Turtle Lake
Ramsey County, Minnesota450 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Turtle Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Impaired biota (cause unknown)
- 2 aquatic invasives
- 28 ft max depth
- Public access
Turtle Lake in Ramsey County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 22 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.2 µg/L. Maximum depth: 28 ft. Surface area: 450.02 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 21, 2025 caught 5.33 walleye per gill net at Turtle Lake. DNR survey details →
Turtle Lake is a 450-acre mesotrophic lake in Ramsey County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 28 feet (12-foot average). Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 15 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and bowfin (dogfish). Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 43 other monitored lakes in Ramsey County, Turtle Lake ranks #4 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-18. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Turtle Lake covers about 450 acres in Ramsey County. It has one public boat landing. The median ice-out date is March 29, which is when the open-water season begins. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Turtle Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Turtle Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing15 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Mar 29
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyBacteria tested: low
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.
Based on E. coli testing, Turtle Lake rarely exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 2.2% of 92 samples across 3 seasons.
This is a historical summary of past testing, not a current condition — bacteria levels change quickly, especially after rain. Always check Minnesota’s current beach and health-department advisories before swimming.
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.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.5 ft. Phosphorus 22 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 5.2 µg/L. TSI 48.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 7.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 22µg/L | Good 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. | 48 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Turtle Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Blue-Green Algae (Cyanobacteria)
There’s no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Turtle Lake — clouds, ice, or an off-season gap in coverage. The most recent reading was moderate (48,753 cells/mL) on October 25, 2025.
Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check your state’s current advisory before swimming. EPA CyAN ↗
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 21, 2025 caught 5.33 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 improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
13 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-07-21 (Targeted Survey).
13 surveys on file · most recent 2025-07-21 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluntnose Minnow | 124.31 | ||
| Bluegill | 18.76 | 4–5 in 2025-07-21 | 0.14 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 12.51 | 7–18 in 2025-07-21 | 1.04 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.
Length Distributions
Number of fish caught at each inch class in the most recent survey that recorded lengths. Red dashed line marks an approximate trophy threshold for that species.
Bluegill
Largemouth Bass
From the 2025-07-21 survey
Turtle Lake is located in Shoreview and is categorized as lake class 24. It has a surface acreage of 409 acres with 245 acres being littoral (60%) and a maximum depth of 28 feet. Most of the shoreline is developed as single-family homes. Ramsey County Parks operates a popular park facility in the southeast corner of…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Turtle Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — TurtleFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — TurtleFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — TurtlePublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
28 ft
Average depth
12 ft
Surface area
450 acres
Shoreline
3.6 mi
Littoral zone
54%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
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 Ramsey 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
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Minnesota’s top lakes →
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Turtle Lake
Invasive & Introduced Species
Red chips are ecologically harmful invasive species. Gray chips are stocked or introduced fish that aren't a current ecological concern.
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Improving6 years
Phosphorus
Improving-0.71 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.4 µg/L/yr6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Mar 29
Earliest Mar 4, 2024 · Latest Apr 21, 2014
Typical ice-in
Dec 4
Earliest Nov 28, 2022 · Latest Dec 28, 2015
Most recent ice-out
Mar 29
2026
19 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Turtle Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life, Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN62-0061-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Ramsey County
Frequently asked questions about Turtle Lake
Where is Turtle Lake?
- Turtle Lake is a lake in Ramsey 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 Ramsey County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 22 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.2 µg/L. Maximum depth: 28 ft. Surface area: 450.02 acres.
Is Turtle Lake safe to swim in?
- Based on E. coli testing, Turtle Lake rarely exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 2.2% of 92 samples across 3 seasons. That is a historical summary of past bacteria testing, not a current reading and not a swimming clearance. Bacteria levels can spike quickly after heavy rain, so whether Turtle Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for Minnesota's water agency and the county health department; check their current beach advisories before you swim.
How deep is Turtle Lake?
- Turtle Lake has a maximum depth of 28 feet and an average depth of 12 feet. The lake covers 450.02 acres.
What fish are in Turtle Lake?
- Fish species found in Turtle Lake include black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Turtle Lake is located in Ramsey County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Turtle Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 21, 2025 caught 5.33 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 improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Turtle Lake thaw?
- Turtle Lake typically has ice-out around Mar 29. Ice typically forms around Dec 4. The open water season is approximately 250 days.
Does Turtle Lake have blue-green algae?
- There is no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Turtle Lake (clouds, ice, or an off-season gap). The most recent reading was moderate (48,753 cells/mL). Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check Minnesota's current advisory before swimming.
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
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
Fish species and the cleanest lakes across Minnesota
Fish species and best lakes in Ramsey County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Minnesota's top lakes, each with its readings
Minnesota's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
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State Parks Near Turtle Lake
Other Lakes in Minnesota
Mesotrophic Lakes in Minnesota
Compare Turtle Lake With Nearby Lakes
Where this data comes from
360 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
MNPCA360 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- 2130 B ~ Nephelometric Method
- Turbidity by Nephelometry
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate