Lost Creek Lake
Jackson County, Oregon3,430 acresView mapDirections
Oregon DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Lost Creek Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
- 102 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Lost Creek Lake in Jackson County, Oregon has water-quality measurements published by Oregon DEQ, shown here as reported. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.6 µg/L. Surface area: 3430 acres.
Lost Creek Lake is a 3,430-acre mesotrophic lake in Jackson County, Oregon with an estimated average depth of about 102 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, Lost Creek Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Oregon DEQ, last sampled 2025-09-30. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Lost Creek Lake covers about 3,400 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. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Lost Creek Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Lost Creek Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch3 documented ramps
- Camping1 public campground nearby
- Big water3,430 acres
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyRecreation use not supported
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. Lost Creek Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lost Creek 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 Lost Creek Lake
These are the measurements Oregon DEQ publishes for Lost Creek 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 2.6 µg/L. TSI 40.
| 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) | 2.6µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 40 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Lost Creek Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~102 ft est.
Surface area
3,430 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 Lost Creek Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
684 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
20.7 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,827 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
- Casey State ParkPublic
- McGregor ParkPublic
- Joseph Stewart State ParkPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Public campgrounds near Lost Creek Lake
- Stewart State Park Campground1.6 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 Lost Creek Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lost Creek 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 Lost Creek Lake
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Planning a trip? Cabins and lodging at Lost Creek Lake → · more Oregon lake trips
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Fishing Lost Creek 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+2.4 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lost Creek Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the William L. Jess Dam (completed 1976), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Rogue River; rockfill-type dam, 345 ft tall and 3,600 ft long.
- Surface area
- 3,430 ac
- Normal storage
- 465,000 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 500,000 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 674 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- USACE - Portland District
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Other;Irrigation;Recreation;Hydroelectric.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID OR00612 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Lost Creek 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, Fish consumption, Recreation, Other.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit OR_LK_1710030703_02_100244 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Jackson County
Frequently asked questions about Lost Creek Lake
Where is Lost Creek Lake?
- Lost Creek 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 Lost Creek Lake?
- Lost Creek Lake in Jackson County, Oregon has water-quality measurements published by Oregon DEQ, shown here as reported. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.6 µg/L. Surface area: 3430 acres.
Is Lost Creek Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lost Creek Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lost Creek Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lost Creek Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 102 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 3430 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Lost Creek Lake?
- Lost Creek Lake has 3 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Casey State Park, McGregor Park, Joseph Stewart State Park. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lost Creek Lake?
- Lost Creek 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 Lost Creek Lake?
- Lost Creek Lake has 1 public campground from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Stewart State Park 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 Lost Creek Lake across LakeQuality
Planning a trip around Crater Lake?
Lost Creek Lake is about 31 miles from Crater Lake National Park. Crowds there swing hard by season, so the month you pick changes both how busy the park is and what lodging costs.
Best time to visit Crater Lake →More lakes in Oregon
Other Lakes in Oregon
Mesotrophic Lakes in Oregon
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