Editing Lake County, Oregon (section)

==Geography==
[[File:Lake County.svg|alt=Map of Lake County|thumb|Map of Lake County]]
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|8358|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|8139|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|219|sqmi}} (2.6%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{Cite web |date=August 22, 2012 |title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files |url=http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_41.txt |access-date=February 26, 2015 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> It is the third-largest county in Oregon.

Lake County ranges in elevation from {{convert|4130|to|8446|ft|m}}.<ref name="lakecountychamber.org" />  The highest point in Lake County is [[Crane Mountain]]. The mountain is located {{convert|6|mi|km|1}} north of the California border. Lake County has six other peaks with elevations above {{convert|8000|ft|m}}, all located in the southern half of the county.  [[Hager Mountain]] is the highest peak in the northern part of the county.<ref>[http://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/f?p=136:3:0::NO:3:P3_FID,P3_TITLE:1140381,Crane%20Mountain "Feature Detail Report for: Crane Mountain"], ''Geologic Names Information System'', United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior, Reston, Virginia, November 27, 2014.</ref><ref>[http://www.summitpost.org/oregon-top-100/601357 "Oregon Top 100"], ''SummitPost.org'', accessed January 6, 2015.</ref><ref>[http://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/f?p=136:3:0::NO:3:P3_FID,P3_TITLE:1143196,Hager%20Mountain "Feature Detail Report for: Hager Mountain"], ''Geologic Names Information System'', United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior, Reston, Virginia, November 27, 2014.</ref>

The area includes [[Soda lake|alkali lake]]s, high desert scrub, and forests of [[Western Juniper]], [[Ponderosa Pine]], and [[Lodgepole Pine]] in the hills and mountains. There are also several unusual geologic features and good areas for rockhounding and geological touring.

[[Lost Forest Research Natural Area]] is a protected relic forest closely associated with the [[Christmas Valley Sand Dunes]] in northeastern Lake County.  [[Fossil Lake]] is an area nearby where many fossils of prehistoric animals have been identified.  [[Glass Buttes]] is an [[obsidian]] complex in the extreme northeast corner of the county.  [[Crack in the Ground]], northeast of [[Christmas Valley]] is a long fissure with ice in its floor year round.   [[Big Hole (Oregon)|Big Hole]], [[Hole-in-the-Ground]], and [[Fort Rock]] are ancient [[maar]] craters in the northwestern part of the county.

The southern portion of the county was designated as a [[dark-sky preserve]] by [[DarkSky International]] in 2024.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hale |first=Jamie |date=March 11, 2024 |title=Oregon Outback is now the largest Dark Sky Sanctuary in the world |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/travel/2024/03/oregon-outback-is-now-the-largest-dark-sky-sanctuary-in-the-world.html |access-date=March 14, 2024 |work=The Oregonian}}</ref>

===Watersheds===
These twelve watersheds occur in whole or in part within Lake County:<ref name="USEPA">{{Cite web |date=June 28, 2006 |title=Lake County &#124; Surf Your Watershed &#124; US EPA |url=http://cfpub.epa.gov/surf/county.cfm?fips_code=41037 |access-date=February 12, 2011 |publisher=Cfpub.epa.gov}}</ref>
* Beaver-South Fork watershed
* [[Goose Lake (Oregon-California)|Goose Lake watershed]]
* Guano watershed
* [[Lake Abert|Lake Abert watershed]]
* [[Little Deschutes River (Oregon)|Little Deschutes]]
* [[Lost River (California)|Lost River watershed]]
* [[Crooked River (Oregon)|Crooked River, South Fork]]
* Silver watershed
* [[Sprague River (Oregon)|Sprague]]
* [[Summer Lake (Oregon)|Summer Lake watershed]]
* [[Warner Lakes|Warner Lakes watershed]]
* [[Williamson River (Oregon)|Williamson]]

<!-- NOTE: Lakes that are listed here are NOT misplaced. Many lakes have no major outlets here and thus are watersheds within themselves, not part of a larger river system. -->

===Lakes===
[[Image:AbertRim-right.jpg|right|thumb|300px|The East shore of [[Lake Abert]].]]

Named lakes wholly or partly in Lake County include:
* [[Abert Lake]]
* [[Alkali Lake (Oregon)|Alkali Lake]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Alkali Lake in Lake County Southern Oregon |url=http://www.southernoregon.com/lakes/alkalilake/index.html |access-date=February 12, 2011 |publisher=Southernoregon.com}}</ref>
* Duncan Reservoir 
* Thompson Reservoir
* Ana Reservoir 
* [[Warner Lakes|Campbell Lake]]
* [[Crump Lake]]
* Deadhorse Lake
* Dog Lake<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 19, 2004 |title=Fremont-Winema National Forests - Recreational Activities |url=http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/frewin/recreation/campgrounds/developed/doglake/fre-doglk.shtml |access-date=February 12, 2011 |publisher=Fs.fed.us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Dog Lake in Fremont National Forest Southern Oregon |url=http://www.southernoregon.com/lakes/doglake/index.html |access-date=February 12, 2011 |publisher=Southernoregon.com}}</ref>
* Drews Reservoir
* [[Goose Lake (Oregon-California)|Goose Lake]]
* [[Hart Lake (Oregon)|Hart Lake]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hart Lake Reservoir in Lake County Southern Oregon |url=http://www.southernoregon.com/lakes/hartlakeresevoir/index.html |access-date=February 12, 2011 |publisher=Southernoregon.com}}</ref>
* Heart Lake <ref>{{Cite web |title=Heart Lake in Southern Oregon |url=http://www.southernoregon.com/lakes/heartlake/index.html |access-date=February 12, 2011 |publisher=Southernoregon.com}}</ref>
* [[Silver Lake (Oregon)|Silver Lake]]
* [[Summer Lake (Oregon)|Summer Lake]]
* [[Warner Lakes]] (Pelican, Crump, Hart, Anderson, Swamp, Mugwump, Flagstaff, Upper Campbell, Lower Campbell, Stone Corral, Turpin, and Bluejoint).<ref>McArthur, Lewis A. and Lewis L. McArthur, "Warner Valley", ''Oregon Geographic Names'' (Seventh Edition), Oregon Historical Society Press, Portland, Oregon, 2003, p. 1010-1011.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Bluejoint Lake in Lake County Warner Valley Southern Oregon |url=http://www.southernoregon.com/lakes/bluejointlake/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716112903/http://www.southernoregon.com/lakes/bluejointlake/index.html |archive-date=July 16, 2011 |access-date=February 12, 2011 |publisher=Southernoregon.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Southern Oregon Lakes |url=http://www.southernoregon.com/lakes/index.html |access-date=February 12, 2011 |publisher=Southernoregon.com}}</ref><ref>Gottberg, John Anderson, [http://www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090816/NEWS0107/908160416/1001/NEWS01&nav_category=NEWS01 "Pronghorn Paradise"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002153656/http://www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20090816%2FNEWS0107%2F908160416%2F1001%2FNEWS01&nav_category=NEWS01 |date=October 2, 2013 }}, ''The Bulletin'', Bend, Oregon, August 16, 2009.</ref><ref>Jackman, E.R. and R.A. Long,[https://books.google.com/books?id=U3ruodEof8MC&dq=%22warner+valley%22+oregon&pg=PA361 ''The Oregon Desert''], Canton Press, Caldwell, Idaho: 1964, p. 361.</ref>

===Adjacent counties===
* [[Deschutes County, Oregon|Deschutes County]] (north)
* [[Harney County, Oregon|Harney County]] (east)
* [[Washoe County, Nevada]] (south)
* [[Modoc County, California]] (south)
* [[Klamath County, Oregon|Klamath County]] (west)

===National protected areas===
*[[Deschutes National Forest]] (part)
*[[Fremont National Forest]] (part)
*[[Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge]]
*[[Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge]] (part)