10 Mysterious Places on Earth Where Water Vanishes

4. Lost Lake: Oregon's Annual Vanishing Act

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Every winter, snowmelt fills Oregon’s Lost Lake in Mount Hood National Forest. By summer the water is gone, replaced by a grassy meadow. A lava tube beneath the basin acts like an open drain: during wet months inflow exceeds outflow, but in the dry season the tube siphons the lake dry. The vanished water likely seeps through porous volcanic rock to feed distant springs. This seasonal switch supports both aquatic life in winter and lush meadow species in summer, offering a vivid lesson in volcanic hydrology.