Applegate Lake
Jackson County, Oregon1,041 acresView mapDirections
Oregon DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Applegate Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- 50 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Applegate Lake in Jackson County, Oregon has water-quality measurements published by Oregon DEQ, shown here as reported. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 0.8 µg/L. Surface area: 1041 acres.
Applegate Lake is a 1,041-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Jackson County, Oregon with an estimated average depth of about 50 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 3 public boat landings. Compared to the 6 other monitored lakes in Jackson County, Applegate Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Oregon DEQ, last sampled 2025-10-02. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Applegate Lake covers about 1,000 acres in Jackson County. It has 3 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Applegate Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Applegate Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch3 documented ramps
- Camping6 public campgrounds nearby
- Big water1,041 acres
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Applegate Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, temperature. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Applegate Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Applegate Lake
These are the measurements Oregon DEQ publishes for Applegate Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
No clarity data. Chlorophyll-a 0.8 µg/L. TSI 28.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | No reading How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. | |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 0.8µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 28 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Applegate Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
→ Applegate Lake water level: the live USGS gauge reading
Lake Details
Max depth
~50 ft est.
Surface area
1,041 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Oregon DEQ
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Oregon has not published bathymetry for Applegate Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
221 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
11.1 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,936 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Recreation & Access
- CopperPublic
- French GulchPublic
- Hart-TishPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Public campgrounds near Applegate Lake
- Hart-Tish Recreation Complex0.4 km
- Hart-Tish Park At Applegate Lake0.9 kmReserve
- Tipsu Tyee Campground1.7 km
- Harr Point Campground2.1 km
- Watkins Campground4.1 km
- Carberry Group Campground4.4 km
Nearest public campgrounds in the USGS National Map inventory, within about 3 miles. An empty list means USGS records no campground that close, which is not the same as camping being unavailable. Where the source gives an official reservation link, it is used; the cabin and hotel search does not cover campsites. More camping lakes
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Applegate Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Applegate Lake in Jackson County, Oregon — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Applegate Lake
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Fishing Applegate Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2024–2025). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.2 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Applegate Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Applegate Dam (completed 1980), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Applegate River; rockfill-type dam, 242 ft tall and 1,200 ft long.
- Surface area
- 1,041 ac
- Normal storage
- 82,200 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 89,300 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 223 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- USACE - Portland District
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Other;Irrigation;Fish and Wildlife Pond;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID OR00624 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Applegate Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Drinking water, Aquatic life, Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit OR_LK_1710030901_02_100274 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Jackson County
Frequently asked questions about Applegate Lake
Where is Applegate Lake?
- Applegate Lake is a lake in Jackson County, Oregon. Its water-quality measurements are published by Oregon DEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Applegate Lake?
- Applegate Lake in Jackson County, Oregon has water-quality measurements published by Oregon DEQ, shown here as reported. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 0.8 µg/L. Surface area: 1041 acres.
Is Applegate Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Applegate Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, temperature. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Applegate Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Applegate Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 50 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate. The lake covers 1041 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Applegate Lake?
- Applegate Lake has 3 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Copper, French Gulch, Hart-Tish. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Applegate Lake?
- Applegate Lake has 3 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Oregon's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Are there campgrounds on Applegate Lake?
- Applegate Lake has 6 public campgrounds from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Hart-Tish Recreation Complex, Hart-Tish Park At Applegate Lake, Tipsu Tyee Campground, Harr Point Campground. This is a location join, not a booking. Cabins and hotels are listed separately; campsite reservations use the official link when the source provides one.
Explore Applegate Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
8 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2024–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Department of Environmental Quality - State of Oregon
OREGONDEQ8 samples · 2024–2025
Analytical methods
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles