Upper Trelipe Lake

On the LakeGrade rubric, Upper Trelipe Lake pulls an A: clarity at 14.0 ft and 11 µg/L of phosphorus put it in the top bracket for Minnesota. 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 value of 39 puts Upper Trelipe Lake in the oligotrophic range, where biological productivity stays low and the water column remains clear. The lake's 69 ft maximum depth is in the upper tier for Minnesota — deep enough for cold-water fish to find refuge in summer. At 421 acres, Upper Trelipe Lake fits the Minnesota median for monitored lakes, with 4.2 miles of shoreline. Among the 133 graded lakes in Cass County, Upper Trelipe Lake sits at rank 60, above the county median.

Upper Trelipe Lake has no invasive species recorded in Minnesota state databases as of 2024, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. The fishery includes walleye alongside the lake's other 15 documented species — a notable draw for Minnesota anglers. A documented public access point at Upper Trelipe Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. Monitoring depth is thin here: the LakeGrade rubric is applied to a small number of sample years, and the grade will be revised as more data accumulates.