Did you know? There’s a 1,000 year old forest sunken in Lake Washington

If you’re afraid of what’s underwater when you swim, you probably don’t want to keep reading. Because Lake Washington, in its 214-foot depth has some pretty unexpected things hidden at the bottom including planes, cars, and an entire forest. If it sounds creepy, trust us, it’s creepier than you could ever imagine.

But there’s not just one, there’s actually a few in Lake Washington and one in Lake Sammamish. With so little info you’re probably wondering how the heck they got there.

Basically, over a thousand years ago, a massive earthquake shook the region. It was so big that chunks of Earth were plunged into the lake with enough dirt to keep the trees standing until now.

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Lake Washington Underwater Forest from Dan Warter (DCS Films) on Vimeo.

Today most of the trees are bare due to how busy the lake is and how long they’ve been there. They’re still standing because of super-low oxygen levels in the water. And all that submerged tree sap actually turns to minerals making the wood very hard.

Due to how dark the bottom of Lake Washington is, they’re quite hard to see. So unless you plan on doing some deep diving with proper lighting equipment you don’t have to worry about running into these sleeping giants.

Now before we leave you with this information, you can find the trees at the north end of Kirkland and two forests off the coast of Mercer Island. Enjoy the lake!