Pike Lake

On the LakeGrade rubric, Pike Lake pulls an A: clarity at 18.0 ft and phosphorus readings still being added put it in the top bracket for Minnesota. Sub-grades cluster within a single letter of each other, which usually means the lake is in stable trophic balance rather than fighting one specific stressor.

Trophically, Pike Lake reads as oligotrophic — nutrient-poor, clear, and ecologically more sensitive to disturbance than richer lakes. At 60 ft of maximum depth, Pike Lake stratifies reliably through the summer — the hypolimnion stays cooler and clearer than the surface layer suggests. At 488 acres, Pike Lake fits the Minnesota median for monitored lakes, with 4.9 miles of shoreline. Among the 187 graded lakes in St. Louis County, Pike Lake ranks 1 — in the top quartile locally.

Zebra mussel presence at Pike Lake means the lake's clarity numbers carry an asterisk — filtered water is not the same as nutrient-poor water. Walleye are documented at Pike Lake, one of 9 fish species on record for the lake. A documented public access point at Pike Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. The lake has a partial ice record — 14 observed ice-outs, centered near Apr 24. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.