Oregon’s lakes are peak #pnwonderland: clear-blue and shockingly cold, placid and pristine, superlative and world-renowned. While there are so many beautiful lakes to escape to when a case of wanderlust (or The Mondays) strikes, today we’re visiting a favorite that never fails to turn our proverbial frown upside down. In Cascadia, Oregon, Clear Lake is the source of the famous McKenzie River, formed more than 3,000 years ago when volcanic lava flow blocked a stream bed. True to its name, Clear Lake is as transparent as glass, with visibility to the bottom more than 100 feet down in some spots. The perfect place for a long, languid float or afternoon paddling trip, there’s almost nothing a day on Clear Lake in Oregon can’t cure.

Nested in the high Cascades of Central Oregon, there is a lake that is breathtakingly beguiling and unbelievably beautiful.

Jack Williamson/Google Local

This is Clear Lake, and it’s wholly deserving of this name. The lake covers 142 acres and lies at an elevation of just over 3,000 feet, and it is one of the most pristine alpine lakes in Oregon.

GarysFRP/iStock via Getty Images Plus

One of the reasons the lake remains clear and pristine is by limiting boat traffic to muscle power (read: good, old-fashioned oars and elbow grease!) only. There are very few contaminants introduced into the lake, keeping it clear and ecologically sound.

Bonnie Moreland/Flickr This is an excellent destination for kayaking, canoeing, and fishing; the lake is rife with several varieties of trout, in fact!

Clear Lake is especially lovely in the autumn, when the bold oranges and golden yellows of the surrounding forests frame the lake in vibrant fall foliage.

Bonnie Moreland/Flickr

In fact, the autumn colors along the McKenzie River Trail make for a totally enchanting fall day hike! The Clear Lake Loop Trail is a five-mile loop that’s the perfect day hike. It’s considered easy and accessible for hikers of all abilities.

Bonnie Moreland/Flickr

Year-round highlights of this hike include multiple waterfalls, lava fields, old growth forest, and, of course, the cerulean wonder of Clear Lake.

Donna Jackson/Google Local

Whether you enjoy the lake from a boot or from foot, Clear Lake is one of those rare places that always, always provides soul-filling, life-affirming R&R.

Donna Jackson/Google Local

Keep this in mind when you spend the day at Clear Lake; be sure to leave no trace so that others can bask in this pristine Oregon oasis, too.

Tamara528/iStock via Getty Images Plus

When was the last time you spent an afternoon at Clear Lake in Oregon? Grounding, soul-filling R&R await at this lovely lake in the Beaver State.

Jack Williamson/Google Local

GarysFRP/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Bonnie Moreland/Flickr

This is an excellent destination for kayaking, canoeing, and fishing; the lake is rife with several varieties of trout, in fact!

Donna Jackson/Google Local

Tamara528/iStock via Getty Images Plus

OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article.

Address: Clear Lake, Oregon 97759, USA