Travel Oregon With Christine

Klamath Lake

A photo of Klamath Lake iced over and Mt. McLoughlin in the background. As a child my father used to drive from Medford to Klamath Lake to duck hunt. I always thought of it as marshy grass and shallow water. I never thought it could be this beautiful.

Upper Klamath Lake is a large, shallow freshwater lake east of the Cascade Range in South Central Oregon. The largest body of fresh water by surface area in Oregon, it is about 25 miles long and extends northwest from the city of Klamath Falls. It sits at an average elevation of 4,140 feet.

Geology:

Upper Klamath Lake is the largest remnant of Lake Modoc, a giant pluvial lake that existed in the region until about 10,000 years ago. At its largest Lake Modoc covered over 1,000 sq. miles, joining Upper Klamath, Lower Klamath, and Tule Lakes, as well as all of the major wetlands in the Upper Klamath river  basin, into a contiguous body of water. Lake Modoc vanished at the end of the Pleistocene due to a warming and drying climate.

History:

The region around Upper Klamath Lake and the Williamson, Sprague and Wood Rivers to the north of the lake were originally inhabited by the Klamath people. the Modoc people inhabitated the lands to the south of Upper Klamath Lakes, around the Lower Klamath and Tule lakes.

The first recorded persons of European descent to visit this area were a party of Hudson’s Bay company fur trappers commanded by Peter Kene Ogden in December 1826. Ogden called the lake “Dog Lake”, after obtaining nine dogs from the local Klamaths for food.

* from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_Klamath_Lake

Rivers, creeks and springs feed the northern portion of the lake. The crystal clear water around Pelican Bay is home to a vast population of rainbow trout. Fly fishermen from agound the world come to this lake to catch fish.

Canoe and kayak trails meander through the marshes and waterways of Pelican Bay providing spectacular vies of waterfowl, otter, mink, deer and bald eagles.

A very nutritious strain of blue green algae flourishes in the lake. Loaded with a broad array of micronutrients, the algae is harvested by local companies and processed for sale as a food supplement.

The Klamath Belle Paddlewheel made its debut on Klamath Lake in July 2,000, marking the return of a boating era that disappeared over 75 years ago. The Klamath Belle provides Lunch and Dinner excursions of the lake from early spring to late fall each year. Passengers enjoy a special lunch or dinner while taking in the wonderful vistas, fresh mountain air, and abundant wildlife.

taken from: http://www.oregontravels.com/klamathfalls/upperlake01_klamathfalls.html