Clear Lake is a mountain lake

Lake

A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...

 85 kilometres (52.8 mi) southeast of Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon

Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 in Mount Hood National Forest

Mount Hood National Forest

The Mount Hood National Forest is located east of the city of Portland, Oregon, and the northern Willamette River valley. The Forest extends south from the Columbia River Gorge across more than of forested mountains, lakes and streams to the Olallie Scenic Area, a high lake basin under the slopes...

. It can be seen from flights in the region as a bird-shaped body of water.

It is 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) south of Mount Hood

Mount Hood

Mount Hood, called Wy'east by the Multnomah tribe, is a stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc of northern Oregon. It was formed by a subduction zone and rests in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States...

 and 8 km (5 mi) northeast of Timothy Lake

Timothy Lake

Timothy Lake is a lake about southeast of Portland, Oregon, United States. It is in close proximity to Clear Lake and an impoundment of the Oak Grove Fork Clackamas River. The compacted-earth dam was built on Timothy Meadows in 1956 to regulate flow to Lake Harriet and the power plant was...

, near the junction of U.S. Route 26 and Skyline Road at the latter's northern terminus. It is near the northwest corner of Wasco County. The Pacific Crest Trail

Pacific Crest Trail

The Pacific Crest Trail is a long-distance mountain hiking and equestrian trail on the Western Seaboard of the United States. The southern terminus is at the California border with Mexico...

 is 4 km (2 mi) west of the lake.

It is fed by several small streams of the eastern Cascade crest. It is the headwaters of Clear Creek, a tributary of the White River

White River (Oregon)

The White River is a tributary of the Deschutes River, approximately 50 mi long, in north central Oregon in the United States. It drains a scenic mountainous area of the Columbia Plateau on the east side of the Cascade Range southeast of Mount Hood. In the 1840s, a section of the Oregon...

, blocked at the east end by a small dam.

Clear Lake Butte is a 4454 feet (1,357.6 m) butte

Butte

A butte is a conspicuous isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top; it is smaller than mesas, plateaus, and table landform tables. In some regions, such as the north central and northwestern United States, the word is used for any hill...

 2.1 kilometres (1.3 mi) south of the lake, and defines the northwest corner of Warm Springs Indian Reservation

Warm Springs Indian Reservation

The Warm Springs Indian Reservation consists of 1,019.385 sq mi in north central Oregon, in the United States, and is occupied and governed by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.-Tribes:...

. The lake is known for abundant fish and its windy conditions. The banks are edged by tree stumps and free range cattle tracks. The campground has 28 established spots and an overflow area.