Wallowa Lake State Park, State park at Wallowa Lake, Oregon, US

Wallowa Lake State Park is an Oregon state park on the southern shore of a glacial lake in the Wallowa Mountains, in the northeastern corner of the state. It covers sandy beach areas, forested hillsides, picnic grounds, and camping zones that run along the water's edge.

Wallowa Lake State Park lies at the southern shore of Wallowa Lake, beside the town of Wallowa Lake near Joseph in Wallowa County, at about 1,420 metres in a valley below peaks rising to 2,139 metres. The Nez Perce lived around the lake and mountains for centuries before settlers came in the mid-1800s; the state later acquired land to create the park.

The name Wallowa comes from the Nez Perce language and is thought to refer to a fish trap made of stakes and line. The park borders the town of Wallowa Lake, a small settlement beside the southern shore where the campground, yurts, cabins and tepees stand.

The park gets busy in summer, so booking a campsite well ahead of your visit is a good idea, especially for weekends. Arriving in the morning gives you the best chance of finding parking close to the beach and lake access points.

The lake sits at the end of a valley shaped by a glacier that left two large moraines still visible on either side of the southern shore. These low ridges frame the water and give the valley its narrow, enclosed shape that you notice as soon as you arrive.