Rex Trulove
I’ve shared a number of pictures of Oregon. I thought I might share some information about one of the most popular lakes in central Oregon; Diamond Lake. This is a volcanic lake located somewhat north of Crater Lake National Park.
Diamond Lake isn’t huge, but it is very popular. It isn’t hard to get to, it is great for swimming, campgrounds are available, boaters and water skiers are welcome, and the lake has some great fishing. The scenery is phenomenal and there are even trails for hiking. It isn’t hard to see why it is popular.
Satellite image of Diamond Lake
Seen from a satellite, this is what Diamond Lake looks like. You might say, "It isn't diamond shaped. Are their diamonds here?" The answer is that there are no diamonds and it wasn't named because of its shape.
Notice the two peaks, one on each side of the lake. The one on the left is Mount Bailey. The one on the right is Mount Thielson. Mount Thielson is the taller of the two and it really stands out when a person is at the lake.
The lake is named 'diamond' because of Mount Thielson. That might not make sense, but Mount Thielson is a very jagged and steep mountain. That earned it the nickname of "Diamond Peak". Since the lake is at the base of Diamond Peak, it is called Diamond Lake.
Map representation
The view from the lake
This is the view from the lake, looking east toward Mount Thielson or Diamond Peak. It is easy to see how pointed the top of the mountain is in this picture. That is what gave it the 'diamond' designation. The picture actually makes the lake look larger than it really is, and it also makes Mount Thielson look farther away. Both are optical illusions. As the map shows, Mount Thielson is actually less than 5 miles from Diamond Lake.
How about this for a pretty lake? This view doesn't show it, but the trees come right down to the short all the way around the lake.
