Turtle Lake
Itasca County, Minnesota120 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Turtle Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- 54 ft max depth
- Public access
Turtle Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 17.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.1 µg/L. Maximum depth: 54 ft. Surface area: 119.55 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 17, 1989 caught 0.33 walleye per gill net at Turtle Lake. DNR survey details →
Turtle Lake is a 120-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Itasca County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 54 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 71 other monitored lakes in Itasca County, Turtle Lake ranks #13 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-16. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Turtle Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water17.1 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Deep water54 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow 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 Turtle 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 Turtle Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Turtle 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 17.1 ft down. Phosphorus 8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.1 µg/L. TSI 36.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 17.1ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 8µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2.1µg/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. | 36 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Turtle Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 17, 1989 caught 0.33 walleye per gill net at Turtle Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Turtle Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
2 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 1989-07-17 (Standard Survey).
2 surveys on file · most recent 1989-07-17 (Standard Survey)
37 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 9.63 | 0.35 lb | |
| Northern Pike | 5.27 | 1.57 lb | |
| Pumpkinseed | 2.75 | 0.35 lb | |
| Yellow Perch | 1.96 | 0.17 lb | |
| Black Crappie | 1.88 | 0.53 lb | |
| Walleye | 0.86 | 1.97 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.
From the 1989-07-17 survey
WALLEYES, ALTHOUGH NEVER STOCKED IN GRASS LAKE, HAVE BEEN SAMPLED IN BOTH THE 1978 SURVEY AND THIS ASSESSMENT. YOUNG-OF-THE-YEAR LARGEMOUTH BASS WERE CAPTURED IN THE MINNOW TRAPS BUT NONE WERE CAUGHT IN THE NETS. NORTHERN PIKE ABUNDANCE, AS INDICATED BY GILLNET CATCH, IS WELL ABOVE STATE AND LOCAL MEDIANS.
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Turtle Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — GrassFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Grass (0708)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
54 ft
Surface area
120 acres
Shoreline
3.2 mi
Littoral zone
82%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
26 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,348 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Turtle 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 Turtle Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Turtle Lake in Itasca 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 Turtle Lake
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Follow Turtle Lake’s readings
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Fishing Turtle Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Phosphorus
Stable-0.07 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable+0.02 µg/L/yr6 years
Nearby Lakes in Itasca County
Frequently asked questions about Turtle Lake
Where is Turtle Lake?
- Turtle Lake is a lake in Itasca County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Turtle Lake?
- Turtle Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 17.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.1 µg/L. Maximum depth: 54 ft. Surface area: 119.55 acres.
Is Turtle Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Turtle Lake?
- Turtle Lake has a maximum depth of 54 feet. The lake covers 119.55 acres.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Turtle Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 17, 1989 caught 0.33 walleye per gill net at Turtle Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Turtle Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Are there boat ramps on Turtle Lake?
- Turtle Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Turtle Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Turtle Lake?
- Turtle Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. 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 Turtle Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
125 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA125 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory