Ruth Lake

On the LakeGrade rubric, Ruth Lake pulls an A: clarity at 16.0 ft and 12 µg/L of phosphorus put it in the top bracket for Minnesota. The three sub-grades — clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a — track close together, so no single parameter is dragging the average.

Trophically, Ruth Lake reads as oligotrophic — nutrient-poor, clear, and ecologically more sensitive to disturbance than richer lakes. A maximum depth of 39 ft puts Ruth Lake in the middle of Minnesota's depth distribution. Ruth Lake covers 599 acres alongside 5.1 miles of shoreline — a mid-sized water that supports a working fishery without being so large that conditions diverge between basins. Ruth Lake ranks 42 of 120 in Crow Wing County — solidly in the upper half of the local distribution.

Zebra mussel presence at Ruth Lake means the lake's clarity numbers carry an asterisk — filtered water is not the same as nutrient-poor water. The fishery includes walleye alongside the lake's other 12 documented species — a notable draw for Minnesota anglers. A documented public access point at Ruth Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. Ice-out has been recorded 5 times at Ruth Lake, with a median around Apr 26. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.