Located on the Oregon coast but tucked in to the forested area a few miles East of the ocean is Mercer Lake. Not to be confused with the Mercer Lake on Antarctica!

The former Native American name for the lake was Kow-y-ich, meaning simply “the place of the lake”.   This lake has a handful of “arms” that look like fingers on the map.  These make for some interesting exploration.  The deepest part of the lake is actually below sea level!  This lake as with many other coastal lakes warms up and becomes swimmable.  This is a lovely lake that unfortunately is on the path towards eutrophication, a technical term for excessive nutrients from human impact.  Very close by is the trailhead for the Enchanted Valley hike that works its way up Bailey Creek.  Check it out after the tour for some multi sport action! Additionally, the Darlingtonia Natural Park is on the way here and definitely worth a stop. The carnivorous plants here are easy to check out from the boarkwalk tour. ***Thanks to Oregon Lakes Atlas for some of the previous information about Mercer Lake.

Map below thanks to Personal Handcrafted Displays…