Young Lake
Crow Wing County, Minnesota67 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Young Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 21 ft max depth
Young Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 14 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.4 µg/L. Maximum depth: 21 ft. Surface area: 66.93 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 15, 1992 caught 12.00 northern pike per gill net at Young Lake. DNR survey details →
Young Lake is a 67-acre mesotrophic lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 21 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 84 other monitored lakes in Crow Wing County, Young Lake ranks #64 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-19. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Young Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water10.2 ft of visibility
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 Young 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 Young Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Young Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 10.2 ft. Phosphorus 14 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 5.4 µg/L. TSI 44.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 10.2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 14µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 5.4µg/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. | 44 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Young Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Young Lake typically sits around 63°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 75°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 77°F) and coldest in May (about 63°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (63°F) to its warmest (77°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 23 field readings (2022–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Young Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 15, 1992 caught 12.00 northern pike per gill net at Young Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Young 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
1 survey on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 1992-06-15 (Standard Survey).
1 survey on file · most recent 1992-06-15 (Standard Survey)
34 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 26.50 | 0.08 lb | |
| Brown Bullhead | 7.88 | 0.23 lb | |
| Northern Pike | 7.13 | 2.54 lb | |
| Black Crappie | 5.00 | 0.08 lb | |
| Pumpkinseed | 4.75 | 0.13 lb | |
| Hybrid Sunfish | 4.50 | 0.11 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 1992-06-15 survey
NOP AND BLG WERE ABUNDANT, GOS AND YEP WERE PRESENT IN LOW NUMBERS. ALL OTHER SPECIES WERE CAPTURED IN AVERAGE NUMBERS FOR THE LAKE CLASS. NOP (12.0/GILLNET) CATCH WAS HIGH. AGES YY-IV AND VI-VII WERE PRESENT. THE 1988 AND 1989 YEAR CLASSES CONTRIBUTED 42 AND 33% TO THE CATCH, RESPECTIVELY. GROWTH WAS GOOD FOR ALL AGE…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Young Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — YoungFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Young (0220)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
21 ft
Surface area
67 acres
Shoreline
1.7 mi
Littoral zone
90%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
0 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,201 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Young Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Young Lake in Crow Wing 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 Young Lake
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Fishing Young Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Improving6 years
Phosphorus
Improving-0.63 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.11 µg/L/yr6 years
Nearby Lakes in Crow Wing County
Frequently asked questions about Young Lake
Where is Young Lake?
- Young Lake is a lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Young Lake?
- Young Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 14 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.4 µg/L. Maximum depth: 21 ft. Surface area: 66.93 acres.
Is Young Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Young Lake?
- Young Lake typically sits around 63°F at the surface in October, from 23 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2022–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Young Lake?
- Young Lake has a maximum depth of 21 feet. The lake covers 66.93 acres.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Young Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 15, 1992 caught 12.00 northern pike per gill net at Young Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Young 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.
Can I fish at Young Lake?
- Public access to Young Lake is listed as no on the lake record, so confirm before you make the trip. 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 Young Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
53 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2021–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA53 samples · 2021–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H 2 ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination by spectrophotometer
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
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