Lake Cushman () is a lake and reservoir on the north fork of the

Skokomish River The Skokomish River () is a river in Mason County, Washington, United States. It is the largest river flowing into Hood Canal, a western arm of Puget Sound. From its source at the confluence of the North and South Forks the main stem Skokomish ...

Mason County, Washington Mason County is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 65,726. The county seat and only incorporated city is Shelton, Wa ...

, United States. The lake originally was a long narrow broadening of the Skokomish River formed in a

glacial trough U-shaped valleys, also called trough valleys or glacial troughs, are formed by the process of Glacial period, glaciation. They are characteristic of mountain glaciation in particular. They have a characteristic U shape in cross-section, with s ...

and dammed by a terminal moraine from the Vashon Glaciation during the most recent ice age. The lake was expanded after construction of the Cushman Dam No. 1. The lake is maintained by this dam and provides

electrical power Electric power is the rate of transfer of electrical energy within a electric circuit, circuit. Its SI unit is the watt, the general unit of power (physics), power, defined as one joule per second. Standard prefixes apply to watts as with oth ...

to the

Tacoma Power Tacoma Power is a public utility providing electrical power to Tacoma, Washington and the surrounding areas. Tacoma Power serves the cities of Tacoma, University Place, Fircrest, and Fife, and also provides service to parts of Steilacoom, L ...

system. As a popular retreat for hiking, fishing, boating and kayaking, Lake Cushman's shoreline is dotted with resorts and rental cabins. The lake is notable for its beautiful crystal clear blue water and the huge round rocks surrounding it, as well as thick stands of hemlock, fir and cedar trees.

Name

The Twana call Lake Cushman, as well as Mount Washington, a nearby mountain, . Lake Cushman was named in honor of Orrington Cushman, who served as interpreter for Governor

Isaac Stevens Isaac Ingalls Stevens (March 25, 1818 – September 1, 1862) was an American military officer and politician who served as governor of the Territory of Washington from 1853 to 1857, and later as its delegate to the United States House of Represe ...

during the Treaty of Point Elliott negotiations with the Indigenous peoples of Puget Sound in 1854.

Geography

Lake Cushman sits at above sea level and its maximum depth reaches up to . It is estimated to be around in length. The northern part of the lake (FS-24) is near the Staircase Entrance to

Olympic National Park Olympic National Park is a national park of the United States located in Washington, on the Olympic Peninsula. The park has four regions: the Pacific coastline, alpine areas, the west-side temperate rainforest, and the forests of the drier e ...

. The closest city is Hoodsport, located to the southeast via State Route 119. Surrounding the lake are Mount Ellinor, Mount Washington, Cub Peak, Mount Gladys, and Mount Rose. Access to Lake Cushman is limited during the winter months due to road closures and hazardous conditions. In an average winter, the lake water level drops by .

History

The Skokomish people, a subgroup of the Twana, have inhabited Lake Cushman and the surrounding land since time immemorial. There was a village of the Skokomish near what is now Skokomish Park, which was, prior to the construction of the dam, the furthest south extent of the lake. In 1889, the Antlers Hotel was built on Lake Cushman by a pair of East Coast businessmen on the property of Russell Homan. It attracted tourists from the

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

area, who would arrive at Hoodsport by

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

and continue onward to Lake Cushman via

stagecoach A stagecoach (also: stage coach, stage, road coach, ) is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by ...

. The two-story hotel was destroyed in 1925 after it was inundated by rising lake waters following the construction of the Cushman Dam No. 1 by the City of Tacoma. After the property was flooded, many have attempted to search for the remains of the hotel under the lake.

2020 traffic jam incident

In August 2020, the

U.S. Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands covering of land. The major divisions of the agency are the Chief's ...

temporarily closed all public roads leading to Lake Cushman due to concerns of overcrowding amid the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. A weekend traffic jam on the lake's primary two-lane, unpaved road had caused concerns about access for emergency vehicles, including an incident where one man died of drowning. The Forest Service also cited the congregation of people as being a potential vector for spreading COVID-19 and noted several fights, assaults, and other incidents.

Recreation

Hiking

The Lake Cushman area offers access to multiple hiking trails on the western side of the lake: * Big Creek Campground Trail #827 * Big Creek Trailhead * Big Creek Upper Loop #827.1 * Copper Creek Trail #876 * Dry Creek East Trailhead * Dry Creek Trail #872 * Jefferson Pass Trailhead * Mt. Ellinor Connector Trail #827.2 * Mt. Ellinor Lower Trailhead * Mt. Ellinor Trail #812 * Mt. Ellinor Upper Trailhead The northern side of the Lake has various trails following the Skokomish River, which include: * Staircase Trailhead * Copper Creek Trailhead * Shady Lane Trail head The eastern side of the lake contains several trails within United States Forest Service Land: * Jacob's Peak Trail * Lake Cushman Park Trail

Fishing

Lake Cushman has year-round open season fishing and is stocked with Kokanee salmon and

Cutthroat trout The cutthroat trout (''Oncorhynchus clarkii'' clade) is a clade of four fish species of the Family (biology), family Salmonidae native to cold-water Tributary, tributaries of the Pacific Ocean, Rocky Mountains, and Great Basin in North America. ...

. Besides officially stocked fish, the lake also contains various species of trout, bass, sculpins, and salmon. Skokomish Park is fitted with a boat ramp with three paved ramps that allows access to the lake for a small day-use fee. Boat rentals are also available at the park.

Swimming and watersports

Swimming, boating, kayaking and cliff jumping are also among the most popular activities for Lake Cushman visitors. Public access to the lake is available at Skokomish Park and Lake Cushman Resort.

Lodging

The Skokomish Park campground is a former

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...

that was sold to private operators in 2002. The campground includes tent and RV campsites, group campsites and picnic areas. Further away from the lake are Big Creek Campground in Olympic National Forest and Staircase Campground in Olympic National Park. Big Creek offers tent sites and RV parking, and is situated from the lake. Staircase is from Lake Cushman and offers 47 camping sites. The Lake Cushman Resort was permanently closed in 2018 due to the expiration of its 50-year lease with Tacoma Public Utilities.

References

External links

Lake Levels and River Flows
, Cushman Project Settlement,

Photograph of Lake Cushman circa 1899 from the Lick Observatory Records Digital Archive, UC Santa Cruz Library's Digital Collections
{{authority control Cushman Bodies of water of Mason County, Washington Olympic National Forest Tacoma Public Utilities