Trestle Lake

On the LakeGrade rubric, Trestle Lake pulls an A: clarity at 14.8 ft and 13 µg/L of phosphorus 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, Trestle Lake reads as oligotrophic — nutrient-poor, clear, and ecologically more sensitive to disturbance than richer lakes. The lake bottoms out at 35 ft — a moderate depth that supports a warm-water fishery without the year-round cold refuge a deeper basin provides. At 111 acres, Trestle Lake fits the Minnesota median for monitored lakes, with 2.2 miles of shoreline. Trestle Lake ranks 48 of 141 in Itasca County — solidly in the upper half of the local distribution.

No invasive species are currently listed at Trestle Lake — the lake remains off the Minnesota infested-waters roster. The fishery is bass-led, with 7 documented species across the lake's records. Public access is available — the lake is on the Minnesota PCA public-access list. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.