Warner Lakes
Encyclopedia
The Warner Lakes are a chain of shallow lakes and marshes in the Warner Valley
of eastern Lake County
, Oregon
, United States
. The lakes extend the length of the valley, covering approximately 90000 acres (364.2 km²).
The lakes are named in honor of Captain William H. Warner, a topographical engineer
who explored Warner Valley before being killed by Indians in 1849. The Warner Lakes and surrounding wetland
s support a wide variety of birds and other wildlife. Much of the land surrounding the lakes is owned by the public and is administered by the Bureau of Land Management
. These public lands have recreational opportunities including hunting
, fishing
, bird watching, and camping
.
. It is an alluvial basin containing numerous lakes, remnants of a single great lake that covered the valley floor up to 200 feet (61 m) deep during the Pleistocene
epoch. Today, steep cliffs rise above a chain of endorheic
lakes and interconnected wetlands, known collectively as Warner Lakes. The valley has two regions commonly referred to as South Warner Valley and North Warner Valley. The two areas transition between Crump Lake and Hart Lake at a point where the valley narrows to about five miles (8 km) in width.
Native Americans used the Warner Valley's lakes and wetland for thousands of years before the first white explorers arrived. There are scores of petroglyph
s near the lake shores, some are estimated to be 12,000 years old. The Greaser Petroglyph Site
, in the South Warner Valley, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
In December 1843, Captain John C. Fremont
led a party through the valley. Fremont and his party spent Christmas Day camped near Hart Lake. In honor of the date, Fremont named it Christmas Valley and the lake Christmas Lake. However, early mapmakers mistakenly plotted Christmas Valley 60 miles (96.6 km) northwest of the Warner Valley, leaving the valley and lake unnamed on early maps. In 1849, the valley was explored by Captain William Horace Warner, an Army
topographical engineer. On 26 September 1849, Warner was ambushed and killed by Indians just south of Warner Valley. In 1864, Lieutenant Colonel C. S. Drew of the 1st Oregon Cavalry
visited the valley while on a scouting expedition. Drew named the valley in honor of Warner, who he believed had been killed there.
In 1867, General George Crook
decided to build a fort in the Warner Valley to prevent Indian raiding parties from passing through the area. To get his wagons across the wetlands, he directed a bridge to be built across a narrow, marshy channel between Hart Lake and Crump Lake. Forty soldiers of the 23rd Infantry Regiment
under the command of Captain James Henton were assigned the task. The bridge was constructed between May 16, 1867 and July 24, 1867. Known as the Stone Bridge
, it was actually a quarter mile long causeway
constructed by hauling basalt
boulders and smaller rocks from nearby Hart Mountain
and dumping them into the marsh. Today, the Stone Bridge across the Warner wetlands still exists. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
There are numerous lakes in the Warner Lakes chain. Starting at the south end of the valley, the largest of the Warner Lakes are Pelican Lake, Crump Lake, Hart Lake, Anderson Lake, Swamp Lake, Mugwump Lake, Flagstaff Lake, Upper Campbell Lake, Lower Campbell Lake, Stone Corral Lake, Turpin Lake, and Bluejoint Lake. The valley slopes toward the north. As a result, Crump Lake is elevated 123 feet (37.5 m) higher than Bluejoint Lake.
The Warner Lakes are fed by Twentymile Creek and Deep Creek at the south end and Honey Creek which flows into Hart Lake. Most of the water from Twentymile Creek flows into Greaser Reservoir or into irrigation canals in the South Warner Valley. As field drainage, some of its water eventually merges with Deep Creek and flow into Pelican Lake.
In addition the fresh water creeks that flow into the Warner Lakes, there are a number of hot springs
that drain into the lakes. The hot springs originate in fractures within Miocene
and Oligocene
basalt layers below the valley floor. Their water temperature can be as hot as 160 degrees Fahrenheit
. Bacterial mats of green algae
are common in the hot springs, the algae environments are segregated by temperature and water chemistry. The hot springs introduce minerals that change the water chemistry of the lakes. From late spring through summer the lakes are concentrated by evaporation
. This produces moderate to high alkaline content in some areas of the lakes.
There is no outlet the Warner Lakes system so the water drains northward and then evaporates from the surface of the lakes. The northern lakes are all very shallow which provides idea habitat for shore bird. Cranes and other shore birds can often be seen wading far from shore. However, these lakes can dry up during periods of low rainfall.
for wildlife including common high desert mammal
s, resident birds, and migrant waterfowl
. Marsh grasses are common along the lake shores. Willow
, cottonwood, choke cherry, wild plum, and wild rose
s are found in the riparian areas.
There are forty-two mammal species that live in the areas around the Warner Lakes. These include pronghorn
, bighorn sheep
, elk
, mule deer
, cougar, bobcat
, and coyotes. Smaller mammals include Jackrabbits, ground squirrel
s, chipmunks, skunk
s, and muskrat
s.
There are 239 species of birds that live in the area or migrate through the Warner Valley. Species that nest in the areas around Crump Lake and Hart Lake include Sandhill Crane
s, American White Pelican
s, Double-crested Cormorant
s, Willet
s, Wilson's Phalarope
s, Gadwall
s, Northern Shoveler
s, Black-crowned Night Heron
s, Canada Geese, and numerous varieties of ducks and tern
s. In addition, White-faced Ibis
, Great White Egret
s, and American Avocet
s are found in the marshes and along the lake shores. At the Warner Wetlands Interpretive Site, administered by the Bureau of Land Management, there are observation blinds where American Bittern
s, Black-necked Stilt
s, Cinnamon Teal
, Tundra Swans, Brewer's Blackbird
s, Western Meadowlark
s, swallow
s, and nighthawk
s are commonly seen.
In the riparian areas near the lakes, Dusky Flycatcher
s, Yellow Warbler
s, Orange-crowned Warbler
s, House Wren
s, and Spotted Towhee
s are common in the summer months. The valley around Warner lakes also hosts Mountain Chickadee
s, Cassin's Finch
es, Black-headed Grosbeak
s, Green-tailed Towhee
s, Yellow-rumped Warbler
s, MacGillivray's Warbler
s, Mountain Bluebird
s, White-headed Woodpecker
s, Burrowing Owl
s, and Flammulated Owl
s. The larger birds common to the Warner Lakes area include Great Horned Owl
s, Long-eared Owl
s, Prairie Falcon
s, Marsh hawk
s, Golden Eagle
s, and Bald Eagle
s.
, and camping. However, some of these activities are dependent on the water levels of the Warner Lakes, which can fluctuate dramatically. Hart Lake has the most stable water level and is usually available for fishing and boating. Crappie
, smallmouth bass
, and bullhead catfish
are common in the Warner Lakes while trout
including Redband trout
are found in Twentymile Creek, Deep Creek, and Honey Creek. There is also a ten-mile (16 km) canoe trail within the Bureau of Land Management's Warner Wetlands preserve that follows marsh channels from the Campbell lakes through Turpin Lake to Stone Corral Lake when water levels are sufficiently high. It is recommend the visitor contact the Bureau of Land Management's district office in Lakeview, Oregon
for information on the current lake levels before planning canoe trips in the northern lakes. There are no developed campgrounds in the Warner Valley. However, dispersed camping is allowed on land administered by the Bureau of Land Management. There are also public restrooms, sheltered picnic tables, and hiking trails at the Warner Wetlands Interpretive Site at Hart Bar.
for five miles (8 km), then turn east on Oregon Route 140. This highway crosses the summit of the Warner Mountains
, passing the Warner Canyon Ski Area
on the way. The road forks twenty-one miles from Lakeview. The main highway continues east while County Road 3-13 departs to the northeast. Following the main highway for 11 miles (17.7 km) leads to Adel
in South Warner Valley, near the south end of Pelican Lake. Following County Road 3-13 leads to the North Warner Valley. The pavement ends 13 miles (20.9 km) past the junction, at the small unincorporated community of Plush
, approximately two mile west of Hart Lake. A gravel road continues north along the Warner Lakes to headquarters of the Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge
, 19 miles (30.6 km) beyond Plush.
Warner Valley
The Warner Valley is located in south-central Oregon, United States. It is a remote valley at the northwestern corner of North America’s Basin and Range Province. The valley is home to a chain of lakes and wetlands, known as Warner Lakes. The Warner Valley was used by Native Americans for...
of eastern Lake County
Lake County, Oregon
Lake County is a county in the high desert south central region of the U.S. state of Oregon, so named for the many lakes found within its boundaries, including Lake Abert, Hart Lake Reservoir, and Goose Lake. While Lake is among Oregon's largest counties, it is sparsely populated with 7,895...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The lakes extend the length of the valley, covering approximately 90000 acres (364.2 km²).
The lakes are named in honor of Captain William H. Warner, a topographical engineer
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
who explored Warner Valley before being killed by Indians in 1849. The Warner Lakes and surrounding wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
s support a wide variety of birds and other wildlife. Much of the land surrounding the lakes is owned by the public and is administered by the Bureau of Land Management
Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...
. These public lands have recreational opportunities including hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
, fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, bird watching, and camping
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
.
Warner Valley
The Warner Valley is located in south-central Oregon. It is approximately 60 miles (96.6 km) long and 8 miles (12.9 km) wide. Most of the valley is in Lake County, however the north end of the valley extends about 10 miles (16.1 km) into Harney CountyHarney County, Oregon
-National protected areas:*Malheur National Forest *Malheur National Wildlife Refuge*Ochoco National Forest -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 7,609 people, 3,036 households, and 2,094 families residing in the county. The population density was 1 people per square mile...
. It is an alluvial basin containing numerous lakes, remnants of a single great lake that covered the valley floor up to 200 feet (61 m) deep during the Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
epoch. Today, steep cliffs rise above a chain of endorheic
Endorheic
An endorheic basin is a closed drainage basin that retains water and allows no outflow to other bodies of water such as rivers or oceans...
lakes and interconnected wetlands, known collectively as Warner Lakes. The valley has two regions commonly referred to as South Warner Valley and North Warner Valley. The two areas transition between Crump Lake and Hart Lake at a point where the valley narrows to about five miles (8 km) in width.
Native Americans used the Warner Valley's lakes and wetland for thousands of years before the first white explorers arrived. There are scores of petroglyph
Petroglyph
Petroglyphs are pictogram and logogram images created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, and abrading. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions of the technique to refer to such images...
s near the lake shores, some are estimated to be 12,000 years old. The Greaser Petroglyph Site
Greaser Petroglyph Site
The Greaser Petroglyph Site is located on land owned by the Bureau of Land Management in eastern Lake County, Oregon. The designs were scraped into a basalt boulder by Native Americans perhaps 12,000 years ago. No one knows the meaning of the designs...
, in the South Warner Valley, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
In December 1843, Captain John C. Fremont
John C. Frémont
John Charles Frémont , was an American military officer, explorer, and the first candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party for the office of President of the United States. During the 1840s, that era's penny press accorded Frémont the sobriquet The Pathfinder...
led a party through the valley. Fremont and his party spent Christmas Day camped near Hart Lake. In honor of the date, Fremont named it Christmas Valley and the lake Christmas Lake. However, early mapmakers mistakenly plotted Christmas Valley 60 miles (96.6 km) northwest of the Warner Valley, leaving the valley and lake unnamed on early maps. In 1849, the valley was explored by Captain William Horace Warner, an Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
topographical engineer. On 26 September 1849, Warner was ambushed and killed by Indians just south of Warner Valley. In 1864, Lieutenant Colonel C. S. Drew of the 1st Oregon Cavalry
1st Oregon Cavalry
The First Regiment, Oregon Cavalry was a regiment in the volunteer Union army that participated in the American Civil War. With many men recruited from California, the regiment primarily served to protect the state of Oregon and surrounding territories in the Pacific Coast Theater of the American...
visited the valley while on a scouting expedition. Drew named the valley in honor of Warner, who he believed had been killed there.
In 1867, General George Crook
George Crook
George R. Crook was a career United States Army officer, most noted for his distinguished service during the American Civil War and the Indian Wars.-Early life:...
decided to build a fort in the Warner Valley to prevent Indian raiding parties from passing through the area. To get his wagons across the wetlands, he directed a bridge to be built across a narrow, marshy channel between Hart Lake and Crump Lake. Forty soldiers of the 23rd Infantry Regiment
23rd Infantry Regiment (United States)
The 23rd Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment in the United States Army originally formed on June 26th 1812. The 23rd saw action in 14 battles during the War of 1812...
under the command of Captain James Henton were assigned the task. The bridge was constructed between May 16, 1867 and July 24, 1867. Known as the Stone Bridge
Stone Bridge and the Oregon Central Military Wagon Road
The Stone Bridge is a causeway built by the United States Army in 1867. It crosses the marshy channel that connects Hart Lake and Crump Lake in a remote area of Lake County in eastern Oregon, United States. It was later incorporated into the Oregon Central Military Wagon Road which was completed...
, it was actually a quarter mile long causeway
Causeway
In modern usage, a causeway is a road or railway elevated, usually across a broad body of water or wetland.- Etymology :When first used, the word appeared in a form such as “causey way” making clear its derivation from the earlier form “causey”. This word seems to have come from the same source by...
constructed by hauling basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
boulders and smaller rocks from nearby Hart Mountain
Hart Mountain
Hart Mountain is a fault-block mountain, in Lake County, Oregon, USA. It lies about to the east of Lakeview.It is sometimes confused with a mountain range, but is more properly described as one mountain. The two highest peaks are Warner Peak and Hart Peak.The top of the mountain is part of the...
and dumping them into the marsh. Today, the Stone Bridge across the Warner wetlands still exists. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Lakes and wetlands
At one time, the entire Warner Valley was covered by a single vast lake. However, the water level gradually receded, leaving a chain of lakes at the low spots with marsh land between the lakes. Today, the valley floor is occupied by a chain of lakes and wetlands covering over 90000 acres (364.2 km²). This includes 52033 acres (210.6 km²) designated by the Bureau of Land Management as the Warner Wetlands Area of Critical Environmental Concern.There are numerous lakes in the Warner Lakes chain. Starting at the south end of the valley, the largest of the Warner Lakes are Pelican Lake, Crump Lake, Hart Lake, Anderson Lake, Swamp Lake, Mugwump Lake, Flagstaff Lake, Upper Campbell Lake, Lower Campbell Lake, Stone Corral Lake, Turpin Lake, and Bluejoint Lake. The valley slopes toward the north. As a result, Crump Lake is elevated 123 feet (37.5 m) higher than Bluejoint Lake.
The Warner Lakes are fed by Twentymile Creek and Deep Creek at the south end and Honey Creek which flows into Hart Lake. Most of the water from Twentymile Creek flows into Greaser Reservoir or into irrigation canals in the South Warner Valley. As field drainage, some of its water eventually merges with Deep Creek and flow into Pelican Lake.
- Deep Creek flows into Pelican Lake year around, providing much of the lake system's fresh water. From the north end of Pelican Lake there is a well-defined channel in the form of a deep slough that winds its way through the marsh land to Crump Lake.
- Crump Lake is named for Thomas Crump, who settled near the lake in the 1890s. It is the largest of the Warner Lakes, approximately 7 miles (11.3 km) long and 3 miles (4.8 km) wide with a surface area of approximately 7680 acres (31.1 km²) at normal water level. It is shallow, maintaining its level by overflowing into Hart Lake through a narrow marshy channel. When the flow from Deep Creek is unusually heavy, Crump Lake can overflow, flooding up to 10000 acres (40.5 km²) of surrounding marsh lands.
- Hart Lake is named for the heart shaped brand used by the pioneer Wilson and Alexander ranch established near the lake. Hart Lake has the most stable water level within the Warner Lakes chain. It not only gets the overflow from Crump Lake, it also received a steady flow of fresh water from Honey Creek. The north end of Hart Lake reaches a depth of around 14 feet (4.3 m) at a normal water level. The south half of the lake is comparatively shallow, averaging only about 6 feet (1.8 m) in depth.
- Anderson Lake is just north of Hart Lake. It is named after Thomas A. Anderson, who homesteaded near the lake. The valley drainage flows next into Swamp Lake and then into Mugwump Lake. The level in Mugwamp Lake can vary dramatically between the wet and dry seasons. This led to it being named after the politically independent and unpredictable mugwumpMugwumpThe Mugwumps were Republican political activists who bolted from the United States Republican Party by supporting Democratic candidate Grover Cleveland in the United States presidential election of 1884. They switched parties because they rejected the financial corruption associated with Republican...
s.
- North of Anderson Lake, there are high sand ridges covered with greasewoodGreasewoodGreasewood, Sarcobatus, is a genus of one or two species of flowering plants. Traditionally it has been treated in the family Chenopodiaceae, but the APG II system, of 2003, places it in the family Sarcobataceae....
between the lakes and marsh drainages, some 50 feet (15.2 m) high. These form the shores of Flagstaff Lake, Upper Campbell Lake, Lower Campbell Lake, Turpin Lake, and Stone Corral Lake. The sand ridges generally occur on the lake's north shore. This indicates that the lake may have been dry for long periods, during which time southwesterly winds could have blow silt from the dry lake beds into dunes which in turn became shoreline when the lakes refilled.
- Bluejoint Lake is located at the far north end of Warner Lakes chain. It is named after the bluejoint grass common to the area. Bluejoint Lake covers a large area, but is very shallow. It is a pluvial lakePluvial lakeA pluvial lake is a landlocked basin which fills with rainwater during times of glaciation, when precipitation is higher. Pluvial lakes that have since evaporated and dried out may also be referred to as paleolakes.-Geology:...
that can be completely dry for extended periods of time.
In addition the fresh water creeks that flow into the Warner Lakes, there are a number of hot springs
Hot Springs
Hot Springs may refer to:* Hot Springs, Arkansas** Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas*Hot Springs, California**Hot Springs, Lassen County, California**Hot Springs, Modoc County, California**Hot Springs, Placer County, California...
that drain into the lakes. The hot springs originate in fractures within Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
and Oligocene
Oligocene
The Oligocene is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 34 million to 23 million years before the present . As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the period are slightly...
basalt layers below the valley floor. Their water temperature can be as hot as 160 degrees Fahrenheit
Fahrenheit
Fahrenheit is the temperature scale proposed in 1724 by, and named after, the German physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit . Within this scale, the freezing of water into ice is defined at 32 degrees, while the boiling point of water is defined to be 212 degrees...
. Bacterial mats of green algae
Green algae
The green algae are the large group of algae from which the embryophytes emerged. As such, they form a paraphyletic group, although the group including both green algae and embryophytes is monophyletic...
are common in the hot springs, the algae environments are segregated by temperature and water chemistry. The hot springs introduce minerals that change the water chemistry of the lakes. From late spring through summer the lakes are concentrated by evaporation
Evaporation
Evaporation is a type of vaporization of a liquid that occurs only on the surface of a liquid. The other type of vaporization is boiling, which, instead, occurs on the entire mass of the liquid....
. This produces moderate to high alkaline content in some areas of the lakes.
There is no outlet the Warner Lakes system so the water drains northward and then evaporates from the surface of the lakes. The northern lakes are all very shallow which provides idea habitat for shore bird. Cranes and other shore birds can often be seen wading far from shore. However, these lakes can dry up during periods of low rainfall.
Ecology
The Warner Lakes provide a unique habitatHabitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
for wildlife including common high desert mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s, resident birds, and migrant waterfowl
Waterfowl
Waterfowl are certain wildfowl of the order Anseriformes, especially members of the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans....
. Marsh grasses are common along the lake shores. Willow
Willow
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
, cottonwood, choke cherry, wild plum, and wild rose
Rosa acicularis
Rosa acicularis, also known as the prickly wild rose, the prickly rose, the bristly rose and the Arctic rose, is a species of wild rose with a Holarctic distribution in northern regions of Asia, Europe, and North America....
s are found in the riparian areas.
There are forty-two mammal species that live in the areas around the Warner Lakes. These include pronghorn
Pronghorn
The pronghorn is a species of artiodactyl mammal endemic to interior western and central North America. Though not an antelope, it is often known colloquially in North America as the prong buck, pronghorn antelope, or simply antelope, as it closely resembles the true antelopes of the Old World and...
, bighorn sheep
Bighorn Sheep
The bighorn sheep is a species of sheep in North America named for its large horns. These horns can weigh up to , while the sheep themselves weigh up to . Recent genetic testing indicates that there are three distinct subspecies of Ovis canadensis, one of which is endangered: Ovis canadensis sierrae...
, elk
Elk
The Elk is the large deer, also called Cervus canadensis or wapiti, of North America and eastern Asia.Elk may also refer to:Other antlered mammals:...
, mule deer
Mule Deer
The mule deer is a deer indigenous to western North America. The Mule Deer gets its name from its large mule-like ears. There are believed to be several subspecies, including the black-tailed deer...
, cougar, bobcat
Bobcat
The bobcat is a North American mammal of the cat family Felidae, appearing during the Irvingtonian stage of around 1.8 million years ago . With twelve recognized subspecies, it ranges from southern Canada to northern Mexico, including most of the continental United States...
, and coyotes. Smaller mammals include Jackrabbits, ground squirrel
Ground squirrel
The ground squirrels are members of the squirrel family of rodents which generally live on or in the ground, rather than trees. The term is most often used for the medium-sized ground squirrels, as the larger ones are more commonly known as marmots or prairie dogs, while the smaller and less...
s, chipmunks, skunk
Skunk
Skunks are mammals best known for their ability to secrete a liquid with a strong, foul odor. General appearance varies from species to species, from black-and-white to brown or cream colored. Skunks belong to the family Mephitidae and to the order Carnivora...
s, and muskrat
Muskrat
The muskrat , the only species in genus Ondatra, is a medium-sized semi-aquatic rodent native to North America, and introduced in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands and is a very successful animal over a wide range of climates and habitats...
s.
There are 239 species of birds that live in the area or migrate through the Warner Valley. Species that nest in the areas around Crump Lake and Hart Lake include Sandhill Crane
Sandhill Crane
The Sandhill Crane is a large crane of North America and extreme northeastern Siberia. The common name of this bird references habitat like that at the Platte River, on the edge of Nebraska's Sandhills in the American Midwest...
s, American White Pelican
American White Pelican
The American White Pelican is a large aquatic bird from the order Pelecaniformes. It breeds in interior North America, moving south and to the coasts, as far as Central America, in winter....
s, Double-crested Cormorant
Double-crested Cormorant
The Double-crested Cormorant is a member of the cormorant family of seabirds. It occurs along inland waterways as well as in coastal areas, and is widely distributed across North America, from the Aleutian Islands in Alaska down to Florida and Mexico...
s, Willet
Willet
The Willet, Tringa semipalmata , is a large shorebird in the sandpiper family. It is a good-sized and stout scolopacid, the largest of the shanks...
s, Wilson's Phalarope
Wilson's Phalarope
The Wilson's Phalarope, Phalaropus tricolor, is a small wader. This bird, the largest of the phalaropes, breeds in the prairies of North America in western Canada and the western United States. It is migratory, wintering around the central Andes in South America. They are passage migrants through...
s, Gadwall
Gadwall
The Gadwall is a common and widespread duck of the family Anatidae.- Description :The Gadwall is 46–56 cm long with a 78–90 cm wingspan. The male is slightly larger than the female, weighing on average 990 g against her 850 g...
s, Northern Shoveler
Northern Shoveler
The Northern Shoveler , Northern Shoveller in British English, sometimes known simply as the Shoveler, is a common and widespread duck. It breeds in northern areas of Europe and Asia and across most of North America, and is a rare vagrant to Australia...
s, Black-crowned Night Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron
The Black-crowned Night Heron commonly abbreviated to just Night Heron in Eurasia, is a medium-sized heron found throughout a large part of the world, except in the coldest regions and Australasia .-Description:Adults are...
s, Canada Geese, and numerous varieties of ducks and tern
Tern
Terns are seabirds in the family Sternidae, previously considered a subfamily of the gull family Laridae . They form a lineage with the gulls and skimmers which in turn is related to skuas and auks...
s. In addition, White-faced Ibis
White-faced Ibis
The White-faced Ibis is a wading bird in the ibis family Threskiornithidae.This species breeds colonially in marshes, usually nesting in bushes or low trees. Its breeding range extends from the western USA south through Mexico, as well as from southeastern Brazil and southeastern Bolivia south to...
, Great White Egret
Great Egret
The Great Egret , also known as the Great White Egret or Common Egret, White Heron, or Great White Heron, is a large, widely-distributed egret. Distributed across most of the tropical and warmer temperate regions of the world, in southern Europe it is rather localized...
s, and American Avocet
American Avocet
The American Avocet is a large wader in the avocet and stilt family, Recurvirostridae.This avocet has long, thin, gray legs, giving it its colloquial name, "blue shanks". The plumage is black and white on the back with white on the underbelly. The neck and head are cinnamon colored in the summer...
s are found in the marshes and along the lake shores. At the Warner Wetlands Interpretive Site, administered by the Bureau of Land Management, there are observation blinds where American Bittern
American Bittern
The American Bittern is a wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae. New evidence has led the American Ornithologists' Union to move the heron family into the order Pelecaniformes .-Description:...
s, Black-necked Stilt
Black-necked Stilt
The Black-necked Stilt is a locally abundant shorebird of American wetlands and coastlines. It is found from the coastal areas of California through much of the interior western United States and along the Gulf of Mexico as far east as Florida, then south through Central America and the Caribbean...
s, Cinnamon Teal
Cinnamon Teal
The Cinnamon Teal is a small, reddish dabbling duck found in marshes and ponds of western North and South America.thumb|left|Female Anas cyanoptera septentrionalium...
, Tundra Swans, Brewer's Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird
The Brewer's Blackbird is a medium-sized New World blackbird, named after the ornithologist Thomas Mayo Brewer....
s, Western Meadowlark
Western Meadowlark
Not to be confused with Eastern MeadowlarkThe Western Meadowlark is a medium-sized icterid bird, about 8.5 in long. It nests on the ground in open country in western and central North America. It feeds mostly on insects, but also seeds and berries...
s, swallow
Swallow
The swallows and martins are a group of passerine birds in the family Hirundinidae which are characterised by their adaptation to aerial feeding...
s, and nighthawk
Nighthawk
A nighthawk is a nocturnal bird of the subfamily Chordeilinae, within the nightjar family, Caprimulgidae. Nighthawks are medium-sized New World birds, with long wings, short legs, and very short bills. They usually nest on the ground. They feed on flying insects. The Least Nighthawk, at and ,...
s are commonly seen.
In the riparian areas near the lakes, Dusky Flycatcher
Dusky Flycatcher
The American Dusky Flycatcher, or simply Dusky Flycatcher, is a small, insectivorous passerine of the tyrant flycatcher family....
s, Yellow Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Dendroica petechia is a New World warbler species or superspecies; the subspecies group around D. aestiva is increasingly treated as good species Dendroica aestiva again. The name for the entire cryptic species complex is Mangrove Warbler, and another group of subspecies is known as Golden Warbler...
s, Orange-crowned Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
The Orange-crowned Warbler is a small songbird of the New World warbler family.These birds are distinguished by their lack of wing bars, streaking on the underparts, strong face marking or bright colouring, resembling a fall Tennessee Warbler. The orange patch on the crown is usually not visible...
s, House Wren
House Wren
The House Wren, Troglodytes aedon, is a very small songbird of the wren family, Troglodytidae. It occurs from Canada to southernmost South America, and is thus the most widely distributed bird in the Americas. It occurs in most suburban areas in its range and it is the single most common wren...
s, and Spotted Towhee
Spotted Towhee
The Spotted Towhee is a large New World sparrow. The taxonomy of the towhees has been debated in recent decades, and formerly this bird and the Eastern Towhee were considered a single species, the Rufous-sided Towhee...
s are common in the summer months. The valley around Warner lakes also hosts Mountain Chickadee
Mountain Chickadee
The Mountain Chickadee is a small songbird, a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. Often, it is still placed in the genus Parus with most other tits, but mtDNA cytochrome b sequence data and morphology suggest that separating Poecile more adequately expresses these birds' relationships...
s, Cassin's Finch
Cassin's Finch
Cassin's Finch is a bird in the finch family Fringillidae. This species and the other "American rosefinches" are usually placed in the rosefinch genus Carpodacus, but they likely belong in a distinct genus Burrica....
es, Black-headed Grosbeak
Black-headed Grosbeak
The Black-headed Grosbeak, Pheucticus melanocephalus, is a medium-size seed-eating bird in the same family as the Northern Cardinal, the Cardinalidae. It is sometimes considered conspecific with the Rose-breasted Grosbeak, P...
s, Green-tailed Towhee
Green-tailed Towhee
The Green-tailed Towhee, Pipilo chlorurus, is the smallest towhee, but is still one of the larger members of the "American sparrow" family Emberizidae....
s, Yellow-rumped Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Four closely related North American bird forms—the eastern Myrtle Warbler , its western counterpart, Audubon's Warbler , the northwest Mexican Black-fronted Warbler , and the Guatemalan Goldman's Warbler —are periodically lumped as the Yellow-rumped Warbler .-Classification:Since...
s, MacGillivray's Warbler
MacGillivray's Warbler
The MacGillivray's Warbler, Oporornis tolmiei, is a small species of New World warbler. Like all members of the genus Oporornis, these birds are sluggish and heavy warblers with short tails, preferring to spend most of their time on, or near the ground, except when singing.The MacGillivray's...
s, Mountain Bluebird
Mountain Bluebird
The Mountain Bluebird is a medium-sized bird weighing about 2-5 ounces, with a length from 15–20 cm . They have light underbellies and black eyes. Adult males have thin bills are bright turquoise-blue and somewhat lighter beneath. Adult females have duller blue wings and tail, grey breast,...
s, White-headed Woodpecker
White-headed Woodpecker
The White-headed Woodpecker is a non-migratory woodpecker that resides in pine forests of the mountains of western North America. It has a black body and white head. It has white primary feathers that form a crescent in flight...
s, Burrowing Owl
Burrowing Owl
The Burrowing Owl is a tiny but long-legged owl found throughout open landscapes of North and South America. Burrowing Owls can be found in grasslands, rangelands, agricultural areas, deserts, or any other open dry area with low vegetation. They nest and roost in burrows, such as those excavated...
s, and Flammulated Owl
Flammulated Owl
The Flammulated Owl is a small, nocturnal owl approximately 15 cm long with a 36 cm wingspan. Males and females can be distinguished by their weight. Females are larger, ranging from 62-65 grams and males are smaller ranging from 50-52 grams. The owl gets the name flammulated from the flame...
s. The larger birds common to the Warner Lakes area include Great Horned Owl
Great Horned Owl
The Great Horned Owl, , also known as the Tiger Owl, is a large owl native to the Americas. It is an adaptable bird with a vast range and is the most widely distributed true owl in the Americas.-Description:...
s, Long-eared Owl
Long-eared Owl
The Long-eared Owl - Asio otus is a species of owl which breeds in Europe, Asia, and North America. This species is a part of the larger grouping of owls known as typical owls, family Strigidae, which contains most species of owl...
s, Prairie Falcon
Prairie Falcon
The Prairie Falcon is a medium-sized falcon of western North America.It is about the size of a Peregrine Falcon or a crow, with an average length of 40 cm , wingspan of 1 metre , and weight of 720 g...
s, Marsh hawk
Hen Harrier
The Hen Harrier or Northern Harrier is a bird of prey. It breeds throughout the northern parts of the northern hemisphere in Canada and the northernmost USA, and in northern Eurasia. This species is polytypic, with two subspecies. Marsh Hawk is a historical name for the American form.It migrates...
s, Golden Eagle
Golden Eagle
The Golden Eagle is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once widespread across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many of the more heavily populated areas...
s, and Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle
The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...
s.
Recreation
Much of the Warner Valley is public lands, administered by the Bureau of Land Management. These public lands offer numerous recreational opportunities including hunting, fishing, bird watching, boatingBoating
Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether powerboats, sailboats, or man-powered vessels , focused on the travel itself, as well as sports activities, such as fishing or water skiing...
, and camping. However, some of these activities are dependent on the water levels of the Warner Lakes, which can fluctuate dramatically. Hart Lake has the most stable water level and is usually available for fishing and boating. Crappie
Crappie
Crappie is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. The type species is P. annularis, the white crappie...
, smallmouth bass
Smallmouth bass
The smallmouth bass is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of the order Perciformes. It is the type species of its genus...
, and bullhead catfish
Bullhead catfish
Ameiurus is a genus of catfishes in the family Ictaluridae. It contains the three common types of bullhead catfish found in waters of the United States, the black bullhead , the brown bullhead , and the yellow bullhead , as well as other species, such as the white catfish Ameiurus is a genus of...
are common in the Warner Lakes while trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
including Redband trout
Redband trout
Redband trout is a fish name that may be a synonym for the rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, but is also used more narrowly for inland subspecies with well-defined geographical distributions in the United States...
are found in Twentymile Creek, Deep Creek, and Honey Creek. There is also a ten-mile (16 km) canoe trail within the Bureau of Land Management's Warner Wetlands preserve that follows marsh channels from the Campbell lakes through Turpin Lake to Stone Corral Lake when water levels are sufficiently high. It is recommend the visitor contact the Bureau of Land Management's district office in Lakeview, Oregon
Lakeview, Oregon
Lakeview is a city in Lake County, Oregon, United States. The population was 2,294 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Lake County. Although it is an incorporated city, the municipal government refers to the community as "The Town of Lakeview", and bills itself as "Tallest Town in Oregon"...
for information on the current lake levels before planning canoe trips in the northern lakes. There are no developed campgrounds in the Warner Valley. However, dispersed camping is allowed on land administered by the Bureau of Land Management. There are also public restrooms, sheltered picnic tables, and hiking trails at the Warner Wetlands Interpretive Site at Hart Bar.
Location
The Warner Lakes have relatively few visitors because their remote location. Lakeview is the nearest incorporated town. To reach the Warner Lakes from Lakeview, travel north on U.S. Route 395U.S. Route 395
U.S. Route 395 is a U.S. Route in the western United States. The southern terminus of the route is in the Mojave Desert at Interstate 15 near Hesperia. The northern terminus is at the Canadian border near Laurier, where the road becomes Highway 395 upon entering British Columbia. At one time, the...
for five miles (8 km), then turn east on Oregon Route 140. This highway crosses the summit of the Warner Mountains
Warner Mountains
The Warner Mountains are an 85-mile-long mountain range running north-south through northeastern California and extending into southern Oregon in the United States...
, passing the Warner Canyon Ski Area
Warner Canyon
Warner Canyon is a ski area in the U.S. state of Oregon, in a region known as Southern Oregon. The ski area was previously within the Fremont National Forest, on land now owned by Lake County.It is located northeast of Lakeview, a driving distance of...
on the way. The road forks twenty-one miles from Lakeview. The main highway continues east while County Road 3-13 departs to the northeast. Following the main highway for 11 miles (17.7 km) leads to Adel
Adel, Oregon
Adel is an unincorporated community in southeastern Lake County, Oregon, United States. It consists largely of a cafe and gas station, amid a community of loosely scattered ranches...
in South Warner Valley, near the south end of Pelican Lake. Following County Road 3-13 leads to the North Warner Valley. The pavement ends 13 miles (20.9 km) past the junction, at the small unincorporated community of Plush
Plush, Oregon
Plush is an unincorporated rural community in the Warner Valley of Lake County, Oregon, United States.The one notable attraction in the area is a hot spring located on the Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge. Hart Mountain hosts many protected big game animals including the pronghorn antelope...
, approximately two mile west of Hart Lake. A gravel road continues north along the Warner Lakes to headquarters of the Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge
Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge
Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge on Hart Mountain in southeastern Oregon, which protects more than and more than 300 species of wildlife, including pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep, mule deer, sage grouse, and redband trout...
, 19 miles (30.6 km) beyond Plush.