Carlisle lake Park
Park & Entry Gate Closed Dusk until Dawn
Welcome to Carlisle Lake Park, owned and managed by Onalaska Alliance since 2012! The park features Carlisle Lumber Company's historic mill pond, a 0.9 mile trail complete with 20 trail signs highlighting local flora and fauna, 12 exercise stations, a small boat ramp, many benches and picnic tables, restrooms, and much more! Scroll to learn the History of Carlisle Lake and how it's used today for recreation and aquaculture.
Carlisle Lake Park Rules
PARKING during daylight hours only in paved area. Gate closes at dusk.
PETS are welcome on-leash only. Please clean up after your pet.
FISHING regulations per Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife
TRAILS yield to walkers and runners. No horses or motorized vehicles.
NO alcohol, camping, fires, fireworks, shooting, or swimming.
Want to use Carlisle Lake Park? Submit a Use Request!
PETS are welcome on-leash only. Please clean up after your pet.
FISHING regulations per Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife
TRAILS yield to walkers and runners. No horses or motorized vehicles.
NO alcohol, camping, fires, fireworks, shooting, or swimming.
Want to use Carlisle Lake Park? Submit a Use Request!
FISHING
Enjoy fishing? Come to Carlisle Lake--now open year round! You can use the boat ramp to take your own boat out, or fish right from the shore. You'll find all sorts of fish in the lake. Just be sure to have your state fishing license! Click HERE for more info on fishing at Carlisle Lake. |
BIRD WATCHING
Carlisle Lake is home to a staggering amount of wildlife. Thanks to Larry and Bev Gessele, resident birdwatchers and photographers, for sharing their photos. Click HERE to for more about them. The Onalaska Alliance takes pride in developing and enhancing the habitat around the lake. |
THE TRAIL
Much of our community enjoy walking or running the 0.9 mile trail around the lake. The beautiful scenery, well-maintained gravel trail surface, and exercise stations make for a very pleasant experience. We host the annual Apple Harvest 5K Fun Run. Click HERE for more info! |
EDUCATION
Learn about natural habitat. We partner with Onalaska School District's STEM program by promoting educational activities and field trips. Observe fish being raised in the net pens at the lake! A few students from the science club even wrote a book! Learn more about the Carlisle Lake field guid HERE. |
Fishing & Aquaculture at Carlisle Lake
Carlisle Lake fishing is managed by Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife. Click HERE for Regulations and HERE for Carlisle Lake fishing info.
Onalaska High School aquaculture class uses Carlisle Lake to raise fish in partnership with the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife. This is a great opportunity for students to get hands-on learning, and provides a skill they can carry into the work force. On May 4, 2020, Onalaska High School Aquaculture Program planted 62-10lb, 322-3.15lb, and 4,800-1/2lb Rainbow Trout. For OHS Aquaculture info, email Kevin Hoffman.
Onalaska Middle School students conduct water quality testing and monitor the entrance of the lake's inlet creek. Onalaska Student have planted over 1,200 trees around the lake, and youth from the Juvenile Justice Center's work crew have cleared brush and invasive species from Carlisle Lake's shoreline. These are just a few of the wonderful things that are happening at the lake thanks to the involvement of our community members.
Onalaska High School aquaculture class uses Carlisle Lake to raise fish in partnership with the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife. This is a great opportunity for students to get hands-on learning, and provides a skill they can carry into the work force. On May 4, 2020, Onalaska High School Aquaculture Program planted 62-10lb, 322-3.15lb, and 4,800-1/2lb Rainbow Trout. For OHS Aquaculture info, email Kevin Hoffman.
Onalaska Middle School students conduct water quality testing and monitor the entrance of the lake's inlet creek. Onalaska Student have planted over 1,200 trees around the lake, and youth from the Juvenile Justice Center's work crew have cleared brush and invasive species from Carlisle Lake's shoreline. These are just a few of the wonderful things that are happening at the lake thanks to the involvement of our community members.
Playground and Day Use Area
Go on a walk around Carlisle Lake and you may find yourself at one of many benches and picnic tables around the lake. One such bench is dedicated to Roy Elliott, Brenda Elliott's (original owner of Brenda's Market in Onalaska) husband who unexpectedly passed away in 2021. Roy had a ton of vision for what Carlisle Lake Park should be and was instrumental with site prep work when Onalaska Alliance first acquired the Carlisle Lake property, clearing the original trail around the lake and doing all the site prep for the paved parking lot. He put in a many, many hours with his equipment to get some of Onalaska Alliance's biggest projects started. The Roy Elliott memorial bench is marked with a plaque
In partnership with community organizations, businesses, and volunteers, Carlisle Lake's Playground and Day Use area is growing! The Alpha Better Bets 4-H group purchased playground equipment through community fundraising: swings have been installed and plans for more play equipment are coming! Northwest Farm Credit donated funds through their community grant program, as well as many individuals, businesses and volunteers.
Looking forward, we have long-term goals to improve our lake property for the benefit of our community members. Some projects are already underway! Community partnerships are the key to reaching these goals and making the Carlisle Lake property a beautiful, family-friendly park that we can all enjoy and be proud of. Stay tuned as this valuable area for our community develops.
In partnership with community organizations, businesses, and volunteers, Carlisle Lake's Playground and Day Use area is growing! The Alpha Better Bets 4-H group purchased playground equipment through community fundraising: swings have been installed and plans for more play equipment are coming! Northwest Farm Credit donated funds through their community grant program, as well as many individuals, businesses and volunteers.
Looking forward, we have long-term goals to improve our lake property for the benefit of our community members. Some projects are already underway! Community partnerships are the key to reaching these goals and making the Carlisle Lake property a beautiful, family-friendly park that we can all enjoy and be proud of. Stay tuned as this valuable area for our community develops.
Carlisle Lumber Co. & The Mill History
The town of Onalaska, Washington in its original glory
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The Smokestack was built in 1909 and is the last piece of Carlisle Lumber Company's mill standing today. In 1926, The Chehalis Bee-Nugget claimed the mill was, "the world's largest inland sawmill" and one of Washington's most successful. By its peak in 1929, the mid-sized mill's inventory counted over 20 million board feet of lumber!
According to a 1936 Lewis County Advocate report, the development and progress of Onalaska grew steadily with Carlisle Lumber Company from 1914-1928, when it began to taper off due to The Great Depression. There were an estimated 425 logging employees, directly furnishing a livelihood to over 1,500 people. In 1931 with lumber at its worst, the mill stayed in operation while hundreds of sawmills nation-wide closed. However, after worker strikes and employment difficulties from 1935-1938, Carlisle Lumber Company closed permanently in 1942 when the family went broke. After the mill shut down, many houses were hauled to nearby farms where they still stand. Carlisle Lumber Company's buildings and mill equipment were sold, and the mill burnt to the ground when a worker's cutting torch caught a building on fire. Today, the Carlisle Lumber Co. Smokestack is listed on the Washington Historic Register. Onalaska was named for a phrase in Thomas Campbell's poem, "The Pleasures of Hope." There are also Onalaska towns in Arkansas, Texas, and Wisconsin, all sharing history through the lumber industry. |
Carlisle Lake Book
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Did you know there's a book of gorgeous photographs of Carlisle Lake? Local author and photographer Larry Gessele of LG Nature Photos walks the Carlisle Lake trail daily, capturing beautiful moments with his camera.
Gessele filled Carlisle Lake (Through the Years) full of Carlisle Lake photos from every season; birds, flowers, wildlife scenery, and wildlife. it's a spectacular way to see all of the nature Carlisle Lake has to offer. To purchase, fill out the contact form on the Contact page. |
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Community Submitted Photos of Carlisle Lake
Click the images below to view full-sized in a click through gallery. If you would like to see your photos here, email onalaskaalliance09@gmail.com.
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Fill out the form below to request use of Carlisle Lake Park, OR print and complete the PDF to the right and mail it to: Onalaska Alliance P.O. Box 634 Onalaska, WA 98570
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