Waldo Lake

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Waldo Lake is a lake in the Cascade Mountains of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is the second largest lake in Oregon with more than 10 square miles of water and a maximum depth of 420 feet.

1 Location
2 History
- 2.1 Reservoir Plans
3 Recreation
4 Other
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Location

The lake is located in Lane County at an elevation of 5,414 feet above sea level. Access is via Forest Service Road 5897 from State Route 58 approximately 18 miles east of Oakridge. The forest road travels 12 miles to the lake.

[edit] History

The area was first inhabited by Native Americans, and the lake was later discovered by Molalla Indian Charlie Tufti. It was then named Pengra Lake after B.J. Pengra. Later the lake was named in honor of Judge John B. Waldo from the Oregon Supreme Court who helped push for preservation in the Cascades which began with the Cascade Forest Reserve established by President Cleveland in 1893.

The area was also used by sheep farmers for graizing prior to the establisment of recreation facilities by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression in 1939. Later facilities were built by the Forest Service in 1971.

[edit] Reservoir Plans

Starting in 1905 plans were begun to use the lake as a reservoir for irrigation in the Willamette Valley.^[1] To this end the Waldo Lake Irrigation and Power Company was created in 1908 by several people including F.H. Ray. In 1909 a permit was issued by the Forest Service to build a tunnel from the lake to a nearby creek. Construction of the tunnel began that year and finished in 1914 under the direction of engineer Simon Klovdahl. The 500 foot tunnel was able to lower the lake level by 25 feet. However, the company was never able to prosper and the head gates on the SW shore were sealed in 1960.

[edit] Recreation

Fishing
Boating
Hiking
Campgrounds:
- North Waldo
- Shadow Bay
- Gold Lake
- Taylor Burn

[edit] Other

Besides the lake, the area includes Waldo Lake Wilderness Area. Additionally, the Pacific Crest Trail passes through the area. The area is also the headwaters of the north fork of the middle fork of the Willamette River. There are numerous alpine lakes and small mountain peaks around Waldo Lake.

Waldo Lake and the surrounding area is part of both the Willamette and Deschutes National Forests.