A scene of a placid lake with water lilies framed by pine trees. You can see the dune barrier that created the lake across the water. The sky overhead is blue with thin fog clouds.
At one point, Cranberry Lake was a saltwater inlet. The retreating Cordilleran Ice Sheet created a basin about 15,000 years ago, which filled with ocean water. Over time, sand dunes built up a divide between the lake and West Beach. Some saltwater still exists in the depths of the lake.
Cranberry Lake got its name from its history as a cranberry bog used by settlers.
The divide between the ocean and the lake is remarkably small. Looking towards the West, you can see that thin blue line of the ocean beyond the dune
barrier.
The lake is a favorite
swimming and kayaking spot, the water being warmer (and much calmer!) than the Pacific.
#Horizontal lines dominate this photo of Cranberry Lake, a freshwater lake separated from the Pacific by a fragile dune system.
#Photography #BlueskyArtShow #Ecology #DeceptionPassSP #WashingtonStateParks