Lost Lake (Santiam Pass, Linn County, Oregon)

Coordinates: 44°25′57″N 121°54′34″W / 44.43262°N 121.909506°W / 44.43262; -121.909506
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Lost Lake
LocationLinn County, Oregon, United States
Coordinates44°25′57″N 121°54′34″W / 44.43262°N 121.909506°W / 44.43262; -121.909506
Basin countriesUnited States
Max. length1 km (0.62 mi)
Surface area50 acres (20 ha)
Surface elevation3,983 ft (1,214 m)
References[1][2]


Lost Lake is a lake in the Willamette National Forest, in Oregon, in the United States.[3][4] It is known for the way that the water level changes during the year.[5] There are lava tubes in the bottom of the lake. During the summer, the water drains out of the lake through these tubes.[6][7] In some years, this leaves the lake with very little water, turning it mostly into a meadow.[8] Starting in the autumn the lake begins to fill again.[9] This happens as the amount of water coming in to the lake from streams and melting snow is higher than that flowing out. By spring, it has its highest water level.[7]

The water that drains through the tubes is thought to go to nearby Clear Lake.[10]

References[change | change source]

  1. "Lost Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
  2. "Waterbody Information For Lost Lake". Oregon Fish Finder. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.[permanent dead link]
  3. "Willamette National Forest - Lost Lake Campground". Forest Service. United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  4. Bishop, Ellen Morris (2003). In Search of Ancient Oregon: A Geological and Natural History. Timber Press. ISBN 9780881925906.
  5. Moyer, Justin (5 May 2015). "Lost Lake: Oregon's magical body of water that disappears each winter". Washington Post. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  6. Eckert, Tiffany (29 June 2016). "Explaining The Mystery Of Oregon's Lost Lake". www.opb.org. Oregon Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on 5 July 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  7. 7.0 7.1 Hammers, Scott (24 April 2015). "Lost Lake shrinking down a hole - Lava tube drains lake on Santiam Pass". Bend Bulletin. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  8. Attig, Rick (26 July 1990). "Special lake is lost along the highway". Bend Bulletin.
  9. Howard, Brian Clark (6 May 2015). "Watch a Mysterious Lake Disappear Down a Hole". National Geographic News. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  10. Fire and water: Volcanology, geomorphology, and hydrogeology of the Cascade Range, central Oregon (PDF). GSA Field Guides (Report). Vol. 15. Geological Society of America. 2009. pp. 539–582.