Ryan Lake

Ryan Lake carries a solid B grade — strong on most parameters, with measurements that hold up well across the summer season. Secchi readings are the weakest of the three parameters, suggesting suspended sediment or algal biomass dominates the optical signal.

Mesotrophic conditions dominate at Ryan Lake: enough nutrients for a healthy fishery, not so much that algal blooms become a chronic problem. At only 13 ft deep, Ryan Lake is shallow — wind keeps the water column mixed and sediment resuspension drives phosphorus levels harder to manage. The lake is compact at 34 acres, with 1.5 miles of shoreline and little volume to buffer nutrient inputs. Among the 187 graded lakes in St. Louis County, Ryan Lake sits at rank 60, above the county median.

Ryan Lake has no invasive species recorded in Minnesota state databases as of 2024, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. 4 fish species are documented at Ryan Lake, a mixed warm-water community typical for Minnesota lakes of this size. The lake lacks a documented public access point, so visitor use is limited. Monitoring depth is thin here: the LakeGrade rubric is applied to a small number of sample years, and the grade will be revised as more data accumulates.