Turtle Lake

Turtle Lake sits at a C on the grading scale — not impaired, not pristine, with summer measurements that vary year to year. 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.

A TSI near 47 places Turtle Lake in the mesotrophic band — moderate productivity, with seasonal swings between clearer spring water and richer late-summer conditions. A maximum depth of 33 ft puts Turtle Lake in the middle of Minnesota's depth distribution. Turtle Lake covers 108 acres alongside 2.7 miles of shoreline — a mid-sized water that supports a working fishery without being so large that conditions diverge between basins. Within the 120 graded lakes of Crow Wing County, Turtle Lake sits at rank 104, near the bottom of the county list.

Turtle Lake has no invasive species recorded in Minnesota state databases as of 2024, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. Bass fishing is part of the appeal: the species list runs to 8, anchored by largemouth and/or smallmouth bass. The lake lacks a documented public access point, so visitor use is limited. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.