Upper Red Lake: East

The LakeGrade rubric puts Upper Red Lake: East at a C: clarity at 6.6 ft, 37 µg/L of phosphorus, and a TSI of 53 signal an intermediate trophic state. Clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate similarly, so there is no obvious single lever to pull on watershed management.

At a TSI of 53, Upper Red Lake: East reads as eutrophic — nutrient-rich enough that summer algal growth and reduced clarity are expected, not unusual. A maximum depth of 15 ft puts Upper Red Lake: East in the middle of Minnesota's depth distribution. Upper Red Lake: East covers 119,294 acres alongside 59.2 miles of shoreline, large enough that conditions can vary meaningfully between bays. Within the 86 graded lakes of Beltrami County, Upper Red Lake: East sits at rank 80, near the bottom of the county list.

Upper Red Lake: East is on the watch list for starry stonewort, an invasive macroalga that is difficult to control once established. The fishery includes walleye alongside the lake's other 15 documented species — a notable draw for Minnesota anglers. No formal public access is documented at Upper Red Lake: East — most use is by shoreline residents and their guests. The lake has a partial ice record — 16 observed ice-outs, centered near Apr 29. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.