Lake Sutherland is located on the Olympic Peninsula

Olympic Peninsula

The Olympic Peninsula is the large arm of land in western Washington state of the USA, that lies across Puget Sound from Seattle. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, the north by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the east by Puget Sound. Cape Alava, the westernmost point in the contiguous...

 about 17 miles (27.4 km) west of Port Angeles, Washington

Port Angeles, Washington

Port Angeles is a city in and the county seat of Clallam County, Washington, United States. The population was 19,038 at the 2010 census. The area's harbor was dubbed Puerto de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles by Spanish explorer Francisco de Eliza in 1791, but by the mid-19th century the name had...

. The lake

Lake

A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...

 is located just to the east of Lake Crescent

Lake Crescent

Lake Crescent is a deep lake located entirely within Olympic National Park in Clallam County, Washington, United States, approximately west of Port Angeles, Washington on U.S. Route 101 and nearby to the small community of Piedmont...

. Lake Sutherland drains into Indian Creek

Indian Creek (Elwha River)

Indian Creek is a tributary of the Elwha River located in Washington in the United States.Indian Creek flows from Lake Sutherland into Lake Aldwell. Historically, Indian Creek supported runs of several anadromous salmon and trout species, including all five species of Pacific Salmon...

, which is a tributary of the Elwha River

Elwha River

The Elwha River is a -long river located on the Olympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington. From its source at Elwha snowfinger in the Olympic Range of Olympic National Park it flows generally north to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Most of the river is contained within Olympic National Park...

.

Lake Sutherland is named for the Canadian fur trapper John Sutherland who, with John Everett, discovered the lake around 1865. Lake Sutherland and Indian Creek once sustained anadromous fish populations, but construction of the Elwha Dam

Elwha Dam

The Elwha Dam is a 108-ft high dam located in the United States, in the state of Washington, on the Elwha River approximately upstream from the mouth of the river on the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The dam was built under the direction of Thomas Aldwell...

 in 1913 blocked access to the ocean, eliminating several salmon species from Indian Creek and landlocking others.

The lake contains a population of kokanee

Kokanee

Kokanee is a word from the Okanagan language referring to land-locked lake populations of Sockeye salmon . It may also refer to:* Kokanee Range, a subrange of the Selkirk Mountains in British Columbia, Canada...

 sockeye salmon

Sockeye salmon

Sockeye salmon , also called red salmon or blueback salmon in the USA, is an anadromous species of salmon found in the Northern Pacific Ocean and rivers discharging into it...

, which spawn in Lake Sutherland and then migrate to Lake Aldwell

Lake Aldwell

Lake Aldwell is a reservoir located about from the mouth of the Elwha River on the Olympic Peninsula in the state of Washington. The reservoir was created in 1913 behind the Elwha Dam...

, to use as their "ocean". It is expected that upon removal of the Elwha Dam in 2012, that these sockeye will return to their anadromous lifestyle.

Lake Sutherland lies just outside of Olympic National Park and is private land. The lake is completely surrounded by houses, many of which are vacation homes inhabited only seasonally. Boating and fishing on the lake is very popular.

There is also a reservoir in San Diego County, Situated between Ramona and Julian, with the same name.