Goose Lake (Oregon-California)

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Goose Lake
The Southern end
Location	Oregon/California
Lake type	alkaline
Basin countries	United States

Goose Lake is a large alkaline lake on the California-Oregon border. It is mostly surrounded by privately owned agricultural land, though there is a state recreation area on the Oregon side. Goose Lake is in Lake County, Oregon and Modoc County, California.

Geologically, Goose Lake is part of a geological trough which runs from Oregon southward past Death Valley, the Walker Lane.

Goose Lake attracts wildlife watchers, campers and boaters. It is a habitat to many a flora and fauna including a large herd of mule deer which spend much of the time in the 48-site campground, Western Grebe and Long-billed Curlew.

The park provides hot showers, grassy areas suitable for tents, paved sites, shade trees, fireplaces, electrical hookups, telephone and a dump station. A kiosk and brochures available at the campground provide information about things to see and do in the area. The campground is open mid-April to late October.

The campground winter closure begins on October 22.

Recreational activities on or around the lake include kayaking, canoeing, and hunting, but not fishing. When the lake is full, it has a maximum depth of 24 feet.

The lake is located near the historic Fandango pass route used to enter California by nineteenth century settlers. In the mid-1800s, particularly during the California Gold Rush, the Applegate-Lassen Cut-Off of the California Trail left the main route of that Trail near present-day Rye Patch Reservoir, and crossed the Black Rock Desert, on the way to Goose Lake and the California gold fields. The Lassen Cut-Off continued down the Pit River into California's Central Valley, while the Applegate Cut-Off went into southern Oregon along the Lost River.

The lake had completely dried up in the years 1851, 1852, 1926, 1929-1934, and 1992. Formerly, Goose Lake was the regular source of the Pit River which flows into California's Sacramento River, but water diversion has caused the lake level to drop below its outlet. The Pit River's source is now south of Goose Lake and the lake's salinity is increasing, threatening fish populations. During rare high water levels, Goose Lake still spills into the Pit River.^[1]