These are the best days of the year at Lava Lake.

The throngs of summer are gone, the weather’s holding and the trout are on the bite.

Bring your camera when you make the trip. The first thing you notice when you pull down the road toward the lodge is the dense wall of pines bracketing the lake and the breathtaking backdrop: South Sister, Mount Bachelor and Broken Top up close and personal.

Located on a forested plateau at 4,740 feet, Lava Lake covers about 370 acres. It’s big enough to offer a fun exploratory paddle but intimate enough to cover in a few hours.

You can rent boats here from Jim and Joann Frazee, who operate Lava Lake Resort. They have motor boats and row boats, canoes and paddle boats as well as the latest scoop on those big rainbows that lurk down deep (about 30 feet at max).

Lava Lake was formed by volcanic flows from a Mount Bachelor eruption. There are no inlet or outlet streams; the lake is replenished entirely by springs.

Back in the 1950s, Ken and Lorraine Gales operated the ”resort” from a tent on the banks of Lava Lake, dispensing fishing gear and other essentials. They built the big log building – Lava Lake Lodge Store – in 1959 and 1960, according to Joann Frazee. The Frazees took over the business in the early 1980s.

Over the years, Lava Lake became known as a family-friendly vacation spot where anglers had a shot at a lunker trout. Frazee has several photo albums brimming with pictures of beaming kids hefting oversized rainbows. Those ”children” are now bringing their kids up to Lava Lake to make new memories, she said.

A history of intrigue also lingers behind the curtain of pines at Lava Lake.

Back in the 1920s, three fur trappers were murdered at their camp on nearby Little Lava Lake. Their bodies were subsequently dumped into Lava Lake, explained local historian Pat Schatz. Forest Road 40, also known as Three Trapper Road, which runs from Sunriver into the Cascades, was named after the incident.

Today, fur trapping has given way to recreation in these hills. In addition to boating, the lake is a popular launch spot and waypoint for mountain bikers. Hikers can also reach the headwaters of the Deschutes River (where it flows from Little Lava Lake) from Lava Lake. Another trail begins near the boat launch on the east side of the lake and ends up at Hosmer Lake.

Little Lava Lake is also worth a look. It boggles the mind to think that the big, brawling Deschutes River is born here as a small stream.

The facilities at Lava Lake will remain open through mid-October or until the snow flies in the high country.

”Then we lock er up, board er up and go home,” said Joann Frazee. ”It gets snowed in.”

If You Go:

GETTING THERE: From Bend, drive 38 miles west on Cascade Lakes Highway and turn left to Lava Lake Lodge and the lake. Little Lava Lake is adjacent to Lava Lake.

ACCESS: Picnickers, boaters, hikers, mountain bikers.

PERMITS: No passes are required. There is a fee for camping.

AMENITIES: Boat and fishing gear rentals, groceries and drinks in the store.

CONTACT: 382-9443.

Jim Witty can be reached at 541-617-7828 or jwitty@bendbulletin.com.