Pike Lake
Cook County, Minnesota814 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Pike Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- 45 ft max depth
- Public access
Pike Lake in Cook County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 17.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 7 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.6 µg/L. Maximum depth: 45 ft. Surface area: 814.43 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 24, 2023 caught 7.78 walleye per gill net at Pike Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 3–26 inches. DNR survey details →
Free interactive depth-contour map of Pike Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 40 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Minnesota DNR.
Pike Lake is a 814-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Cook County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 45 feet. Phosphorus level is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 7 documented fish species including brook trout, lake whitefish, and northern pike. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 43 other monitored lakes in Cook County, Pike Lake ranks #4 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-17. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Pike Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water17.4 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing7 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 24
- Deep water45 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Pike Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Pike 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.
Water quality measurements for Pike Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Pike 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 17.4 ft down. Phosphorus 7 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.6 µg/L. TSI 36.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 17.4ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 7µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2.6µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 36 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Pike Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Pike Lake typically sits around 62°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 62°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 66°F) and coldest in Jun (about 57°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (57°F) to its warmest (66°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 133 field readings (2018–2023) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Pike Lake water temperature breakdown →
Blue-Green Algae (Cyanobacteria)
There’s no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Pike Lake — clouds, ice, or an off-season gap in coverage. The most recent reading was high (483,059 cells/mL) on May 27, 2026.
Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check your state’s current advisory before swimming. EPA CyAN ↗
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 24, 2023 caught 7.78 walleye per gill net at Pike Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 3–26 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Pike Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
11 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2023-07-24 (Standard Survey).
11 surveys on file · most recent 2023-07-24 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Perch | 19.67 | 1–13 in 2023-07-24 | 0.24 lb |
| Walleye | 7.40 | 3–26 in 2023-07-24 | 1.24 lb |
| Smallmouth Bass | 4.88 | 1–18 in 2023-07-24 | 0.65 lb |
| White Sucker | 3.05 | 7–25 in 2023-07-24 | 2.22 lb |
| Northern Pike | 0.78 | 12–36 in 2023-07-24 | 2.9 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.
Yellow Perch
Walleye
Smallmouth Bass
White Sucker
From the 2023-07-24 survey
Pike Lake is an 814-acre lake located 9 miles west of Grand Marais. Public access is through a boat landing on the south side of the lake. It lies within the Lake Superior North watershed, draining to Lake Superior via Murmur Creek, Caribou Creek, and the Poplar River. Many different fish species have been…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Pike Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — PikeFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — PikePublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
45 ft
Surface area
814 acres
Shoreline
8.6 mi
Littoral zone
27%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
7 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,480 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Pike 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 Pike Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Pike 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 Pike Lake
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Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Minnesota’s top lakes →
Follow Pike Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Pike Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable5 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.6 µg/L/yr5 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.08 µg/L/yr5 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 24
Earliest Apr 20, 2006 · Latest May 7, 2008
Typical ice-in
Nov 29
Earliest Nov 22, 2007 · Latest Dec 4, 2004
Most recent ice-out
May 7
2008
9 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Pike Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN16-0252-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Cook County
Frequently asked questions about Pike Lake
Where is Pike Lake?
- Pike 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 Pike Lake?
- Pike Lake in Cook County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 17.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 7 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.6 µg/L. Maximum depth: 45 ft. Surface area: 814.43 acres.
Is Pike Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Pike Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Pike Lake?
- Pike Lake typically sits around 62°F at the surface in September, from 133 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2018–2023). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Pike Lake?
- Pike Lake has a maximum depth of 45 feet. The lake covers 814.43 acres.
What fish are in Pike Lake?
- Fish species found in Pike Lake include brook trout, lake whitefish, northern pike, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch. Pike Lake is located in Cook County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Pike Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 24, 2023 caught 7.78 walleye per gill net at Pike Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 3–26 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Pike Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Pike Lake thaw?
- Pike Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 24. Ice typically forms around Nov 29. The open water season is approximately 219 days.
Does Pike Lake have blue-green algae?
- There is no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Pike Lake (clouds, ice, or an off-season gap). The most recent reading was high (483,059 cells/mL). Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check Minnesota's current advisory before swimming.
Are there boat ramps on Pike Lake?
- Pike Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Pike Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Pike Lake?
- Pike 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 Minnesota's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Pike Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
4.8 mi away · 30 ft
Fish species and the cleanest lakes across Minnesota
Fish species and best lakes in Cook County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Minnesota's top lakes, each with its readings
Lakes in the Lake Superior Basin (MN+WI), ranked by water quality
Minnesota's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
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Other Lakes in Minnesota
Oligotrophic Lakes in Minnesota
Compare Pike Lake With Nearby Lakes
Where this data comes from
62 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA62 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- 2130 B ~ Nephelometric Method
- 2120 B ~ Color in Water by Visual Comparison
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate