Mason Lake is a natural elongated

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 ...

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 northern Mason County. The population of the surrounding area grows in ...

, United States in Mason County. Named for Charles H. Mason, the first secretary of

Washington Territory The Washington Territory 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-like body of water that lies south of Admiralty Inlet in Washington State that some consider to be the western lobe and one of the five main basins of Puget Sound.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 no ...

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 to the east and Harstine Island to the west. Its northern end, called North Bay, reaches nearly to Hood Canal, creating the defining ...

. 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, robins, mallards, diving ducks, canvasbacks, ruddy ducks, otters, divers, killdeer, and great blue herons. Fish include: rainbow trout, largemouth bass, yellow perch, brown bullhead catfish, rock bass, salmon, and northern pikeminnow. The community of Mason Lake is located centrally between Grapeview and Harstine Island to the east, and Twanoh State Park 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 worker who lays bricks to assist in brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cutti ...

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