North and South Twin Lakes are two nearly identical

natural 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 larger ...

s in Deschutes County, Oregon. Both were formed around 20,000 years ago when a rising

magma Magma () is the molten or semi-molten natural material from which all igneous rocks are formed. Magma is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and evidence of magmatism has also been discovered on other terrestrial planets and some natural sa ...

reservoir reached

groundwater Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available freshwater in the world is groundwater. A unit of rock or an unconsolidated ...

, creating violent steam explosions. Two craters were formed, later filling with water. North Twin Lake has an elevation of , while South Twin Lake is lower, at . North is larger, having a surface area of , compared to South's . North is also deeper, with an average depth of and a maximum depth of . South is shallower, with an average depth of and a maximum depth of . In 1987, the

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) is a government agency of the U.S. state of Oregon responsible for programs protecting Oregon fish and wildlife resources and their habitats. The agency operates hatcheries, issues hunting an ...

poisoned South Twin Lake to remove

rough fish Rough fish (or the slang trash fish or dirt fish) is a term used by some United States state agencies and anglers to describe fish that are less desirable to sport anglers within a defined region. The term usually refers to larger game fish specie ...

. The lake is stocked with fingerlings and rainbow trout. North Twin Lake was illegally stocked with catfish some time before 2008. The largest recorded rainbow trout caught from South Twin Lake weighed over . The trout average long, with fish common. The Twin Lakes have surprisingly calm winds compared to other Cascade Lakes. South Twin Lake is completely tree-lined except for the beach day-use area. Water levels vary little over the season. The lake is rich with weedbeds.

References

External links

North Twin Lake
Forest Service page {{DEFAULTSORT:North And South Twin Lakes (Oregon) Lakes of Oregon Lakes of Deschutes County, Oregon Deschutes National Forest Protected areas of Deschutes County, Oregon Cascade Volcanoes

See also

References

External links