“one of the twin crater lakes”
Paulina Lake is one of the twin crater lakes in Newberry Crater, central Oregon, United States (the other being East Lake). It is located 6,331 feet (1,930 m) above sea level in the Deschutes National Forest near La Pine. The lake's primary inflow is seepage from East Lake, snow melt, and hot springs, and its outflow is Paulina Creek, a tributary of the Deschutes River. It has an area of 1,531 acres (619.6 ha), a volume of 249,850 acre feet (308,185 dam3), a maximum depth of 250 feet (76.2 m), a shore length of about 6.7 miles (11 km), and a residence time of about 46 years. The lake is classified as mesotrophic, with a transparency of approximately 13.1 feet (3.99 m). It is about 40 feet (12 m) lower and one mile west of its twin, East Lake. Paulina Lake sits within the Newberry Crater, formed from over 500,000 years of volcanic activity. Once devoid of fish, the lake is now regularly stocked by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and is known for its large number of kokanee salmon and brown trout. Other fish found in the lake include rainbow trout, tui chub, and blue chub.
We love a hot spring, but when it’s an all-natural non-commercial soaking tub on the edge of a caldera lake — YES, please! You’ll want to look for the Paulina Lake Hot Spring Trail in La Pine. This lake is gorgeous and worthy of a hike even without the hot springs, but luckily you only have to walk about 1.4 miles into the hot spring (the lake hike is about 7.5 miles if you do the entire trail.)
Water slowly bubbles up from under the earth next to the lake, where you’ll find large holes dug to capture the hot water. The water can get as high as 115 degrees…but by allowing the lake water to mix with the hot springs water, it is just about as awesome as it gets! Also, on the trail is an explosion of sparkling obsidian. My Minecraft-raised kids loved it.
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Paulina Lake
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