Mason Lake is a natural elongated

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

south of

Belfair, Washington Belfair is a census-designated place in Mason County, Washington, United States. Located at the mouth of the Union River at Hood Canal, it serves as the commercial center of North Mason County. The population of the surrounding area grows in th ...

, United States in Mason County. Named for

Charles H. Mason Charles H. Mason (1830 – July 29, 1859) was an American politician, the first Secretary of State for Washington Territory, and acting Governor for two and a half years while the territorial Governor, Isaac Ingalls Stevens, conducted rail ...

, the first secretary of

Washington Territory The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington. It was created from the ...

, the lake is on the isthmus of the

Kitsap Peninsula The Kitsap Peninsula () lies west of Seattle across Puget Sound, in Washington state in the Pacific Northwest. Hood Canal separates the peninsula from the Olympic Peninsula on its west side. The peninsula, a.k.a. "Kitsap", encompasses all of Kits ...

between the

Hood Canal Hood Canal is a fjord forming the western lobe, and one of the four main basins,Pickering Passage Pickering Passage is a strait, in the southern end of part of Puget Sound in the U.S. state of Washington. Entirely within Mason County, the Pickering Passage separates Hartstine Island from the mainland, and connects Totten Inlet with the nor ...

of the

Case Inlet Case Inlet, in southern Puget Sound in the U.S. state of Washington, is an arm of water between Key Peninsula on the east and Hartstine Island on the west. Its northern end, called North Bay, reaches nearly to Hood Canal, creating the defining isth ...

. The smaller Benson Lake is to its eastern side. Mason Lake is approximately 1000 acres in size and four miles long. Its maximum depth is 90 feet and the mean depth is 48 feet. With 10.9 miles of shoreline, the lake sits at 194 feet above sea level. More than a thousand residents live yearlong around the shores of Mason Lake, the second largest freshwater lake in Mason County, second to the man-made Lake Cushman to its northwest. Originally a summer vacation community, the lake has always been known for its power boats, jet skis and water skiing. A county park provides picnic and boat launching access. Swimming is limited to private access parks and residences. The single lane boat launch is on the steeper side and winches tend to get jammed if they're in the locked or retrieval state. Mason Lake is also home to a large amount of wildlife; including bald eagles, ringed-necked pheasants, and robins. It has a variety of ducks also; including mallards, diving ducks, canvasbacks, and ruddy ducks. Otters, divers, killdeer, and great blue herons also inhabit Mason Lake. Fish include; Rainbow trout, largemouth bass, yellow perch, brown bullhead catfish, and northern pikeminnow. The community of Mason Lake is located centrally between Grapeview and Harstine Island to the east, and

Twanoh State Park Twanoh State Park is a public recreation area located southwest of Belfair on the east side of Hood Canal in Mason County, Washington. The state park's include of saltwater shoreline and of inland hiking trails. The park is managed by the ...

to the west. Much of the area surrounding Mason Lake is commercial timberland in various states of harvest.

References

External links

Profile of Mason Lake

page of the official Mason County tourism website
Mason/Benson Lake Community Club

Mason Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cut ...

Bodies of water of Mason County, Washington {{MasonCountyWA-geo-stub