Spiritwood Lake
Stutsman County, North DakotaView mapDirections
ND DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Spiritwood Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 59 ft max depth
- Public access
Spiritwood Lake in Stutsman County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 31 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 116.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.2 µg/L.
Spiritwood Lake is a mesotrophic lake in Stutsman County, North Dakota with an estimated average depth of about 59 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 3 public boat landings. Compared to the 2 other monitored lakes in Stutsman County, Spiritwood Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDDEQ, last sampled 2025-09-23. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Spiritwood Lake has 3 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Spiritwood Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Spiritwood Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water31 ft of visibility
- Boat launch3 documented ramps
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyModerate 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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Spiritwood Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Spiritwood Lake
These are the measurements ND DEQ publishes for Spiritwood 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 31 ft down. Phosphorus 116.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 5.2 µg/L. TSI 49.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 31ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 117µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 5.2µg/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. | 49 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Spiritwood Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Spiritwood Lake typically sits around 50°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 60°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 61°F) and coldest in Dec (about 35°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (35°F) to its warmest (61°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 383 field readings (2013–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Spiritwood Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~59 ft est.
Public access
Yes
Listed by ND DEQ
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. North Dakota has not published bathymetry for Spiritwood Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
49 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
556 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
6.5 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,440 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Recreation & Access
- Spiritwood LakePublic
- Spiritwood LakePublic
- Spiritwood 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 Spiritwood Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Spiritwood Lake in Stutsman County, North Dakota — 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 Spiritwood Lake
Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a trip? Cabins and lodging at Spiritwood Lake → · more North Dakota lake trips
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Fishing Spiritwood Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+21.75 µg/L/yr3 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.34 µg/L/yr5 years
Nearby Lakes in Stutsman County
Frequently asked questions about Spiritwood Lake
Where is Spiritwood Lake?
- Spiritwood Lake is a lake in Stutsman County, North Dakota. Its water-quality measurements are published by ND DEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Spiritwood Lake?
- Spiritwood Lake in Stutsman County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 31 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 116.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.2 µg/L.
Is Spiritwood Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Spiritwood Lake?
- Spiritwood Lake typically sits around 50°F at the surface in October, from 383 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2013–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Spiritwood Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Spiritwood Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 59 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Are there boat ramps on Spiritwood Lake?
- Spiritwood Lake has 3 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Spiritwood Lake, Spiritwood Lake, Spiritwood Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Spiritwood Lake?
- Spiritwood Lake has 3 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by North Dakota's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Spiritwood Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
293 measurements from 4 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North Dakota Department Of Environmental Quality
21NDHDWQ_WQX293 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 447.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll a and b in phytoplankton by HPLC/UV
- 4500 NO3 E ~ Nitrate in Water- Cadmium Reduction
Monitoring station identifiers (4)
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 size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Depth, fish, and access data from North Dakota Game & Fish
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory