Clear Lake - Main Pool Sunken Forest

A spring-fed lake in the Central Cascades along the McKenzie River, formed when a lava flow dammed the river roughly 3,000 years ago, drowning a standing forest. Visibility commonly exceeds 100 feet (sometimes 200+ in fall), letting divers see the surface from 100 feet down in the deep spring potholes. The main draws are the submerged forest of upright tree trunks up to 80 feet tall, the deep basalt potholes where ice-cold spring water wells up, and the extreme clarity. Motorized boats are banned. Water is 31-42F, making regulator free-flows a real risk, and this is an altitude dive (over 3,000 feet).