Strawberry Mountain Wilderness

Strawberry Lake is a natural high-elevation body of water in the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness in the state of Oregon. Located about 10 miles (16 km) south of Prairie City in Grant County, the shallow lake covers about 36 acres (150,000 m2) surrounded by forest. Recreational activities in the lake basin include hiking, backpacking, skiing, and fishing. Strawberry Lake is the largest of the small glacial lakes found in the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness. The surface of the lake is more than 6,000 feet (1,800 m) above sea level. Despite water-quality problems stemming from recreational activity in the lake's drainage basin, the water remains transparent enough that the lake bottom is visible from the surface even at the lake's deepest point. Nathan W. Fisk homesteaded in the area in 1870 and named local features Strawberry Butte (now Strawberry Mountain) and Strawberry Creek for the abundance of wild strawberries in the area, and the name spread to encompass Strawberry Valley and Strawberry Lake.