Sand Point Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota8,527 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Sand Point Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 2 aquatic invasives
- 184 ft max depth
- Limited data
Sand Point Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.6 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 184 ft. Surface area: 8526.51 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 30, 2025 caught 11.07 walleye per gill net at Sand Point Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 7–26 inches. DNR survey details →
Sand Point Lake is a 8,527-acre lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 184 feet. The lake supports 21 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2023-07-25. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
At about 8,500 acres, Sand Point Lake is large enough that where you stay decides which shore you see most of. The median ice-out date is April 19, which is when the open-water season begins. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Sand Point Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Sand Point Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing21 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 19
- Deep water184 ft surveyed max depth
- Big water8,527 acres
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Sand Point 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 Sand Point Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Sand Point Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 6.6 ft. TSI 50.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 6.6ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No 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. | 50 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Sand Point Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Blue-Green Algae (Cyanobacteria)
There’s no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Sand Point Lake — clouds, ice, or an off-season gap in coverage. The most recent reading was high (346,737 cells/mL) on November 8, 2025.
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 September 30, 2025 caught 11.07 walleye per gill net at Sand Point Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 7–26 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Sand Point Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
42 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-09-30 (Standard Survey).
42 surveys on file · most recent 2025-09-30 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye | 8.78 | 7–26 in 2025-09-30 | 1.1 lb |
| Tullibee (Cisco) | 7.69 | 5–15 in 2010-10-05 | 0.41 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 3.06 | 5–9 in 2025-09-30 | 0.11 lb |
| Northern Pike | 2.47 | 15–42 in 2025-09-30 | 3.6 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.
Walleye
Tullibee (Cisco)
Yellow Perch
Northern Pike
From the 2025-09-30 survey
Sand Point Lake is located within Voyageurs National Park, approximately 5 miles north of Crane Lake, Minnesota on the International border between Minnesota and Ontario. Sand Point is a Class 2, mesotrophic lake with a total surface area of 8,526 acres, of which 4,848 acres (57%) are in Minnesota. Its waters are…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Sand Point Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — Sand PointFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
184 ft
Surface area
8,527 acres
Shoreline
148 mi
Littoral zone
33%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Sand Point Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Sand Point Lake in St. Louis 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 Sand Point Lake
Prices for Oct 16–18, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Minnesota’s top lakes →
Follow Sand Point Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Sand Point Lake
Invasive & Introduced Species
Red chips are ecologically harmful invasive species. Gray chips are stocked or introduced fish that aren't a current ecological concern.
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 19
Earliest Mar 27, 2012 · Latest May 14, 2014
Most recent ice-out
Apr 30
2019
5 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in St. Louis County
Frequently asked questions about Sand Point Lake
Where is Sand Point Lake?
- Sand Point Lake is a lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Sand Point Lake?
- Sand Point Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.6 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 184 ft. Surface area: 8526.51 acres.
Is Sand Point Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Sand Point Lake?
- Sand Point Lake has a maximum depth of 184 feet. The lake covers 8526.51 acres.
What fish are in Sand Point Lake?
- Fish species found in Sand Point Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, burbot, cisco species, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, lake sturgeon, lake whitefish, largemouth bass, mooneye, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rainbow smelt, redhorse, rock bass, sauger, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch. Sand Point Lake is located in St. Louis County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Sand Point Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 30, 2025 caught 11.07 walleye per gill net at Sand Point Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 7–26 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Sand Point Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Sand Point Lake thaw?
- Sand Point Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 19.
Does Sand Point Lake have blue-green algae?
- There is no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Sand Point Lake (clouds, ice, or an off-season gap). The most recent reading was high (346,737 cells/mL). Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check Minnesota's current advisory before swimming.
Can I fish at Sand Point Lake?
- Public access to Sand Point 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.
Explore Sand Point Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
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Fish species and best lakes in St. Louis County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where to stay at Minnesota's top lakes, each with its readings
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Where this data comes from
9 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- USGS Minnesota Water Science Center
USGS-MN9 samples · 2023
Monitoring station identifiers (3)
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 details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate