Fort Stevens' Secret Lake

Secret Places

Looking south, away from the boat
launch. The weather over the lake is cloudy,
with high humidity. This adds to the
cool, almost magical atmosphere.
---

     Some houses have secret rooms, or secluded gardens. They are a necessity: a place for people to hide away from the stressful rat-race that is modern life. In a way, these are the things I seek out on trips, or when I am away from home. Special places: hidden gardens out in the countryside that God hides away especially for people who stumble upon them. 

Coffenbury lake, at Fort Stevens State park, is sometimes referred to simply as "the lake." For most, this would make sense, as it is, at a glance, the Park's only lake. But when you stop and think about it, this makes no sense: the drive into the park passes through a network of marshes and small lily pad-filled lakes. So shouldn't Fort Stevens State Park, have at least two? Maybe three? According to this State Park map, there are at least five. And two of these are easily explored by boat.... 

Yes. Fort Stevens has two navigable Lakes

"Two?" I hear you ask "But where is the other one?"

 The scenery around the Northern end of the
lake.

This second lake is a mere stone's throw east of Coffenbury Lake, down a small secluded, pothole-ridden path. It's not difficult to find per se, many simply never discover it. Visitors are too busy exploring the larger Coffenbury Lake and the other attractions of the park: the old batteries, the museum, and the shipwreck among others. My father marveled that he had been visiting the park for nineteen years and never knew the lake existed. Yet some people do: the mud boat ramp is covered in footprints and I have even seen a couple of kids trying their luck at fishing, while a google earth image shows kayaks cruising the lake. But unlike Coffinbury Lake, it's poorly advertised... and you need a boat to truly experience this hidden treasure. With Coffenbury Lake, you can hike around it and see it from every angle. This lake has no trails, and the wetlands surrounding it are too thick to make your own. 

The path leading to the lake is what first caught my eye. It's a strange, ancient concrete path continuing from the end of the picnic area, where it disappears from sight around the bend. "Psst." it seems to say, "Over here! Follow me, see where I go!" But the derelict path is so subtle, that only a curious explorer would bother investigating further.

A different experience entirely...

Further along in the lake, the pond lilies form
thick mats, rising above the lake surface as
the water level fell later in summer. Canoeing
through these mats is...interesting.

Despite its age, the path is wide enough for a vehicle, and the ramp is good for canoes or kayaks. The boats slip silently through the water, leaving the forget-me-not-covered shores behind, and heading out into the fog. Leaving the boat launch is like stepping through a doorway: it isn't until you are well into the lake, that its size becomes apparent. Towering groves of fir and spruce line the shores, walling it off and hiding it further. Strange whistling bird calls carry out from the trees, eagles soar overhead looking for fish, and Cedar waxwings, with their bandit-mask markings dart about on the shrubs. The upper branches of Douglas Firs twist into shapes that can be mistaken for osprey or eagles. A thin fog lays low over the lake, like a curtain, hiding the next hundred feet, giving you something to eagerly paddle towards.

The lake's surface is mirror smooth, filled with feather-like water plants. Pond lilies rise from the lakebed, and form thick patches, that form a sort of second lakeshore. They grew to a previous lake level, and as the lake level fell, they kept their height, now about the surface of the water. Flowers are few this time of year. yet life goes on. Even as these leaves weather and die, new ones can be seen beneath the waters surface.

The old derelict road leading to
Secret Lake. The path is riddled
with potholes and is in desperate
need of repair. Despite this, it is
easily traversed by a careful driver.

A hidden gem

In one day, I saw this lake twice: after going once without a camera it just had to be documented. It was so tranquil. Even on our second trip, the fog still had not lifted, and the cool wind still blew north along the lake. Even after the boat was safely away, I returned to gaze through that doorway, across the lake. I love the tranquility, the lack of people fishing and swimming, and taking up space. But like the Church Creek Trail, it seems strange that more people don't talk about it. Coffenbury is good and fine, but there is something refreshing about how quiet and still, and cool it is. It's like AC on a hot day. It's needed in the hustle and bustle that is Oregon's largest state park, walled in by trees, and with a boat-launch doorway: Fort Stevens' hidden lake. -KP

 46˚09' 59"N, 123˚57'16"W

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