Timothy Lake
Clackamas County, Oregon1,430 acresView mapDirections
Oregon DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Timothy Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- 76 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Timothy Lake in Clackamas County, Oregon has water-quality measurements published by Oregon DEQ, shown here as reported. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.2 µg/L. Surface area: 1430 acres.
Timothy Lake is a 1,430-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Clackamas County, Oregon with an estimated average depth of about 76 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 4 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Oregon DEQ, last sampled 2025-10-07. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Timothy Lake covers about 1,400 acres in Clackamas County. It has 4 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 Timothy Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Timothy Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch4 documented ramps
- Camping8 public campgrounds nearby
- Big water1,430 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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Timothy 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 Timothy Lake
These are the measurements Oregon DEQ publishes for Timothy 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 1.2 µg/L. TSI 32.
| 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) | 1.2µg/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. | 32 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Timothy Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~76 ft est.
Surface area
1,430 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 Timothy Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
48 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
9.5 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
3,225 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
- Hoodview CampgroundPublic
- Gone Creek CampgroundPublic
- Pine Point CampgroundPublic
- Oak Fork CampgroundPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Public campgrounds near Timothy Lake
- Pine Point Campground (Timothy Lake, OR)0.1 kmReserve
- The Cove Campground0.4 km
- Hoodview Campground (Timothy Lake, OR)1.1 kmReserve
- Stone Creek Campground (Timothy Lake, OR)1.6 kmReserve
- Meditation Point Campground1.7 km
- Oak Fork Campground2.0 km
- Gone Creek Campground2.1 km
- North Arm Campground (Timothy Lake, OR)4.0 kmReserve
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 Timothy Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Timothy Lake in Clackamas 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 Timothy Lake
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Fishing Timothy 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+1.6 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Timothy Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Timothy Lake (completed 1956), built primarily for hydroelectric on the Oak Grove River; earth-type dam, 100 ft tall and 740 ft long.
- Surface area
- 1,430 ac
- Normal storage
- 66,000 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 69,000 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 54 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Portland General Electric Company
All listed purposes: Hydroelectric;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID OR00545 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Clackamas County
Frequently asked questions about Timothy Lake
Where is Timothy Lake?
- Timothy Lake is a lake in Clackamas County, Oregon. Its water-quality measurements are published by Oregon DEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Timothy Lake?
- Timothy Lake in Clackamas County, Oregon has water-quality measurements published by Oregon DEQ, shown here as reported. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.2 µg/L. Surface area: 1430 acres.
Is Timothy Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Timothy Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Timothy Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 76 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 1430 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Timothy Lake?
- Timothy Lake has 4 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Hoodview Campground, Gone Creek Campground, Pine Point Campground, Oak Fork Campground. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Timothy Lake?
- Timothy Lake has 4 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 Timothy Lake?
- Timothy Lake has 8 public campgrounds from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Pine Point Campground (Timothy Lake, OR), The Cove Campground, Hoodview Campground (Timothy Lake, OR), Stone Creek Campground (Timothy Lake, OR). 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 Timothy Lake across LakeQuality
3 documented falls within 22.1 mi, nearest Umbrella Falls
4 thermal springs within 21.9 mi, nearest Austin Hot Springs
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Oregon's top lakes, each with its readings
Oregon's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
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Oligotrophic 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
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