American Lake

American Lake is a lake located in Lakewood, Washington at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. It is the largest natural lake in Pierce County.^[2] There are two public parks on the large lake: American Lake North Park, and Harry Todd Park. Both have lakeside beaches for swimming, or picnicking. The first also features a boat launching area; the latter has tennis courts.^[4] There is a fishing dock located at Harry Todd Park. Fishing is a popular activity at American Lake, with cutthroat trout, largemouth bass, rainbow trout, rock bass, smallmouth bass, Sockeye salmon (kokanee) and yellow perch the most sought-after game fish. The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife regularly monitors the health of the fishery and stocks favored species regularly.^[5]

American Lake
American Lake seen from the north park
American Lake Show map of Washington (state) American Lake Show map of the United States
Location	Lakewood, Pierce County, Washington
Coordinates	47°07′48″N 122°34′01″W[1]
Type	lake
Primary inflows	Groundwater, Murray Creek
Primary outflows	Sequalitchew Creek
Catchment area	25 sq mi (65 km2)[2]
Basin countries	United States
Surface area	1,091.3 acres (441.6 ha) [3]
Average depth	53 ft (16 m)[2]
Max. depth	90 ft (27 m)[2]
Surface elevation	238 ft (73 m)[3]

Areas of interest

Summer's Cove

A small and mostly quiet area on the JBLM side where soldiers' families often swim on off duty days during the summer. It is located away from the fishing areas and near other areas of interest, including a nearby park and shore.

Russell Landing Marina and Launching Dock

A marina located near Summer's Cove that features a boat launch, a picnic area, and motor boat, kayak, and jet ski rentals. The marina is maintained by the United States Army's Family and MWR Programs.

Islands

The lake contains or has contained these islands: Barlow Island,^[6] Beard Island,^[7] Cors Island,^[8] Short Island,^[9] and Silcox Island, which is inhabited. Barlow Island was acquired by the State of Washington for Camp Murray in 1931.^[10]