Ochoco National Forest Lakes

A complete list of lakes in Ochoco National Forest with links to the posts of the ones I've been to.

Ochoco National Forest is located in central Oregon. It includes part of the Blue Mountains and Ochoco Mountains. According to the National Forest website, the national forest is broken into three ranger districts: Lookout Mountain Ranger District, Paulina Ranger District, and Snow Mountain Ranger District (which is currently administered by Malheur National Forest and now called Emigrant Creek Ranger District. It is included in my Malheur National Forest Lakes list instead of this one). The National Forest also manages the Crooked River National Grassland and is administered as a ranger district.

Lookout Mountain Ranger District includes Miller Creek Wilderness and Bridge Creek Wilderness

Paulina Ranger District includes Black Canyon Wilderness.

This national forest has a very minimal amount of lakes, and only one lake, Walton Lake, that is labeled a lake in it's name. There is also one prominent, large reservoir - Antelope Flat Reservoir. The rest are all small reservoirs or unnamed small bodies of water.

From my research, I have listed 24 lakes. My list is as complete as I could get it, but I could be missing a few. There are also a few lakes that I'm not sure if they exist, so the number is subject based on their existence.

Note: There were two unnamed bodies of water that I wasn't able to tell whether they were within the national forest boundary or not, which will be noted below.

How I classify lakes

I am not very picky about the criteria I use for marking a body of water as a lake. I use the word “lake” loosely and as an all encompassing word. It includes lakes, reservoirs, glacier tarns, ponds, seasonal bodies of water, etc.

I also mark lakes that don’t have names and I title them Lake:Coordinates (ex. Lake 44.7875, -121.8075). While I list all lakes alphabetically I keep unnamed lakes together at the bottom of my spreadsheets and don’t list them under L for lake.

My main requirement is that I’m able to see a body of water on a satellite map, or the appearance of there having been one if it seems dry. I add it to my list to explore and check out.

Disclaimer

Not all lakes are accessible to the public. I try to note when certain ones aren’t accessible such as due to a fire closer, not available to public access, or if off trail is not legal to access.

As such it is your responsibility to double check legalities of accessing different areas of federal land since legalities can change.

Ranger Districts, administration, and other such information can be difficult to find even from federal management. So there is the possibility that some information is inaccurate, but it is as accurate as it can be with the information I have available.

Even though I am a large proponent of ethically and responsibly exploring off trail, it’s important to do so only when legal and in places that aren’t heavy usage. Some lakes are inaccessible due to terrain, having to access through private property, and other such limitations. So it might not be possible to access each lakes edge.

For more information on bushwhacking and recreating responsibly check out my disclaimer page.

How it all began

This all began when I was trying to find lakes in Mount Hood National Forest and wasn’t able to find a complete list so I made my own. Now I’ve used that same system to makes lists of lakes in other national forests like this one. I scour paper maps and different map layers on CalTopo (main resource) to cross reference and find lakes, I add that info to a spreadsheet, and then research each individual lake online to try and find any information on them. I also reference ODFW resources to try and add info on lakes that are stocked. So the list of lakes below is the result of numerous hours of research.

Once I visit a lake I include ALL the information I wanted before visiting it so hopefully this will be a useful resource for others.

There are multiple ways to explore the lakes list:

• By name - in alphabetical order or by ranger district

• Spreadsheet - with all pertinent information

• Map

Progress: 0%

Below are all the lakes in Ochoco National Forest. I made two tabs where you can either look for a lake in alphabetical order or by ranger district.

Lakes

List of Lakes (alphabetically)

• Antelope Flat Reservoir

• Congleton Creek Reservoir

• Coyote Reservoir

• Crossroads Reservoir

• Dead End Reservoir

• Double Cabin Pond

• Elk Reservoir

• George Reservoir (unsure if there's water)

• Hardscrabble Reservoir

• Lone Reservoir

• Maxwell Reservoir

• Mud Reservoir

• Nelson Reservoir

• Palmer Reservoir

• Turnpike Reservoir

• Upper Bronco Reservoir

• Viewpoint Reservoir

• Walton Lake

• Lake 44.02134, -120.35691 (unsure if within NF boundary)

• Lake 44.02378, -120.34292

• Lake 44.02495, -120.34961 (unsure if within NF boundary)

• Lake 44.22145, -120.31621

• Lake 44.22860, -120.32656

• Lake 44.36787, -119.86896

List of Lakes (by ranger district)

Lookout Mountain Ranger District

• Antelope Flat Reservoir

• Double Cabin Pond

• George Reservoir

• Lone Reservoir

• Maxwell Reservoir

• Nelson Reservoir

• Walton Lake

• Lake 44.02134, -120.35691

• Lake 44.02378, -120.34292

• Lake 44.02495, -120.34961

• Lake 44.22145, -120.31621

• Lake 44.22860, -120.32656

Paulina Ranger District

• Congleton Creek Reservoir

• Coyote Reservoir

• Crossroads Reservoir

• Dead End Reservoir

• Elk Reservoir

• Hardscrabble Reservoir

• Mud Reservoir

• Palmer Reservoir

• Turnpike Reservoir

• Upper Bronco Reservoir

• Viewpoint Reservoir

• Lake 44.36787, -119.86896

Resources

Spreadsheet & CalTopo Map

I created a spreadsheet with all the detailed information on the lakes. I haven't put in any trail or distance information unless it's one I've been to so that it's as accurate as possible. I linked the list below.

The Google Maps further down the page is the easiest way to navigate to posts and get basic information by map, but I also have a map of lakes in CalTopo which is a better platform for planning routes and printing maps which I linked below as well.

• Ochoco National Forest Lakes - Spreadsheet

• Ochoco National Forest Lakes - CalTopo

Forest Service & ODFW

The best place to find information about trails, roads, closures, and each ranger district is from the forest service website.

There are only two lakes listed on the ODFW map that's stocked.

• ODFW - High Desert Region Map

Map

Yellow - Lakes I have been to and I have a post about

Red - Lakes I haven't been to yet or don't have a post about

Orange - Lakes I haven't been to due to fire closures

My Wild Adventure is not responsible for your safety, any possible injury, or anything that happens if you choose to follow anything on this website. Maps are not intended to be used for navigational purposes, but to give an overview of the route taken. By going outdoors you are solely responsible to know your strengths and limitations, be aware of current conditions and proceed with the appropriate caution. My Wild Adventure is not responsible for your choices and the outcome. Reference my disclaimer for more information on being responsible outdoors.