Lakes of South Central Washington

1 ALKALI LAKE

SIZE: 308.1 Acres
ELEVATION: 1,086 Feet
MAXIMUM DEPTH: 14 Feet
COUNTY: Douglas, Washington
COORDINATES: T23N R26E Sec1(east 1/2)
T23N R27E Sec6D
T24N R26E Sec36R
T24N R27E Sec31(west 3/4)

Longitude: 119d 28m 26s to 119d 30m 0s West
Latitude: 47d 30m 58s to 47d 32m 23s North

SPECIES, CONFIRMED:

SPECIES, REPORTED:
Black Crappie
Bluegill
Brown Bullhead Catfish
Largemouth Bass
Rainbow
Walleye
Yellow Perch

CHARACTERISTICS:
The lake was once part of Lake Lenore, until it was separated by Highway 17 and a dam. On some USGS maps it is still shown as Lake Lenore.

The area around the lake has high basalt cliffs and steep slopes of broken rock to the east and west. Sagebrush are much more common than trees.

The lake is made up of two distinct sections. The larger, main body of the lake is the northern section. A smaller section with a greater average depth is found at the south end, and is connected to the main body of the lake by a shallow narrows.

The public access area is located at the south end of the main body of the lake, and occupies the shoreline at the northwest corner of the southern section. The access area offers limited bank access. It has a large gravel parking area, pit toilet, and two launch areas. The primary boat launch is found at the northwest corner of the southern section of the lake, and is composed of rough native rock. The secondary launch area is at the south end of the main body of the lake, and is a gently sloped shallow area with a gravel bottom.

Out from the public access area at the south end of the main body of the lake are three large, rocky islands with high and steep shores. They are mostly barren rock, but have small amounts of growth on them.

The area to the north has a large, flat, grassy field. Trees are scattered along the northwest shoreline. The shoreline along the northeastern part of the lake has broken rock to the waters edge.

Highway 17 runs up the east side of the lake. In many places it is right along the water, separated by only a steep, rocky slope. Toward the north end of the lake the separation between the road and the water increases, and the area between them is primarily fields, with brush and trees on the shoreline.

Most of the shoreline areas that aren’t all rock have growths of aquatic vegetation. Some of the growths are heavy.

The southern section of the lake extends southeast from the main body of the lake. It covers a good-sized area. It has moderately steep shorelines, with small areas of vertical rock or broken rock at the center of the east side. Most of its shorelines are lined with fairly dense growths of aquatic weeds.

The bottom of the lake is mostly rocky, with some silt pockets.
The water is very clear.

DIRECTIONS TO:
Take Highway 17 to mile 85.3, north of the town of Ephrata, where the gravel access road for Alkali Lake will be found on the east side of the highway.

FISHING TIPS:
I am unable to offer any tips due to a lack of success in this lake. On my one visit I made just a few casts from shore during very windy conditions, and didn’t give the lake a fair chance.

MAP REFERENCES:
*USGS Topographic Map, Washington (47119-E4-TF-024-00)
Park East Quadrangle, 7.5 Minute Series.
*USGS Topographic Map, Washington (47119-E1-TM-100-00)
Banks Lake Quadrangle, 30x60 Minute Series.
*Washington Atlas & Gazetteer; Page 85.