Turtle Lake

Turtle Lake comes in at a B on the grading rubric — a respectable showing for a Minnesota lake of its size and depth. The two scored sub-grades — clarity and phosphorus — track close together, so neither one is dragging the average down.

A TSI near 48 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 28 ft puts Turtle Lake in the middle of Minnesota's depth distribution. The lake's 450 acres and 3.6 miles of shoreline put it in the mid-range bucket — large enough for varied use, small enough that watershed inputs reach the whole basin. Among the 49 graded lakes in Ramsey County, Turtle Lake ranks 8 — in the top quartile locally.

Turtle Lake is on the Minnesota infested-waters list for zebra mussels — boaters should follow clean-drain-dry protocols when moving gear to or from the lake. The fishery includes walleye among the lake's 15 documented species — a notable draw for Minnesota anglers. A documented public access point at Turtle Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. Ice-out has been recorded 13 times at Turtle Lake, with a median around Mar 29. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.