Elk Lake is a natural

body of water A body of water or waterbody (often spelled water body) is any significant accumulation of water on the surface of Earth or another planet. The term most often refers to oceans, seas, and lakes, but it includes smaller pools of water such as p ...

in the central

Cascade Range The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. Nearly above sea level, the lake is part of a volcanic landscape about west-southwest of Bend along the

Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway The Cascades Lakes Scenic Byway (Forest Route 46) is a National Scenic Byway in central Oregon in the United States. It runs for in the rugged country of Deschutes and Klamath counties on the east side of the Cascade Range. It offers partic ...

. Elk Lake is about west of

Mount Bachelor Mount Bachelor, formerly named Bachelor Butte, is a dormant stratovolcano atop a shield volcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc and the Cascade Range of central Oregon. Named Mount Bachelor because it stands apart from the nearby Three Sisters, it ...

Deschutes National Forest The Deschutes National Forest is a United States National Forest located in parts of Deschutes, Klamath, Lake, and Jefferson counties in central Oregon. It comprises along the east side of the Cascade Range. In 1908, the Deschutes National ...

. Nearby lakes include Hosmer, Sparks, Blow, Doris,

Devils A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in many and various cultures and religious traditions. Devil or Devils may also refer to: * Satan * Devil in Christianity * Demon * Folk devil Art, entertainment, and media Film an ...

Lava Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or un ...

, and Little Lava.. Heavily used for recreation, the lake is among the most popular of the

Cascade Lakes The Cascade Lakes are a collection of lakes in central Oregon in the United States. The 12 lakes and two reservoirs are found along the Deschutes river, east side of the Cascade Range in Deschutes County, Oregon. The lakes begin west of Mount ...

. Its name stems from the large number of

elk The elk (''Cervus canadensis''), also known as the wapiti, is one of the largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in its native range of North America and Central and East Asia. The common ...

that formerly frequented the area in summer. During winter, Elk Lake freezes, and access roads are usually closed by snow until late May.

Recreation

The

United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency inc ...

manages campgrounds, boat launches, and picnic sites at various locations around the lake, also served by a private resort with cabins. Lake activities include sailing, fishing, swimming, and

windsurfing Windsurfing is a wind propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the aerospace and surf culture of California. Windsurfing ga ...

. The lake supports populations of

brook trout The brook trout (''Salvelinus fontinalis'') is a species of freshwater fish in the char genus ''Salvelinus'' of the salmon family Salmonidae. It is native to Eastern North America in the United States and Canada, but has been introduced elsewhere ...

generally ranging from and kokanee averaging . Hiking trails leading to other high-elevation lake groups, such as those in the Mink Lake basin, begin at Elk Lake.

References

{{authority control Deschutes National Forest Lakes of Oregon Lakes of Deschutes County, Oregon

Recreation

See also

References