Devil's Lake State Recreation Area
1452 NE 6th Dr
Lincoln City, OR
A sheltered freshwater lake right in town, calm when the ocean is wild, with paddling, fishing, and a Native legend that gave it a devilish name.
Devil's Lake is the coast's answer to a windy beach day. While the Pacific just over the dunes can turn cold and rough, this broad freshwater lake sits sheltered from the sea breeze, its water often glassy and calm. It spreads across hundreds of acres right in the middle of Lincoln City, close enough to downtown that you can launch a kayak in the morning and be walking the beach an hour later.
The state recreation area gives you two ways in. A campground on the west shore, just minutes from the shops and the sand, and a day-use park with a boat launch around on the east side. Between them they open the whole lake up to paddlers, anglers, and families, all under a name that comes from an old and genuinely spooky Native legend.
What Guests Love
- A large, sheltered lake that stays calm when the ocean is too rough and windy for the water
- Paddling by kayak, canoe, or paddleboard, with easy launches on both the west and east shores
- Fishing for trout, bass, perch, catfish, and more in one of the coast's most productive freshwater lakes
- A campground within walking distance of downtown Lincoln City and the beach
Worth Knowing
- The recreation area is really two parks, a campground on the west shore near downtown and a day-use area with a boat launch around on the east side
- The lake is popular with both paddlers and motorboats in summer, so mornings tend to be the calmest and quietest time on the water
- Camping fills up fast in the warm months, from tent sites to yurts, so booking well ahead is wise for a summer stay
- Water levels and lake conditions change through the year, so check ahead if you are coming specifically to swim or launch a boat
Details
Lincoln City, OR
Learn about Devil's Lake State Recreation Area
The legend behind the name
The lake's dark name comes from Native oral tradition, which told of a fearsome creature living in its depths, a beaked, tentacled monster something like a great octopus. In the best-known version of the story, a warrior and his fellow paddlers were dragged under the water by the creature during a fishing trip, and the warrior's grieving wife was pulled beneath the surface too when she paddled out to the center of the lake.
The villagers, the story goes, named it Devil's Lake to warn everyone who came after them of the danger in its waters. Whether the tale grew from a real hazard, a whirlpool, a sudden squall, or simply the deep, cold quiet of the lake, it gave this gentle-looking place a name with real weight, and it is still the first thing most visitors ask about.
A paddler's and angler's lake
For all its menacing name, Devil's Lake is one of the most welcoming stretches of water on the coast. Its size and its shelter from the ocean wind make it a favorite for kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards, and you can spend hours exploring its coves and the quiet channel at its south end without ever fighting a swell. Boat launches on both shores make it easy to get on the water.
It is also a genuinely good fishing lake, well stocked and productive, holding rainbow trout, largemouth bass, yellow perch, black crappie, bluegill, and catfish. Anglers work it from boats, from docks, and from the bank, and it is an easy place to teach a kid to cast. Ospreys, herons, and waterfowl work the same water, so even a slow fishing day comes with plenty to watch.
Camp by the lake, walk to the beach
The west-shore campground is the heart of the recreation area, tucked into the trees within walking distance of both the lake and downtown Lincoln City. It offers everything from tent sites to hookups to yurts, those round, canvas-roofed cabins that let you camp without a tent, and its location means you can spend the day split between fresh water and salt water without ever moving the car.
Around on the east side, the day-use park adds a boat launch, a fishing dock, and picnic spots for anyone not staying the night. Between the two, Devil's Lake works as a base camp for the whole Lincoln City area, a calm-water counterpoint to the wild open beach a few blocks away.
Visiting Devil's Lake
Both parks lie just off US 101 in Lincoln City, the campground on the west shore near the north end of downtown and the day-use area a short drive around the south end of the lake. Day use is easy to drop into, while camping should be reserved ahead in summer, when the sites and yurts book up quickly.
Come for a morning paddle when the water is at its stillest, bring a rod for the afternoon, and keep your eyes on the shoreline trees for ospreys and eagles. Then wander over the dunes to the beach for sunset. It is a rare thing to have a big, calm lake and the open Pacific within the same town, and Devil's Lake makes the most of it, monster or no monster.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near Lincoln City
Lincoln City Beach
About 1 mile
Seven miles of open sand just over the dunes, famous for kite flying and for the glass floats hidden along the beach each winter.
Regatta Grounds Park
In town
A small city park on the lake's west shore with a boat ramp, dock, and grassy picnic area, a handy public access point to the water.
Cascade Head
About 8 miles
A protected headland and prairie preserve north of town with a rewarding trail to sweeping views over the ocean and the Salmon River estuary.
Drift Creek Falls
About 15 miles
A forest hike inland from Lincoln City to a suspension bridge swaying above a tall waterfall in the Coast Range.