Beaver Lake is a 79-acre (0.3 km)

lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

completely within the city limits of

Sammamish, Washington Sammamish ( ) is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 67,455 at the 2020 census. Located on a plateau, the city is bordered by Lake Sammamish to the west and the Snoqualmie Valley to the east. Sammamish is s ...

. The Beaver Lake

watershed Watershed may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, an area of land where surface water converges (North American usage) Music * Watershed Music Festival, an annual country ...

is 1,043 acres (4.2 km); the mean depth is 21 feet (6.4 m), and the maximum depth is 50 feet (15 m). Beaver Lake is actually a chain of one main and two smaller lakes, with the main lake getting the bulk of the recreation focus. Beaver Lake is part of a chain of three lakes: Long Lake, Beaver Lake, and a third unnamed lake, East of

Lake Sammamish Lake Sammamish is a freshwater lake east of Seattle in King County, Washington, United States. The lake is long and wide, with a maximum depth of and a surface area of . It lies east of Lake Washington and west of the Sammamish Plateau, a ...

. It is drained by Laughing Jacobs Creek, a tributary of

. There is public access via Beaver Lake Park, located at the southwest corner of the lake.

Boat A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size or capacity, its shape, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically used on inland waterways s ...

ers are not allowed to use gasoline motors, but

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

is still a popular recreational activity on the lake. The boat launch site is not located within the Park, but rather via a WDFD water access site. The lake is also used for the

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...

leg of the annual Beaver Lake Triathlon, which starts in the park.

Ecology

Beaver Lake has been historically a habitat for Beavers, from which it was named. Beaver Lake "may soon need a name change" because flooding of some homeowner's docks, has prompted the Sammamish Parks and Recreation Department to obtain an emergency permit from the

Washington Department of Ecology The Washington State Department of Ecology (sometimes referred to simply as "Ecology") is the state of Washington's environmental regulatory agency. Created in February 1970, it was the first environmental regulation agency in the U.S. predatin ...

to relocate a family of

beavers Beavers (genus ''Castor'') are large, semiaquatic rodents of the Northern Hemisphere. There are two existing species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers are the second-large ...

(''Castor canadensis'') that built a

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

on Laughing Jacobs Creek, raising the lake's level. Beaver have been shown to increase salmon and trout abundance and size in several ways: their ponds recharge water tables which replenish stream flows in the dry season, provide critical habitat for young

salmonid Salmonidae (, ) is a family of ray-finned fish, the only extant member of the suborder Salmonoidei, consisting of 11 extant genera and over 200 species collectively known as "salmonids" or "salmonoids". The family includes salmon (both Atlantic a ...

s, and remove sediment loads from streams. Contrary to popular myth, most beaver dams do not pose barriers to trout and salmon migration, although they may be restricted seasonally during periods of low stream flows. Insect, invertebrate, fish, mammal, and bird diversity are also expanded. Water levels behind beaver dams can be controlled easily with flow devices such as a Beaver Deceiver. In fact, a 2006 survey found that trapping as a solution to beaver problems had a 79% failure rate within two years due to re-settlement by new beavers.

Fishing

Beaver Lake is heavily fished by locals. Many trout are caught from shore, but it is best for any species with a boat. Trout are found mostly in the main and larger sister lake. Bass are caught consistently in Beaver's many lily pads and fallen timber areas, and are abundant in the smaller, shallower sister lake. Perch are found all over, and dropping a worm under a dock produces many of them.

Beaver Lake

The other Beaver Lake in King County is at , Elevation:

References

General references

City of Sammamish - Beaver Lake Park

External links

WDFW - Water Access Sites - Beaver Lake
- Boat lunch information {{authority control Lakes of King County, Washington Sammamish, Washington

Beaver Beavers (genus ''Castor'') are large, semiaquatic rodents of the Northern Hemisphere. There are two existing species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers are the second-large ...