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Detroit Lake, Oregon, USA

Conveniently located just 46 miles south of Salem in Oregon’s Willamette Valley tourism region lies Detroit Lake, a 3,580-acre artificial freshwater reservoir that provides water for the City of Salem and its surrounding municipalities. Detroit Lake boasts a maximum depth of 440 feet, with water levels fluctuating as much as 25 feet per day. Maximum elevation is 1,569 feet above sea level. Astonishingly, this number fluctuates about…
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    • All About Detroit Lake, OR

    Lake Locations: USA - US West Region - Oregon - Willamette Valley Region, OR -

    Conveniently located just 46 miles south of Salem in Oregon’s Willamette Valley tourism region lies Detroit Lake, a 3,580-acre artificial freshwater reservoir that provides water for the City of Salem and its surrounding municipalities. Detroit Lake boasts a maximum depth of 440 feet, with water levels fluctuating as much as 25 feet per day. Maximum elevation is 1,569 feet above sea level. Astonishingly, this number fluctuates about 110 feet annually, which previously made it difficult to lower boats into the water at certain times of the year. Ramps have been conveniently constructed to solve this problem.

    The Detroit Lake Dam was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1953. Before this time, it was the site of the proposed transcontinental Oregon Pacific Railroad. At an astounding 463 feet tall and 1,523.5 feet wide, at the time of its construction the dam was one of the eight tallest in the world. This gravity-operated, concrete dam (with a gated spillway) features two generators that can produce up to 100,000 kilowatts of energy. The Detroit Lake Dam along with its sister dam, Big Cliff, collectively make up the Detroit Lake Project – which controls water entering from the North Santiam River.

    Detroit Lake is tucked inside the Detroit Lake State Recreation Area, in the middle of the beautiful Cascade Mountains and the North Santiam Canyon. The park offers 300 camp sites that can be reserved two days to nine months in advance. Amenities include full-service electric campsites, playgrounds, boat ramps, picnic areas, and two floating toilets – the latter facilities are ever-popular for their sheer novelty and convenience. One floating toilet is located near Piety Island, which also features a lovely campground.

    Horse shoe, basketball, and volleyball courts are available on Detroit Lake’s mainland, and high season is May-September. Stretching for 110 miles, the Willamette National Forest also encompasses the 1.6 million acres surrounding Detroit Lake. The woodland’s topography ranges from volcanic peaks to thick blankets of Douglas-fir, Oregon’s state tree. The forest is home to at least 16 conifer species and 300 types of fish and wildlife.

    Detroit Lake hosts a slew of recreational activities, like boating, sailing, water skiing, swimming, camping, and wildlife watching. The lake is mesotrophic, a desirable level of slightly green water that hosts an impressive amount of wildlife. Ospreys, water fowl, and bald eagles are frequently sighted here, as are Fender’s blue butterflies and western pond turtles.

    Detroit Lake anglers love fishing year-round for prizes like rainbow trout and salmon, which are stocked annually. Catfish, kokanee, pumpkinseed, largemouth bass and landlocked chinook are other great catches.

    Hiking is another popular diversion at Detroit Lake, and the most traveled nearby trails are the Breitenbush Gorge, Coffin Mt. Lookout, Elk Lake to Battle Axe, Marion Lake, and Opal Lake – all of which promise stunning views and great workouts. Additional nearby activities include recreational gold mining excursions, Chinese underground tours, and a visit to the Crater Rock Museum.

    Wildlife lovers will appreciate the impressive variety of critters present both above and below the water at Detroit Lake. Novel things to see and do – like gold mining and floating toilets – make for entertaining diversions when not taking advantage of some of the best fishing, camping, and boating opportunities in the state.

    Things to Do at Detroit Lake

    These are some activities in the Detroit Lake, OR area visitors can enjoy:

    • Vacation Rentals
    • Fishing
    • Boating
    • Sailing
    • Swimming
    • Water Skiing
    • Camping
    • Campground
    • Picnicking
    • Hiking
    • Horseback Riding
    • Wildlife Viewing
    • Birding
    • National Forest
    • Museum
    • Playground

    What Kind of Fish Are in Detroit Lake?

    Detroit Lake has been known to have the following fish species:

    • Bass
    • Black Bass
    • Catfish
    • Chinook Salmon
    • Kokanee Salmon
    • Largemouth Bass
    • Pumpkinseed
    • Rainbow Trout
    • Salmon
    • Sunfish
    • Trout
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    Find Places to Stay at Detroit Lake

    If you’re considering a Detroit Lake lake house rental or hotel, we’ve made it super easy to find the best rates and compare vacation accommodations at a glance. Save time using this interactive map below.

    Note: These are affiliate links and we may earn a small commission if you click and make a purchase. Read our full disclosure policy here.

    More Sites to Book a Detroit Lake Vacation

    Our interactive Detroit Lake lodging map above is an easy tool for comparing VRBO rental homes and nearby hotels with Booking.com, but there could be times when you need to expand your search for different types of accommodations. Here are some other lake lodging partners we recommend:

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    Detroit Lake Statistics & Helpful Links

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    Lake Type: Artificial Reservoir, Dammed

    Water Level Control: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

    Surface Area: 3,580 acres

    Shoreline Length: 32 miles

    Minimum Elevation (Min Pond): 1,450 feet

    Maximum Elevation (Max Pond): 1,569 feet

    Average Depth: 121 feet

    Maximum Depth: 440 feet

    Water Volume: 455,000 acre-feet

    Completion Year: 1953

    Drainage Area: 436 sq. miles

    Trophic State: Mesotrophic

    Detroit Lake Map
    Lake Water Level
    Local Weather Forecast

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