There are over 150 lakes in the Mt. Hood National Forest. The lakes range in size from less than an acre to over 1000 acres. Most of the lakes are natural; however, the man-made lakes are the most popular. The man-made lakes were created to serve a specific purpose, but often provide secondary benefits. The most important man-made lake is Bull Run Lake which has supplied Portland and other communities with their potable water supply since the late 1800s. To protect the water, the Bull Run watershed is closed to entry, so very few people have ever viewed this pristine mountain lake. The Portland Water Bureau periodically conducts guided tours of the watershed, which is a good way to view this beautiful lake.

Another remote lake east of the Bull Run watershed is Lost Lake. The history of this lake is convoluted with a couple of conflicting accounts. Apparently in the late 1880s, people in Hood River heard of a large lake in the mountains named Blue Lake. Once this large lake was located it was named Lost Lake. Lost Lake became a popular place to camp and fish before any other lakes in the Forest were accessible due to lack of trails and roads. Lost Lake is still a favorite camping location, with Mount Hood looming over and reflecting off the lake.

We know Indigenous people visited some mountain lakes during their food gathering outings. Enid Lake near Government Camp was a popular campsite and spot for huckleberry picking. The cedar trees near the lake were the source of material for making baskets to transport dried berries. Clear Lake is a documented camp site on a trail once used by Indigenous people to travel north and south along the crest of the Cascade mountains.

Once wagon roads, and eventually modern roads, penetrated the Forest, lakes became destination points. Frog Lake, south of Government Camp, has been a campsite since the Oak Grove Wagon Road ran along the west shore just 100 feet from the lake edge. Later, US 26 would use this same location until heavy truck traffic forced the need to widen the highway, at which time the highway was moved to the west. Frog Lake should really be named Toad Lake. Early visitors saw all the polliwogs in the lake after snowmelt and assumed they were young frogs, when in fact those pollywogs develop into tree toads. Frog Lake is popular these days for the many large trout caught by fishermen. It turns out the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife dump breeder trout here often and they are very hungry.

The most popular lakes in the Forest are the man-made lakes created in the 1950s and 1960s. Timothy Lake was created by PGE to regulate the summer flow of the Oak Grove Fork of the Clackamas River that feeds the Three Lynx Power Plant. A small dam flooded a 1200 acre wetland meadow and a small lake named Cooper Lake. Recreationists flock to the many developed campgrounds surrounding this man-made lake. Trillium Lake is another man-made lake that is very popular with campers, fishers, swimmers, paddlers and photographers. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife in 1960 built a small dam on the outlet of Mud Lake to create fishing opportunities. This action created the perfect mountain lake, complete with a mirror reflection of Mount Hood. Changing the name from Mud Lake to Trillium Lake completed the transformation of the area from a mosquito infested wetland to a recreation mecca.

Clear Lake is an example of the natural environment being modified for commercial use and creating recreation opportunities at the same time. There are several lakes in Oregon named Clear Lake. The Clear Lake, just off US 26 south of Government Camp, was identified as early as 1880 as a potential source of irrigation water for farmland on Juniper Flat above Maupin. An enterprising individual purchased 160 acres around the outlet of Clear Lake in 1880. It would be four decades before irrigation water was delivered to Juniper Flat from Clear Lake. The lake is a popular camping and fishing site in the early summer but diminishes as the water is drawn down for irrigation. Laurance Lake is also an irrigation water impoundment created in 1969, southwest of Parkdale.

Little Crater Lake, located along the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail near Timothy Lake, is not really a lake. This small body of open water is really an artesian spring that forms a perfectly round body of open water about 100 feet in diameter. Do not even think of taking a swim in this water as it is 33 degrees F. all year. This site is still worth a visit and just a 1000 feet hike from the Little Crater Lake Campground.

The story associated with the names of some lakes is sometimes interesting. The famed and longtime Ranger of the Lakes Ranger District named Dinger Lake because it had some humdinger-sized trout. A fish stocking crew named a previously unnamed small lake Catalpa Lake on their fish stocking report. The nearest Catalpa tree is 2000 miles away in Ohio, but there is not another lake in Oregon with that name. The people naming the dozens of lakes in the Olallie Scenic Area ran out of creative names after applying Olallie to the largest lake in the area. Olallie is the Chinook Jargon word for berries, a reference to the abundant huckleberries in the area. Other lakes in the area include: Round, Triangle, Red, Surprise, Ring, Upper, Lower and First Lake. These names are indeed descriptive of individual lakes but they are not creative, memorable or inspiring. Mirror Lake is an inspiring name. A mere mention of the name and people want to go there. The fact that it is a two-mile uphill hike to reach this small over-loved lake does not deter many visitors. Unfortunately, the hordes of visitors, trampled vegetation and litter detract from the scenic beauty implied by the name of this Mount Hood National Forest lake.

Lloyd Musser is the volunteer curator at the Mt. Hood Cultural Center and Museum.