Elk Lake
Ma rion County
W illa m e tte /Sa ndy Ba sin
Location
Are a
Type
Location
Acce s s
USGS Quad
Coordinate s
USPLSS
64 acres (25.9 hect)
Ele vation 3,760 f t (1,146.0 m)
natural lake
Us e recreation
5.5 miles north of Detroit in Mt. Hood National Forest
via Ore Hw y 224 and Forest Service roads f rom Detroit
Mother Lode Mountain (24K), North Santiam River (100K)
44˚ 49' 28" N, 122˚ 06' 47" W
tow nship 9S, range 6E, section 06
Elk Lake in western Oregon is considerably smaller than its namesake near Bend, but even at
64 acres it is the largest natural lake in this portion of the western Cascades. The footprint
shaped waterbody lies in a U-shaped, glaciated valley at the base of Battle Ax Mountain.
Well preserved moraines further identify the influence of glaciers in sculpting the region.
One of these moraines formed a natural dam that impounded the water draining from the
bowl-shaped upper end of the valley to form the lake. One small, unnamed surface stream
now feeds the lake, the main source of water being seepage through the volcanic terrain. Elk
Lake is the source of Elk Lake Creek, a tributary of the Collawash River, in turn a major
tributary of the Clackamas River.
Elk Lake is not as heavily used for recreation as might be expected, primarily because of
difficult access. It cannot be reached by road from the Clackamas River area and the access
from Highway 22 includes six steep miles on a rough gravel road. This road is generally
closed until late June because of snow. Nevertheless, those who do visit the lake find good
fishing. Small rainbow trout are stocked and taken readily; kokanee have also been reported.
Fly fishing is particularly good in August and September. A Forest Service campground is
maintained at the west end and is commonly used as a base camp for hikes into the backcountry, the Pansy Lakes Basin for example. 'Although Elk Lake lies in the extreme southern
end of Mt. Hood National Forest, administrative duties are handled by the Willamette
National Forest out of convenience.
The lake has a single deep basin slightly northeast of center, but much of it is shallower than
10 feet, particularly at the upper and lower ends. Nevertheless, only a minor amount of
rooted macrophytes has developed, their growth perhaps limited by the cool temperatures at
this elevation. The water column develops a slight thermal stratification, with a thermocline
at about 15 to 25 feet (4.6 to 7.6 meters). Major ion concentrations are very low,
characteristic of Oregon mountain lakes. All water quality conditions indicate that Elk Lake
is unproductive and pristine. Chlorophyl and phosphorus concentrations are very low, water
transparency is sufficient that the bottom of the lake can be seen (maximum 30 feet), and the
lake is saturated with oxygen at all depths. These are all characteristics of an oligotrophic
lake.
196 Atlas of Oregon Lakes
Source: US Forest Service, 1981. Vertical photograph.
`
Drainage Basin Characteristics
Ar e a 1.6 sq mi (4.1 sq km)
Land
For e s t
87.1
Us e %
Note s -
Range
-
Re lie f steep
Wate r
7.2
Pr e cip 80-90 in (203-229 cm )
Agr icultur e
Ir r ig
Non Ir r ig
Urban
Othe r
5.7
Lake Morphom etry
M axim um
Ave r age
12f t (3.8 M)
Ar e a 64.0 acres (25.9 hect)
De pth 30 f t (9.1 m)
Ave /M ax De pth Ratio 0.410
V olum e 792 acre f t (.98 cu hm )
Shoal ar e a 48%
V olum e factor 1.07
Shape factor 1.45
Le ngth of Shor e line 1.6 mi (2.6 km)
Re te ntion tim e 1.5 mo
Note s W ater Quality
Tr ophic s tatus oligotrophic
Sam ple date 10/07/82
Te m p 49.1F (9.5C)
Dis s . Oxyge n (m g/l) Tr ans par e ncy 30. f t (>9.13 m)
Phos p (m g/l) 0.003 Cholor ophyl a (m g/l) 1.6
Alk alinity 5
Conductivity (um hos /cm ) 17
pH 7.1
M ajor Na
K
Ca
Mg
Cl
SO4
0.1
2.0
0.4
2.3
0.1
Ions 0.9
Note s -