Thousand Island Lake
| Thousand Island Lake | |
|---|---|
 Banner Peak above the lake | |
  Thousand Island Lake | |
| Location | Sierra Nevada, Ansel Adams Wilderness, Madera County, California, United States |
| Coordinates | 37°43′15″N 119°10′56″W / 37.72083°N 119.18222°WCoordinates: 37°43′15″N 119°10′56″W / 37.72083°N 119.18222°W |
| Primary outflows | Middle Fork San Joaquin River |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Max. length | 2.5 mi (4.0 km) |
| Max. width | 0.7 mi (1.1 km) |
| Surface elevation | 2,997 metres (9,833 ft) [1] |
| Islands | many |
| References | [1] |
Thousand Island Lake is a large alpine lake in the Sierra Nevada, within the Ansel Adams Wilderness in eastern Madera County, California.
The lake is named for the many small rocky islands that dot its surface. Theodore Solomons probably established the 'Thousand Island' name, as this appears on his 1896 map. John Muir called it by "Islet Lake."[2]
Geography[]
The lake is within the boundaries of the Ansel Adams Wilderness of the Sierra National Forest and Inyo National Forest. Thousand Island Lake sits at the base of Banner Peak in the Ritter Range. It is the source of the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River, which flows southeast, and then west, into the San Joaquin Valley. The lake is a glacial tarn, formed in the bottom of a cirque when a glacier retreated.[3]
Access[]
Thousand Island Lake is accessible from several hiking routes:
- High Trail or River Trail: from Agnew Meadows trailhead (Inyo National Forest) - on road to Devils Postpile National Monument in Mammoth Lakes area
- John Muir Trail
- Pacific Crest Trail
- Sierra High Route
Culture[]
The black and white photographs by Ansel Adams made Thousand Island Lake a famous Sierra landmark.[citation needed]
See also[]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Thousand Island Lake. |
- List of lakes in California
- Sierra Nevada subalpine zone
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Thousand Island Lake
- ^ Browning, Peter (1986) Place Names of the Sierra Nevada. Berkeley: Wilderness Press. p. 215.
- ^ Schoenherr, Allan A. (1992). A Natural History of California. University of California Press. p. 553. ISBN 0-520-06922-6.
- Lakes of the Sierra Nevada (U.S.)
- Lakes of Madera County, California
- Inyo National Forest
- Sierra National Forest
- San Joaquin River
- Lakes of California
- Lakes of Northern California