Wednesday, July 27, 2016
A supplement of EO Media Group
C1
Journey
through Grant County and beyond
MAGONE
LAKE
IS A GRANT
COUNTY
FAVORITE
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
A mile-long trail loops around Magone Lake for an easy hike. There are no barriers or steep inclines along the unpaved path.
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
M
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Pack up the marshmallows, chocolate and graham
crackers for a s’mores treat after playing in the
water.
agone Lake is an oasis on
a hot summer day and one
of Grant County’s favor-
ite swimming and fi shing
spots.
It also features a 1-mile hiking trail,
circling the lake, which is easy enough for
everyone in the family.
Located about 26 miles north of John
Day in the Malheur National Forest, Ma-
gone Lake (pronounced “muh-goon”) cov-
ers about 50 acres and is surrounded by
Ponderosa pine, fi r and other native trees.
Visitors enjoy the water with inner
tubes, pontoons, kayaks, canoes and boats.
The lake has a boat ramp that was rebuilt
fi ve years ago.
The sandy beach in the day use area is
great for building sandcastles.
Swimmers can stay near the shore and
the gradually sloping shallow water, or
venture out to the tree stump in the mid-
dle of the lake, which makes a good diving
spot.
Picnic areas near the beach are a good
place for barbecuing hot dogs and ham-
burgers — or making s’mores.
The facilities include three tent-only
sites, 20 tent/trailer sites and a large picnic
area with group picnicking. All the facili-
How to get there:
From John Day, follow Highway 26
about 13 miles to County Road 18/Kee-
ney Forks Road. Travel about 12 miles
on County Road 18, then turn left onto
Forest Service Road 3620 (there will be
a sign pointing left to Magone Lake).
Travel 2 miles on Forest Road 3620 to
the junction with Forest Road 3618. Fol-
low 3618 for approximately 1 mile to the
day-use area.
ties, including a changing room and vault
toilets, are handicap-accessible. It also has
a reservation-only covered picnic shelter
for large gatherings.
Geologists believe the lake was created
by a land slide in the early 1800s.
It is said the fi rst fi sh placed in Magone
Lake arrived in the 1880s when Major Jo-
seph Magone, a former Civil War offi cer,
carried buckets of brook trout from the
John Day Valley to the lake.
Known for traveling most everywhere
by foot, he hiked up to the lake with a
wooden yoke across his shoulders, with a
bucketful of fi sh at each end.
Today, the lake is stocked by Oregon
Department of Fish and Wildlife with
8- to 15-inch eastern brook and rainbow
trout.
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
The hiking trail around
Magone Lake includes cool,
shaded areas.