of Environmental Quality
21NDHDWQ_WQX9 samples · 2020
Analytical methods
- 447.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll a and b in phytoplankton by HPLC/UV
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Depth, fish, and access data from North Dakota Game & Fish
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory