5 miles northeast of Garfield
Douglas County, Minnesota · 45.9903° N, 95.4182° W
Directions to Ida Lake (N) Public Water Access SiteApple Maps
Directions open in Google or Apple Maps, to the Minnesota DNR public access sites (3 listed; this is the first).
Updated 15 Oct 2026, 4:49 pm EDT.
National Weather Service; National Interagency Fire Center; U.S. EPA CyAN satellite; Minnesota DNR. Weather, warnings, fires and satellite refresh when you open the page (checked at most hourly).
Minnesota DNR lake survey, fetched 15 Oct 2026. Not for navigation.
3 public access sites on Lake Ida.
Minnesota DNR public water accesses, fetched 15 Oct 2026.
Minnesota DNR stocking reports list 27 stockings of Lake Ida in 10 of the years 2016 to 2025. The most recent, in 2025, included 875,500 walleye fry. Species stocked: walleye.
Latest: 2025: 875,500 walleye fry.
Source: Minnesota DNR Fisheries (LakeFinder stocking reports), fetched 15 Oct 2026. How we measure
Measured from Minnesota DNR contours. How we measure
Minnesota DNR’s latest standard fish survey of Lake Ida was in August 2023: 12 gill nets and 15 trap nets caught 17 species.
Walleye per gill net, standard surveys: 2007 6.9 · 2011 11 · 2015 10 · 2019 3.4 · 2023 7.3
Bluegill per trap net, standard surveys: 2007 24 · 2011 27 · 2015 34 · 2019 37 · 2023 24
Walleye: 99 measured, 7 to 27 in, half 17 in or longer; average 1.9 lb, normal (normal 1.1–1.9 lb).
Northern pike: 64 measured, 16 to 36 in, half 24 in or longer; average 3.3 lb, above normal (normal 1.7–2.8 lb).
Largemouth bass: 174 measured, 4 to 19 in, half 12 in or longer; average 1.2 lb, above normal (normal 0.6–1 lb).
Smallmouth bass: 31 measured, 4 to 18 in, half 13 in or longer; average 1.7 lb, normal (normal 0.9–1.8 lb).
Black crappie: 52 measured, 7 to 12 in, half 9 in or longer; average 0.6 lb, above normal (normal 0.2–0.5 lb).
Also caught: bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, muskellunge, smallmouth bass, tullibee (cisco), yellow bullhead.
Source: Minnesota DNR Fisheries lake survey, 7 Aug 2023, via LakeFinder, fetched 15 Oct 2026. Normal range: DNR’s range for lakes of the same class (43 classes, grouped by water chemistry and shape). Each line has its own scale. How we measure
Measured water clarity averages about 13 ft: the Secchi depth across 5 readings, 2007–2023.
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and volunteer Secchi readings, via Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, fetched 15 Oct 2026.
Minnesota DNR lake survey; straight-line miles.
Lake Ida is 106 feet at its deepest point, measured by Minnesota DNR survey. It covers 4,445 acres.
Yes. 3 public access sites are listed: Ida Lake (N) Public Water Access Site; Ida Lake, E Pilgrim Point Public Water Access Site; Ida Lake, Highlands (SE) Public Water Access Site.
Yes. Minnesota DNR stocking reports list 27 stockings of it in 10 of the years 2016 to 2025. The most recent, in 2025, included 875,500 walleye fry.
Minnesota DNR’s August 2023 standard survey caught 17 species, most often bluegill, hybrid sunfish, walleye and pumpkinseed.
About 69% of the lake's area is deeper than 10 feet, measured from Minnesota DNR depth contours.