Battle Ground Lake
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
- Hikes to this location:
- Battle Ground Lake Loop Hike (TH | <— —> | LOG)
- Weather forecast: NWS/NOAA
- Maps: Oregon Hikers Maps Google Maps
- Latitude, Longitude: 45.8048, -122.4941
- Elevation: 505 feet
Description
Battle Ground Lake is the centerpiece of Battle Ground Lake State Park. The roughly circular lake is fed by springs and precipitation and has no inlet or outlet streams. The water level remains nearly the same year round.
The lake was created as a "maar" volcano. Magma rising to the surface came in contact with a large amount of underground water. The water was turned to steam and the resulting steam explosion blasted a hole. After the system became inactive and cooled, water from rain and underground springs filled the lake. The explosive nature of the original eruption left scattered boulders of lava in the area, rather than solid masses of basalt. Centuries of erosion and plant growth have covered most of the lava with soil, but there are still large boulders visible on the west shore of the lake. Battle Ground Lake is about 105,000 years old.
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Contributors
- Stevefromdodge (creator)