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LakeQuality

Peter Lake

Cook County, Minnesota282 acresView mapDirections

Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Peter Lake. Here is what has been measured.

Clarity
22.5 ft
Clearer than most
Secchi · sampled 2020
Max depth
120 ft
Bathymetric survey
Area
282 acres
Surface area
Shoreline
6.7 mi
Measured length
  • 120 ft max depth
  • Limited data

Peter Lake in Cook County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 22.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 120 ft. Surface area: 281.98 acres.

Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 19, 2018 caught 17.00 lake trout per gill net at Peter Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 6–18 inches. DNR survey details →

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Peter Lake is a 282-acre lake in Cook County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 120 feet. The lake supports 4 documented fish species including burbot, lake trout, and white sucker. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2020-08-02. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

What Peter Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

  • Clear water22.5 ft of visibility
  • Fishing4 species recorded
  • Deep water120 ft surveyed max depth

Swimming conditions

No reading

Limited data

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Whether Peter Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota DNR and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.

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Water quality measurements for Peter Lake

These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Peter Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.

Crystal clear, you can see 22.5 ft down. TSI 32.

Water quality readings
MeasureReadingWhere it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)22.5ftMeasured, not scored

How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer.

Total phosphorusNo reading

The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential.

Chlorophyll-a (algae)No reading

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.32Oligotrophic
OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.

Ask about Peter Lake

Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.

DNR fisheries survey

Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 19, 2018 caught 17.00 lake trout per gill net at Peter Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 6–18 inches.

A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Peter Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.

DNR Fisheries Survey Summary

4 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2024-08-06 (Targeted Survey).

4 surveys on file · most recent 2024-08-06 (Targeted Survey)

SpeciesCatch rate (CPUE)SizeAvg weight
White Sucker
11.35
10–19 in
2018-09-19
1.72 lb
Lake Trout
10.86
6–18 in
2018-09-19
1.08 lb
Yellow Perch
1.03
6 in
2018-09-19
0.13 lb

CPUE = catch per unit effort, fish caught per net per set in a standardised survey. It measures abundance, not size, and is not a weekly bite report.

Length Distributions

Number of fish caught at each inch class in the most recent survey that recorded lengths. Red dashed line marks an approximate trophy threshold for that species.

White Sucker

64 fish · 10–19 in · 2018-09-19
116010111213141516171819

Lake Trout

85 fish · 6–18 in · 2018-09-19
211106789101112131415161718

Yellow Perch

1 fish · 6–6 in · 2018-09-19
106

From the 2024-08-06 survey

Temperature and dissolved oxygen measurements were collected in the deepest basin in Peter Lake on August 6, 2024, to evaluate the quantity and quality of cold, oxygenated water (i.e., oxythermal habitat) available to Lake Trout, the most sensitive coldwater species present in this lake. During the summer, Lake Trout…

Source: MN DNR LakeFinder Fisheries Lake Survey

DNR Reports & Resources

Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Peter Lake. 1 report on file.

These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).

Lake Details

Max depth

120 ft

Surface area

282 acres

Shoreline

6.7 mi

Littoral zone

25%

Share shallower than 15 ft

Public access

No

Listed by Minnesota PCA

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area

4 sq mi

HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS

Elevation

1,598 ft

Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).

Stays via Stay22

Stays near Peter Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Peter Lake in Cook County, Minnesota — 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 Peter Lake

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Fish Species

Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.

Fishing Peter Lake

Nearby Lakes in Cook County

Frequently asked questions about Peter Lake

Where is Peter Lake?

Peter Lake is a lake in Cook County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.

What is the water quality of Peter Lake?

Peter Lake in Cook County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 22.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 120 ft. Surface area: 281.98 acres.

Measurements on this page ↑

Is Peter Lake safe to swim in?

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Swimming on this page ↑

How deep is Peter Lake?

Peter Lake has a maximum depth of 120 feet. The lake covers 281.98 acres.

What fish are in Peter Lake?

Fish species found in Peter Lake include burbot, lake trout, white sucker, yellow perch. Peter Lake is located in Cook County, Minnesota.

Fish on this page ↑

What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Peter Lake?

Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 19, 2018 caught 17.00 lake trout per gill net at Peter Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 6–18 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Peter Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.

DNR on this page ↑

Can I fish at Peter Lake?

Public access to Peter Lake is listed as no on the lake record, so confirm before you make the trip. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Minnesota's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.

Oligotrophic Lakes in Minnesota

Where this data comes from

1 measurement from 1 monitoring station, 2020. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface WaterMNPCA1 sample · 2020

Analytical methods

  • Field measurement/observation, generic method
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)

Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder