Donaca Lake is a 3 acres (12,140.6 m²), 41 feet (12.5 m) deep lake in Linn County, Oregon

Linn County, Oregon

Linn County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is named in honor of Lewis F. Linn, a U.S. Senator from Missouri who advocated the American occupation of the Oregon Country. By the 2010 US census the population of Linn county was 116,672 showing a 13.2% growth since the 2000 census...

, United States

United States

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

. It lies at an elevation of 2700 feet (823 m). The lake can be accessed via two different trails, one from the south and one from the north. The lake is located within an old growth forest

Old growth forest

An old-growth forest is a forest that has attained great age , and thereby exhibits unique ecological features. An old growth forest has also usually reached a climax community...

 in the Middle Santiam Wilderness

Middle Santiam Wilderness

The Middle Santiam Wilderness is a wilderness area located near Mount Washington in the central Cascade Range of Oregon, U.S., within the Willamette National Forest.-Topography:...

 near Sweet Home

Sweet Home, Oregon

Sweet Home is a city in Linn County, Oregon, United States. The population was 8,016 at the 2000 census. Sweet Home is sometimes referred to as the "Gateway to the Santiam Playground", due to its proximity to nearby lakes, rivers and the Cascade Mountains....

.

Donaca Lake provides habitat for a unique strain of Cutthroat Trout

Cutthroat trout

The cutthroat trout is a species of freshwater fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. It is one of the many fish species colloquially known as trout...

and affords excellen fishing for lively 8-12 inch specimens. Though not required by law, catch and release methods are encouraged to protect this unique fishery.