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.
Please note: the park is closed from dusk until dawn. The entry gate is closed at those times.
Please note: the park is closed from dusk until dawn. The entry gate is closed at those times.
There's so much to do at Carlisle Lake!
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 to walk or run the 0.9 mile trail around the lake. The beautiful scenery, well-maintained trail surface, and exercise stations make for a very pleasant experience.
We host an annual 5k, the Apple Harvest Fun Run/Walk. 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 the Carlisle Lake Park trail and you may find yourself at one of many benches and picnic tables set up 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 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 the Alliance started on some of our biggest projects. Roy had a lot of vision for what the park should be. The memorial bench is marked with a plaque honoring his work at the park
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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Carlisle Lake Park's Smokestack was originally built in 1909, and is the last piece of Carlisle Lumber Company's milling operation standing today. In 1926, The Chehalis Bee-Nugget newspaper called the mill in Onalaska, "the world's largest inland sawmill" and one of Washington's most successful mills. By its peak in 1929, the mid-sized mill's inventory counted over 20 million board feet of lumber!
According to a 1936 report in the Lewis County Advocate, 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 when lumber was at its worst and for months following, mill operation continued, supplying work for many 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 original Onalaska houses were hauled to nearby farms where they still stand. Carlisle Lumber Company's buildings and mill equipment was sold off, and the mill sadly burned to the ground when one worker's cutting torch caught a building on fire. Today, the Carlisle Lumber Co. Smokestack is a historic site 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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Carlisle Lake Construction Project
Many improvements have been made at Carlisle Lake including: a concrete RV pad poured for the park caretaker; behind the pad, a shop built for storage; main entry gate added; the playground has two new pieces of equipment, and was expanded with wood chips and new grass; parking lot sealed; boundary rocks replaced the enclosing jersey barriers; bollards installed at trail entrance; topdressing rock added to the trails; light poles added near the playground. All possible through volunteer effort and a legislative grant sponsored by our local Legislators and Senators.
Public Restrooms |
Click HERE to watch a video about the Lake Construction Project.
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Nature Trail |
Courtesy of Spencer's Photos
Carlisle Lake has permanent bathrooms! Provided through a Lewis County grant and the craftsmanship of local contractor, Paul Sneed of Sneed Construction.
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The 0.9 mile trail around Carlisle Lake is maintained by volunteers. In 2021, Elliot Construction widened the east side of the trail. Thanks to their hard work, we can all enjoy easier trail and lake access!
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