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Lakes Near Albany Oregon

Are you looking for lakes near Albany, Oregon? Whether you are looking for a great new fishing spot, a lake to put your boat in, a kayaking oasis or just a spot to hop in and cool off, these list should provide you with some great options! All of the lakes I have listed in this post are within an hour’s drive of Albany, because for me, I think an hour is well worth it to find your new favorite water hole.

If you are new to the Albany area, you may be suprised to learn just how many beautiful waterways we have all around us. Of course most of us are familiar with the Willamette River, but you may not have any idea just how many lakes and reservoirs are within just a short drive of the city of Albany. Oregon never fails to offer up beautiful nature all around us.

Lakes Near Albany Oregon

This is not a full list of the lakes near Albany, Oregon, but I will be updating it as I can. I would like to personally visit more of these lakes before I write about them. (Although I do have one lake listed below that I haven’t yet visited.)

Fourth Lake

In Millersburg, Oregon just about 3 miles from Albany, you’ll find Fourth Lake. Fourth Lake is popular with the fishing crowd, so be sure and grab your rod and reel before you head out. Rumor has it that you can expect a bite no matter what type of fishing you are doing whether it’s fly fishing, spinning or bait fishing.

Waverly Lake

Waverly Lake Park might just be the most popular Albany park. That might just have something to do with the wildly popular Waverly lake paddle boats!

This lake is great for fishing or for renting paddle boats and heading out on the water! Everyong from kids to adults are going to love all of the fun here. It’s also a great place to spend time during the warm summer months.

Thornton Lake

I want to be honest with you here, I’ve heard a lot about Thornton Lake. I have never been there though and just a little bit of research tells me that there are no fish to be caught here. So, if fishing is what you want, there are plenty of other nice spots listed here.

Ollala Resevoir

Okay, this one isn’t exactly close to Albany, but it’s one of our favorites so I wanted list it.

Ollala Resevoir is located outside of Toledo, Oregon and is about an hour’s drive from Albany. I love this little lake. There are no motorized boats allowed on Ollala, which allows for some seriously peaceful kayaking. It’s where I felt the most comfortable teaching my kids how to paddleboard too! There is a fun beach area for swimming and even a rope swing or two along the shoreline.

Oh, and for the fisherman here, my brother in law has caught quite a few fish here! He brings his fishing gear with him in his kayak and reels them in.

This is a great lake to take the family to when you plan to stay for more than just an hour or two. There are picnic tables and BBQ grills available for use, so you can pack in a cooler and enjoy the day! Plus, Toledo is just a short drive from Newport, Oregon, so you can make a coast trip out of it too!

Freeway Lakes

Freeway Lakes recreation area is home to 3 lakes that allow boating and fishing. You will find a 37 acre park, restrooms, boat ramp, and more here! This area is open year round and is ran by the Linn County Parks and Recreation Department.

Timber-Linn Lake

Timber-Linn Lake is located just a few miles west of Albany in Timber-Linn Park. This lake is great for fishing and recreation. It’s a local favorite during the summer months. If you want to learn some unique history about the lake and the park both, check out this page.

Foster Lake

If a larger lake is more your style, you can drive about 45 minutes southeast and you can find yourself at Foster Lake. Foster lake is roughly 3.5 miles long and is great for swimming, fishing, boating and all kinds of water recreation. I have friends that spend just about every weekend in the summer at Foster with their speed boat.

Silverton Reservoir

Another small, no gas powered boat lake that is great for swimming and kayaking is Silverton Reservoir. My daughter has visited Silverton Reservoir several times to kayak with her friends and always has a great time! You can find local places to rent kayaks and paddle boards.

Green Peter Reservoir

Green Peter Reservoir is located about an hour away from Albany, near Foster lake. This is another lake that is great for boating, fishing, swimming, kayaking, and other water recreation. It is very popular for boating camping too!

How to Find Out More About the Lakes in the Willamette Valley

If you are looking for more information about local lakes and whether they are open year round, their regulations, stocking schedule, whether they have a boat ramp, or any other questions be sure to visit the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife website. They should have all of the information that you need.

Our Favorite Kayaks and Paddle Boards

While we don’t have a boat, we absolutely love kayaking and paddleboarding at various lakes throughout Oregon. We have had endless fun on these water toys and they are quite affordable too! These are cheap to buy, require virtually no maintenance and they are all easy to transport so we didn’t need any expensive equipment in order to head out for a day on the water.

We own the following kayaks and paddleboards:

Explorer K2 Kayak

We have two of these kayaks and they have been great! We have owned them for about 5 years now and they are incredibly durable and comfortable! Many of our adventures have been with my husband and I in each of them with one of our big kids. Our youngest typically hops in Dad’s kayak with him. So they definitely comfortably fit 2 people.

Intex Challenger Kayak

My daughter is now an adult so she has her own kayak and this is the one she chose. She has taken it out a few times now and seems to absolutely love it!

Inflatable SUP

This inflatable SUP has been so much fun! I was hesitant at first to see if it was a sturdy as our hard body SUP, but I have found that I like it much better! We actually bought this from a friend who was experiencing hard times financially, so we paid just $75 for ours. I think we will be purchasing more of them in the future though.

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