| Floras Lake | |
|---|---|
 Floras Lake, March 2017 | |
  Floras Lake  Floras Lake | |
| Location | Near Pacific Ocean coast in Curry County, Oregon |
| Coordinates | 42°53′41″N 124°30′18″W / 42.89472°N 124.50500°W |
| Lake type | Natural, mesotrophic |
| Primary inflows | Four unnamed tributaries |
| Primary outflows | New River (Floras Creek) |
| Catchment area | 10 sq mi (26 km2) |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 236 acres (96 ha) |
| Average depth | 18 ft (5 m) |
| Max. depth | 35 ft (11 m) |
| Water volume | 4,300 acre⋅ft (5.3 hm3) |
| Residence time | Two months |
| Shore length1 | 5.2 mi (8.4 km) |
| Surface elevation | 10 feet (3 m) |
| Settlements | Port Orford (10 miles (16 km) to the south |
| References | [1][2][3] |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Floras Lake is a natural 236-acre (96 ha) body of water on the southern Oregon Coast of the United States. Fed by four small tributaries from a basin of about 10 square miles (26 km2) in Curry County, it lies about 10 miles (16 km) north of Port Orford and 2 miles (3 km) west of U.S. Route 101.[1] It was probably named for Fred Flora, a 19th-century settler and miner who lived nearby.[1][4]
The lake, with a mean elevation of about 10 feet (3 m) above sea level, empties north into Floras Creek, where the combined streams form the New River.[1] The river flows north behind a foredune until veering west and entering the Pacific Ocean through a break in the dune.[5]
Relatively remote, the lake and the 1,371-acre (555 ha) Floras Lake State Natural Area, can be reached on foot from the south along a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) trail that begins at Cape Blanco Airport. More common is to approach by car on Floras Lake Road off U.S. Route 101. This leads to Boice–Cope County Park, at the northeastern corner of the lake.[6]
The area near the lake, between Bandon to the north and Cape Blanco to the south, includes many state, federal, and county parks, recreation areas, and wildlife sanctuaries. Among those are the New River Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC), overseen by the Bureau of Land Management north of the lake and west of the county park.[7] The county park, which has campsites and day-use facilities, offers access to the New River ACEC as well as the lake.[6]
- ^ a b c d Johnson, Daniel M.; Petersen, Richard R.; Lycan, D. Richard; Sweet, James W.; Neuhaus, Mark E., and Schaedel, Andrew L. (1985). Atlas of Oregon Lakes. Corvallis: Oregon State University Press. p. 198. ISBN 0-87071-343-4.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Floras Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. November 28, 1980. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
- ^ "Atlas of Oregon Lakes: Floras Lake (Curry)". Portland State University. 1985–2012. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
- ^ McArthur, Lewis A.; Lewis L. McArthur (2003) [1928]. Oregon Geographic Names (7th ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 360. ISBN 0-87595-277-1.
- ^ "New River". Portland Audubon Society. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
- ^ a b "Curry County State Parks Master Plan" (PDF). Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. 2003. pp. 51–62. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
- ^ "New River Discovery Guide" (PDF). Bureau of Land Management. Retrieved November 28, 2014.