19 lakes with water-quality readings within 4 hr of downtown
Driving from Portland to a lake worth swimming in
Henry Hagg Lake is the closest lake with water-quality readings to Portland, 58 min away. That is unusual: the closest lake is also the one with the most favourable readings within reach, so there is no tradeoff to make here.
Every lake below is ranked by how long the drive is, and each links to its own water-quality readings. Closest is not the same as cleanest, and this page will not pretend otherwise.
Closer, or cleaner — the whole ladder
19 lakes, sorted by drive time from downtown Portland. 6 of them have clear, low-nutrient readings. Some of the best water is over a state line — this list crosses into Washington. The furthest entry is Cold Springs Reservoir at 3 hr 54 min.
| Drive | Lake | Road miles | County | Size | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 58 min | Henry Hagg Lake | 37.5 | Washington County, OR | 1,157 ac | ✓ Public |
| 1 hr 53 min | Detroit Lake | 88.9 | Marion County, OR | 3,490 ac | ✓ Public |
| 2 hr 3 min | Cullaby Lake | 86.7 | Clatsop County, OR | Not recorded | ✓ Public |
| 2 hr 11 min | Timothy Lake | 79.8 | Clackamas County, OR | 1,430 ac | ✓ Public |
| 2 hr 15 min | Devil'S Lake | 87.5 | Lincoln County, OR | 0 ac | ✓ Public |
| 2 hr 17 min | Foster Lake | 102.8 | Linn County, OR | 1,220 ac | ✓ Public |
| 2 hr 35 min | Green Peter Lake | 110.6 | Linn County, OR | 3,720 ac | ✓ Public |
| 2 hr 36 min | Pine Hollow Reservoir | 95.4 | Wasco County, OR | 235 ac | ✓ Public |
| 3 hr 15 min | Blue River Lake | 150 | Lane County, OR | 975 ac | ✓ Public |
| 3 hr 20 min | Billy Chinook Reservoir | 131.4 | Jefferson County, OR | 4,000 ac | Not recorded |
| 3 hr 21 min | Round Butte Dam Forebay Lake | 123.7 | Jefferson County, OR | 4,000 ac | Not recorded |
| 3 hr 22 min | Crooked River Arm Lake | 132.8 | Jefferson County, OR | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| 3 hr 24 min | Haystack Reservoir Campground Boat Ramp | 133.8 | Jefferson County, OR | Not recorded | ✓ Public |
| 3 hr 25 min | Cougar Lake | 156.7 | Lane County, OR | 1,280 ac | ✓ Public |
| 3 hr 46 min | Rimrock Reservoir | 172.5 | Yakima County, WA | 2,525 ac | ✓ Public |
| 3 hr 48 min | Siltcoos Lake | 169.3 | Lane County, OR | 3,585 ac | ✓ Public |
| 3 hr 49 min | Odell Lake | 178 | Klamath County, OR | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| 3 hr 51 min | Ochoco Lake County Park Boat Ramp | 155.9 | Crook County, OR | Not recorded | ✓ Public |
| 3 hr 54 min | Cold Springs Reservoir | 196.9 | Umatilla County, OR | 1,550 ac | ✓ Public |
What the numbers are, and are not
Drive times and road miles are one-way road routing from downtown Portland to the nearest public road at each lake, over the OpenStreetMap network via OSRM (router.project-osrm.org) over OpenStreetMap, driving profile, free-flow. Free-flow means no traffic model and no time of day, so a weekend morning will beat these numbers and a Friday afternoon will not.
Each lake’s water-quality readings, phosphorus, nitrogen, chlorophyll-a and turbidity measured over years by state and federal agencies, are on its own page. They describe the lake’s record; they do not clear the water for a particular afternoon, and they say nothing about the beach, the boat ramp or the view. Lakes with no nutrient or algae reading on record are not listed here, because the water is the only axis this page ranks on.
Size and access come from the lake record where the agency published them. “Not recorded” means nobody documented it — it is a gap in the paperwork, not a statement about the lake.
More lakes near Portland
Nearby cities
Common questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Henry Hagg Lake in Washington County, Oregon. Its nutrient and algae readings are among the most favourable within reach, and the drive is 58 min, or 37.5 road miles. It is also the closest lake of any kind with readings on record.
Not longer at all. The closest lake to Portland is also the closest one with clear, low-nutrient water, so the cleaner water costs no extra driving.
15 of the 19 lakes here have a public access point on the record, and the closest is Henry Hagg Lake, 58 min away. The rest of the table shows "Not recorded" where no access point was documented, which is not the same as no access — check with the managing agency before you trailer a boat.
By road, from downtown Portland to the nearest public road at each lake, over the OpenStreetMap road network. They are free-flow times: no traffic, no time of day, no stops. Treat them as the floor, and add for rush hour and for the last stretch to the water.
No. The readings summarise years of phosphorus, nitrogen, algae and turbidity measurements; they describe the lake, not this afternoon. A beach closure, a bloom, or a heavy rain can change conditions overnight. Whether a lake is safe to swim in is a call for the state water agency and the county health department: check the lake's own page for its measurement record, and check the managing agency for current advisories before you get in.
Stay by the water, not by the highway
Cabins, hotels and rentals around Henry Hagg Lake in Washington County, the closest lake to Portland with the most favourable readings in range. 58 min from downtown.
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