Odell Lake is located near Willamette Pass in the northwest corner of Klamath County, Oregon, United States. It is one of several lakes in the Cascade Range in Central Oregon, and lies within the Deschutes National Forest. It was named for Oregon Surveyor General William Holman Odell by Bynon J. Pengra, in July 1865, while they were making a preliminary survey for the Oregon Central Military Road, which would later become Oregon Route 58. The lake fills a basin carved by a glacier, and the resulting terminal moraine confines the water along the lake's southeast shore.

Community

The populated place of Odell Lake, Oregon, is on the lake's southeast end at 43.54901°N, -121.96475°W and was once a station on the Southern Pacific Railroad's Cascade Line between Crescent Lake station and Cascade Summit. The place was also known as Odell Lake Resort, and today is the site of Odell Lake Lodge. The historic lodge building was constructed in 1903. In the 1930s on the west end of the lake another resort, Shelter Cove Resort which includes cabins, camping sites, RV parking, and docks for boating.

Climate

Recreation

Odell Lake offers recreational opportunities similar to nearby Crescent Lake, which is 4 mi to the south. There are several developed campgrounds around Odell Lake, as well as boat ramps that allow for sailing, wind surfing, water skiing and fishing. The last two state record lake trout (mackinaw) were caught in Odell Lake; the most recent being a 40 lb lake trout caught in 1984. Fish species found in the lake include: