Best Oregon Lakes for Sailing & big water

30 Oregon lakes meet our sailing & big water bar — each has a cited public-access or conditions signal behind it. Top of the list: Detroit Lake in Marion County. Ranked by public boat ramps and marinas on open water (≥2,000 acres); surface acreage and live readings are shown where published.

Public boat ramps come from OSMB open data; marinas from OpenStreetMap; surface acres from USGS NHD or cited research.

  1. 1

    Detroit Lake

    Marion County, OR3,593 acres

    3,593 acres of open water

    See full conditions & things to do
  2. 2

    Lake Billy Chinook

    Jefferson County, OR3,603 acres

    3,603 acres of open water

    See full conditions & things to do
  3. 3

    Upper Klamath Lake

    Klamath County, OR62,095 acres

    62,095 acres of open water

    See full conditions & things to do
  4. 4

    Green Peter Lake

    Linn County, OR3,524 acres

    3,524 acres of open water

    See full conditions & things to do
  5. 5

    Siltcoos Lake

    Lane County, OR3,132 acres

    3,132 acres of open water

    See full conditions & things to do
  6. 6

    Prineville Reservoir

    Crook County, OR2,861 acres

    2,861 acres of open water

    See full conditions & things to do
  7. 7

    Wickiup Reservoir

    Deschutes County, OR10,170 acres

    10,170 acres of open water

    See full conditions & things to do
  8. 8

    Fern Ridge Lake

    Lane County, OR6,364 acres

    6,364 acres of open water

    See full conditions & things to do
  9. 9

    Lost Creek Lake

    Jackson County, OR3,155 acres

    3,155 acres of open water

    See full conditions & things to do
  10. 10

    Crane Prairie Reservoir

    Deschutes County, OR4,146 acres

    4,146 acres of open water

    See full conditions & things to do
  11. 11

    Diamond Lake

    Douglas County, OR3,040 acres

    3,040 acres of open water

    See full conditions & things to do
  12. 12

    Crescent Lake

    Klamath County, OR3,824 acres

    3,824 acres of open water

    See full conditions & things to do
  13. 13

    Phillips Lake

    Baker County, OR2,246 acres

    2,246 acres of open water

    See full conditions & things to do
  14. 14

    Lake Owyhee

    Malheur County, OR11,120 acres

    11,120 acres of open water

    See full conditions & things to do
  15. 15

    Odell Lake

    Klamath County, OR3,416 acres

    3,416 acres of open water

    See full conditions & things to do

More best-of lists for Oregon lakes

Oregon sailing & big water — frequently asked

What is the best lake for sailing & big water in Oregon?

Detroit Lake in Marion County tops the list — 3,593 acres of open water. 30 Oregon lakes qualify for this list overall.

How is this Oregon sailing & big water list ranked?

Every lake on the list has a cited public-access or conditions signal — never an opinion. Sailing-eligible lakes have ≥2,000 acres of open water and at least one ramp or marina; we rank by access count, then by acreage. LakeVibe doesn't invent rankings: a lake only appears here when the data already supports it.

Which Oregon lakes are best for sailing & big water?

Our top picks are Detroit Lake, Lake Billy Chinook, Upper Klamath Lake, Green Peter Lake. Tap any lake for its full conditions, things to do, and where to stay.