Castle Lake (California)
Encyclopedia
Castle Lake is a glacial lake
(cirque
lake or tarn
) located in northern California
along the eastern edge of the Klamath Mountains
, in Siskiyou County, near the city of Mount Shasta
. The outlet of the lake drains into Castle Lake Creek, and then into Lake Siskiyou
; the lake is part of the headwaters of the Sacramento River
. Nearly all of the lake's 47 acre (19 ha) are within the Shasta-Trinity National Forest
. Trails lead from Castle Lake into the adjacent Castle Crags Wilderness Area, and on to Castle Crags State Park, including trails to Little Castle Lake and Heart Lake. Fishing
, camping
, and hiking
are also available at or near the lake.
The lake and the surrounding area contain a wide variety of animals and plants including trout, bears, deer, otters, frogs, and osprey. The area is also well-known for early summer displays of flowers, including Red Columbine (Aquilegia truncata), Fawn Lily (Erythronium sp.), and Shasta Pentstemon (Pentstemon laetus). Castle Lake is home as well to the Castle Lake Limnological Research Station affiliated with the University of California at Davis (UC Davis), which uses the site for study and to teach limnology
courses (in conjunction with the University of Nevada, Reno
).
. About 3 mi (4.8 km) from the lake, along this road, are Ney Springs and Faery Falls. Ney Springs is the site of the historic Ney Springs Resort, a late 19th century resort based on the mineral springs there; this resort was one of a number of such popular resorts in Siskiyou County, including Upper Soda Springs
, and Shasta Springs
. A short hiking trail leads to nearby Faery Falls, where Ney Springs Creek falls nearly 60 ft (18.3 m) down a granite cliff face, forming a clear pool at the bottom.
About one-quarter mile (400 m) north of Castle Lake is a campground. At the lake itself, fishing and picnicking, as well as viewing the local plant life, wildlife and scenery, are common activities. The lake waters can be cool, so swimming is generally limited to summer months. Kayaking
, rowboating and raft
ing are available on the lake. In the winter, in addition to cross-country skiing
and snow-shoeing
along the trails in the area, the lake will ice over and ice fishing
is a common activity.
From the parking area at the lake, a half-mile (1 km) trail winds along the northern and western shore of the lake, ending at the granite face of the headwall
, which forms the southern shore. Along the way, hikers will pass the Castle Lake Limnological Research Station.
Following the eastern shore, the Little Castle Lake trail leaves the parking area, and then climbs the adjoining ridge; about 1 mi (1.6 km) along this trail is Little Castle Lake, a small glacial tarn reached by passing through meadows of wild flowers in the early summer. Little Castle Lake is within the Castle Crags Wilderness Area. Heart Lake, another small tarn, located above the headwall of Castle Lake, may also be reached via an informal cut-off from the Little Castle Lake trail.
At this point, the well-known Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail is one-half mile (1 km) away, just over the Trinity Divide. The Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail stretches from Mexico
to Canada, following the highest portion of the Sierra Nevada, Klamath Mountains, and Cascade Range
and paralleling the Pacific Ocean by 100 to 150 miles (161 to 241 km).
The Little Castle Lake trail continues on to Mt. Bradley, a locally prominent mountain with views of Mount Shasta
, overlooking Dunsmuir, California
and the canyon of the Upper Sacramento River
. Along the way, the trail joins with a network of connections leading into Castle Crags State Park.
Approximately 1/3 of the lake is privately owned by Crane Mills of Corning, CA, David P. Frase Estate located in Redding, CA and James W. Roberts address and location unknown. They own 640 +/- acres which sits in and east of the lake and a number of unauthorized hiking trails traverse their property.
(more than 10,000 years ago) when a glacier
carved a basin in the location of the current lake. During that era, much of North America was glaciated. Castle Lake is a typical glacier cirque
lake (or tarn), reaching depths of up to 110 ft (33.5 m) near the southern, granitic part of the lakeshore (the cirque face). There is a terminal moraine
of boulders and gravel
forming a natural dam
opposite the cirque face along the northeastern shore of the lake, where there is an outlet, and the lake is 10 to 15 feet deep (3 to 5 m).
The cirque where Castle Lake is found is a classic Northern Hemisphere
cirque. The cirque headwall
(the highest part of the mountain where the glacier began to form) was in the south or southwest, and the part of the mountain that sloped downward to the northeast was away from the prevailing winds. The resulting shaded area was sheltered from direct sun, and from the evaporating
effects of wind. These conditions encouraged snow which had fallen in the winter to remain throughout the summer and fall, creating a year-round snow pack which grew deeper each year.
During initial glacial formation, snow changed into glacial ice as this year-round snow pack increased and deepened. The process of nivation
followed (where a hollow in a slope was enlarged by freeze-thaw weathering and glacial erosion). As the hollow enlarged and filled with snow and ice, rock debris (or till) contained within the glacial ice also began to abrade
the bedrock
surface - as the glacial ice moved down the slope, it had a "sandpaper effect" on the bedrock which it scraped.
Eventually the hollow took the shape of a large bowl in the side of the mountain, with the headwall being weathered by constant freezing and thawing, and eroded by plucking
. The basin became deeper (especially at the base of the headwall) as it continued to be eroded by abrasion.
When the current warming period began, the glacier retreated and finally melted completely. It left behind a bowl shape, deepest at the base of the headwall where the glacial ice had been the deepest and most abrasive. The bowl shape extended to its northeast edge, where there was a terminal moraine of smaller rocks and debris which had been deposited by the glacier. When the bowl-shaped crater filled with water, this terminal moraine acted as a natural dam, helping to contain the water in the newly-formed cirque lake.
Castle Lake was within the range of the Okwanuchu
tribe, one of a number of small Shastan
-speaking tribes of Native Americans
who were closely related to the adjacent larger Shasta
tribe. The Okwanuchu occupied territory near Mount Shasta
, including the nearby present-day cities of Mount Shasta
and Dunsmuir, California
, and the upper Sacramento River
canyon (among other areas). The Okwanuchu were speakers of the older Hokan
-speaking family of languages, with archaeological sites associated with their range dating back more than 5000 years. However, members of a tribe of the Penutian-speaking family of languages, the Wintu
, who arrived in central Northern California about 1200 years ago, were out-competing their Hokan-language family neighbors, and were expanding Wintu territory. It is unclear at the time of first contact with non-Native Americans in the 1820s which tribe was living nearest to Castle Lake. Little or no information is available about Native American
use or beliefs regarding Castle Lake; for example, Castle Lake is not mentioned in a published collection of Wintu tales and legends.
The first non-Native Americans to pass through the area of Castle Lake were hunters and trappers of the Hudson's Bay Company
, who began to come down the Siskiyou Trail
from present-day Washington into Mexican-controlled California, in the late 1820s and early 1830s, in search of beaver and other pelt-bearing animals. At about this same time, Ewing Young
led the first group of Americans up the Siskiyou Trail, passing near Castle Lake. In 1841, an overland party of the United States Exploring Expedition
, the first cartographers and scientists came through the area. Following the annexation of California by the United States in 1848 as a result of the Mexican-American War, Castle Lake came under the control of the U.S. Federal Government as public land.
In 1855, an area near Castle Lake, now known as Battle Rock, was the site of a battle between Native Americans and California Gold Rush
-era settlers. The poet Joaquin Miller
wrote a first-hand account of this battle, The Battle of Castle Crags, in which Miller took part in the fight, and received an arrow wound through the cheek and jaw. This battle was reportedly the last battle between Native Americans and settlers in which the Native Americans fought exclusively with bow and arrow.
With the development, first, of the U.S. "Forest Reserve" system in the late 19th century, and then the organization of the U.S. National Forests
in the early 20th century, Castle Lake came under the stewardship of the U.S. Forest Service. The association between U.C. Davis and Castle Lake began in 1957, with the first extensive study done of the lake, followed by the construction of the Castle Lake Limnological Research Station itself.
into the lake in the 1930s for sport fishing, including Rainbow Trout
(Oncorhynchus mykiss), Brook trout
(Salvelinus fontinalis), and Golden Shiner (Notemigonus crysoliecas). The Rainbow Trout is stocked annually by the California Department of Fish and Game
for sport fishing. The Brook Char was also originally stocked but now has become self-sustaining, and reproduces naturally in springs found on the eastern side of the lake. Golden Shiner is a bait fish minnow
that was likely placed in the lake by anglers who left their remaining bait behind in the lake. The fish feed on zooplankton
and insects; the fish are then eaten by predators
around the lake, especially Osprey
(Pandion haliaetus). Other birds in the area include Bald Eagle
(Haliaectus leucoephalus), Golden Eagle
(Aquila chrysaetos), Peregrine Falcon
(Falco peregrinus), Wood Duck
(Aix sponsa), Belted Kingfisher
(Megaceryle alcyon), Steller's Jay
(Cyanocitta stellere), and Sooty Grouse (Dendragapus fuliginosus).
Reptiles and amphibians around the lake, including the Rough-skinned Newt
(Taricha granulosa), the Cascades Frog
(Rana cascadae) and the Garter Snake
(Thamnophis sirtalis), feed as well on insects and young fish (among other prey). Many mammals can be found around the lake and in the adjacent wilderness area
, national forest
, and parklands. These include Black Bear
(Ursus americanus), Blacktail Deer
(Odocoileus hemionus), River otter
(Lutra canadensis), Black-tailed Jackrabbit
(Lepus californicus), and Mountain Lion (also known as "cougars") (Puma concolor). Castle lake Cougars have on occasion been known to crouch in the bushes and watch humans, their eyes shining in the moonlight. No attacks have been noted.
At and in the area below the lake, mixed forests of Ponderosa Pine
(Pinus ponderosa), Red Fir
(Abies Magnifica), White Fir
(Abies Concolor), Lodgepole Pine
(Pinus Contorda), Incense Cedar (Libocedrus decurrens) and Alder
can be found. Alders play a particularly important role, as Alders establish symbioses
with the nitrogen
-fixing Actinobacteria
(Frankiella alni). This bacteria converts atmospheric nitrogen into soil-soluble nitrate
s which can be utilised by the Alder, and favorably enhances the soil fertility generally. Alders benefit other plants growing near them by taking nitrogen out of the air and depositing it in the soil in usable form; fallen Alder leaves make very rich compost
. Other deciduous trees at lower elevations in the area may include such species as Bigleaf Maple
, Vine Maple
, Black Oak and Pacific Dogwood
.
At higher elevations above the lake (especially in rocky or exposed locations), the pine and fir tree forests are thinner, and the trees grow in a more stunted fashion; instead, shrubs and bushes, such as Green Manzanita
(Arctostaphylos patula), Dwarf Mountain Manzanita (Arctostaphylos neuadensis), and Tan Oak (Lithocarpus densiflorus) find areas and niches to grow.
The best-known plant life in the area, however, are the lakeside and nearby meadow displays of alpine and sub-alpine flowers in the early summer. These can include Wood Rose
(Rosa gymnocarpa), Shasta Lupine (Lupinus albicaulis), Red/Crimson/Scarlet Columbine (Aquilegia truncata), Tiger Lily (Lilium pardalinum), Fawn Lily (Erythronium sp.), Pine-drops (Pterospora andromedae), Douglas Spiraea (Spiraea douglasii), Scarlet Paintbrush (Castilleja pinetorum), Alpine Paintbrush (Castilleja arachnoidea), Dwarf Paintbrush (Castilleja miniata), Alpine Saxifrage (Saxifraga nidifica), Shasta Pentstemon (Pentstemon laetus), Alpine Buckwheat (Eriogonum pyrolaefolium), and Tofield's Swamp Lily (Tofieldia occidentalis). Also, in cool, wet spots near the lake, carnivorous Pitcher Plants
(Darlingtonia californica) appear.
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
(cirque
Cirque
Cirque may refer to:* Cirque, a geological formation* Makhtesh, an erosional landform found in the Negev desert of Israel and Sinai of Egypt*Cirque , an album by Biosphere* Cirque Corporation, a company that makes touchpads...
lake or tarn
Tarn (lake)
A tarn is a mountain lake or pool, formed in a cirque excavated by a glacier. A moraine may form a natural dam below a tarn. A corrie may be called a cirque.The word is derived from the Old Norse word tjörn meaning pond...
) located in northern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
along the eastern edge of the Klamath Mountains
Klamath Mountains
The Klamath Mountains, which include the Siskiyou, Marble, Scott, Trinity, Trinity Alps, Salmon, and northern Yolla-Bolly Mountains, are a rugged lightly populated mountain range in northwest California and southwest Oregon in the United States...
, in Siskiyou County, near the city of Mount Shasta
Mount Shasta, California
Mount Shasta is a city in Siskiyou County, California, located at around 3,600 ft on the flanks of Mount Shasta, a prominent northern California landmark. The city is less than southwest of the summit of its namesake volcano...
. The outlet of the lake drains into Castle Lake Creek, and then into Lake Siskiyou
Lake Siskiyou
Lake Siskiyou is a reservoir formed by Box Canyon Dam on the Sacramento River, in far northern California, near the town of Mount Shasta, California. It is the site of local recreation, as well as being used for watershed protection and flood control....
; the lake is part of the headwaters of the Sacramento River
Sacramento River
The Sacramento River is an important watercourse of Northern and Central California in the United States. The largest river in California, it rises on the eastern slopes of the Klamath Mountains, and after a journey south of over , empties into Suisun Bay, an arm of the San Francisco Bay, and...
. Nearly all of the lake's 47 acre (19 ha) are within the Shasta-Trinity National Forest
Shasta-Trinity National Forest
The Shasta-Trinity National Forest is a federally designated forest in northern California, USA. It is the largest National Forest in California and is managed by the United States Forest Service. The 2.2-million acre forest encompasses five wilderness areas, hundreds of mountain lakes and of...
. Trails lead from Castle Lake into the adjacent Castle Crags Wilderness Area, and on to Castle Crags State Park, including trails to Little Castle Lake and Heart Lake. Fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, camping
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
, and hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
are also available at or near the lake.
The lake and the surrounding area contain a wide variety of animals and plants including trout, bears, deer, otters, frogs, and osprey. The area is also well-known for early summer displays of flowers, including Red Columbine (Aquilegia truncata), Fawn Lily (Erythronium sp.), and Shasta Pentstemon (Pentstemon laetus). Castle Lake is home as well to the Castle Lake Limnological Research Station affiliated with the University of California at Davis (UC Davis), which uses the site for study and to teach limnology
Limnology
Limnology , also called freshwater science, is the study of inland waters. It is often regarded as a division of ecology or environmental science. It covers the biological, chemical, physical, geological, and other attributes of all inland waters...
courses (in conjunction with the University of Nevada, Reno
University of Nevada, Reno
The University of Nevada, Reno , is a teaching and research university established in 1874 and located in Reno, Nevada, USA...
).
Recreation
The lake is usually reached by driving along an approximately 7 mi (11.3 km) road from Lake SiskiyouLake Siskiyou
Lake Siskiyou is a reservoir formed by Box Canyon Dam on the Sacramento River, in far northern California, near the town of Mount Shasta, California. It is the site of local recreation, as well as being used for watershed protection and flood control....
. About 3 mi (4.8 km) from the lake, along this road, are Ney Springs and Faery Falls. Ney Springs is the site of the historic Ney Springs Resort, a late 19th century resort based on the mineral springs there; this resort was one of a number of such popular resorts in Siskiyou County, including Upper Soda Springs
Upper Soda Springs
Upper Soda Springs is on the banks of the Sacramento River in Dunsmuir, California, USA. It consists of approximately ten acres of level ground on both sides of the River, the surrounding hillsides, and continues north along the eastern bank of the Sacramento River to the Dunsmuir City Park...
, and Shasta Springs
Shasta Springs
Shasta Springs was the name of a popular summer resort on the Upper Sacramento River, during the late Nineteenth Century and early Twentieth Century...
. A short hiking trail leads to nearby Faery Falls, where Ney Springs Creek falls nearly 60 ft (18.3 m) down a granite cliff face, forming a clear pool at the bottom.
About one-quarter mile (400 m) north of Castle Lake is a campground. At the lake itself, fishing and picnicking, as well as viewing the local plant life, wildlife and scenery, are common activities. The lake waters can be cool, so swimming is generally limited to summer months. Kayaking
Kayaking
Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving across water. Kayaking and canoeing are also known as paddling. Kayaking is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle...
, rowboating and raft
Raft
A raft is any flat structure for support or transportation over water. It is the most basic of boat design, characterized by the absence of a hull...
ing are available on the lake. In the winter, in addition to cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
and snow-shoeing
Snowshoe
A snowshoe is footwear for walking over the snow. Snowshoes work by distributing the weight of the person over a larger area so that the person's foot does not sink completely into the snow, a quality called "flotation"....
along the trails in the area, the lake will ice over and ice fishing
Ice fishing
Ice fishing is the practice of catching fish with lines and fish hooks or spears through an opening in the ice on a frozen body of water. Ice anglers may sit on the stool in the open on a frozen lake, or in a heated cabin on the ice, some with bunks and amenities.-Locations:It is a popular pastime...
is a common activity.
From the parking area at the lake, a half-mile (1 km) trail winds along the northern and western shore of the lake, ending at the granite face of the headwall
Headwall
In physical geography and geology the headwall of a glacial cirque is its highest cliff.In civil engineering, a headwall is a small retaining wall placed at the outlet of a stormwater pipe or culvert....
, which forms the southern shore. Along the way, hikers will pass the Castle Lake Limnological Research Station.
Following the eastern shore, the Little Castle Lake trail leaves the parking area, and then climbs the adjoining ridge; about 1 mi (1.6 km) along this trail is Little Castle Lake, a small glacial tarn reached by passing through meadows of wild flowers in the early summer. Little Castle Lake is within the Castle Crags Wilderness Area. Heart Lake, another small tarn, located above the headwall of Castle Lake, may also be reached via an informal cut-off from the Little Castle Lake trail.
At this point, the well-known Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail is one-half mile (1 km) away, just over the Trinity Divide. The Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail stretches from Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
to Canada, following the highest portion of the Sierra Nevada, Klamath Mountains, and Cascade Range
Cascade Range
The Cascade Range is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, and the notable volcanoes known as the High Cascades...
and paralleling the Pacific Ocean by 100 to 150 miles (161 to 241 km).
The Little Castle Lake trail continues on to Mt. Bradley, a locally prominent mountain with views of Mount Shasta
Mount Shasta
Mount Shasta is located at the southern end of the Cascade Range in Siskiyou County, California and at is the second highest peak in the Cascades and the fifth highest in California...
, overlooking Dunsmuir, California
Dunsmuir, California
Dunsmuir is a city in Siskiyou County, California, United States. The population was 1,650 at the 2010 census, down from 1,923 at the 2000 census. It is currently a hub of tourism in Northern California as visitors enjoy fishing, skiing, climbing, or sight-seeing...
and the canyon of the Upper Sacramento River
Sacramento River
The Sacramento River is an important watercourse of Northern and Central California in the United States. The largest river in California, it rises on the eastern slopes of the Klamath Mountains, and after a journey south of over , empties into Suisun Bay, an arm of the San Francisco Bay, and...
. Along the way, the trail joins with a network of connections leading into Castle Crags State Park.
Approximately 1/3 of the lake is privately owned by Crane Mills of Corning, CA, David P. Frase Estate located in Redding, CA and James W. Roberts address and location unknown. They own 640 +/- acres which sits in and east of the lake and a number of unauthorized hiking trails traverse their property.
Formation
The lake's origins date to the Pleistocene EraPleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
(more than 10,000 years ago) when a glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
carved a basin in the location of the current lake. During that era, much of North America was glaciated. Castle Lake is a typical glacier cirque
Cirque
Cirque may refer to:* Cirque, a geological formation* Makhtesh, an erosional landform found in the Negev desert of Israel and Sinai of Egypt*Cirque , an album by Biosphere* Cirque Corporation, a company that makes touchpads...
lake (or tarn), reaching depths of up to 110 ft (33.5 m) near the southern, granitic part of the lakeshore (the cirque face). There is a terminal moraine
Terminal moraine
A terminal moraine, also called end moraine, is a moraine that forms at the end of the glacier called the snout.Terminal moraines mark the maximum advance of the glacier. An end moraine is at the present boundary of the glacier....
of boulders and gravel
Gravel
Gravel is composed of unconsolidated rock fragments that have a general particle size range and include size classes from granule- to boulder-sized fragments. Gravel can be sub-categorized into granule and cobble...
forming a natural dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
opposite the cirque face along the northeastern shore of the lake, where there is an outlet, and the lake is 10 to 15 feet deep (3 to 5 m).
The cirque where Castle Lake is found is a classic Northern Hemisphere
Northern Hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
cirque. The cirque headwall
Headwall
In physical geography and geology the headwall of a glacial cirque is its highest cliff.In civil engineering, a headwall is a small retaining wall placed at the outlet of a stormwater pipe or culvert....
(the highest part of the mountain where the glacier began to form) was in the south or southwest, and the part of the mountain that sloped downward to the northeast was away from the prevailing winds. The resulting shaded area was sheltered from direct sun, and from the evaporating
Evaporation
Evaporation is a type of vaporization of a liquid that occurs only on the surface of a liquid. The other type of vaporization is boiling, which, instead, occurs on the entire mass of the liquid....
effects of wind. These conditions encouraged snow which had fallen in the winter to remain throughout the summer and fall, creating a year-round snow pack which grew deeper each year.
Nivation
Nivation is a collective name for the different processes that occur under a snow patch. The primary processes are mass wasting and the freeze and thaw cycle, in which fallen snow gets compacted into firn or névé...
followed (where a hollow in a slope was enlarged by freeze-thaw weathering and glacial erosion). As the hollow enlarged and filled with snow and ice, rock debris (or till) contained within the glacial ice also began to abrade
Abrasion (geology)
Abrasion is the mechanical scraping of a rock surface by friction between rocks and moving particles during their transport by wind, glacier, waves, gravity, running water or erosion. After friction, the moving particles dislodge loose and weak debris from the side of the rock...
the bedrock
Bedrock
In stratigraphy, bedrock is the native consolidated rock underlying the surface of a terrestrial planet, usually the Earth. Above the bedrock is usually an area of broken and weathered unconsolidated rock in the basal subsoil...
surface - as the glacial ice moved down the slope, it had a "sandpaper effect" on the bedrock which it scraped.
Eventually the hollow took the shape of a large bowl in the side of the mountain, with the headwall being weathered by constant freezing and thawing, and eroded by plucking
Plucking (glaciation)
Glacial plucking exploits pre-existing fractures in the bedrock. This plays a key role in opening and creating new fractures but has only provided small segments of loose material. This is then followed by the entrainment of the loosened rock by the ice. During the process of entrainment, loose...
. The basin became deeper (especially at the base of the headwall) as it continued to be eroded by abrasion.
When the current warming period began, the glacier retreated and finally melted completely. It left behind a bowl shape, deepest at the base of the headwall where the glacial ice had been the deepest and most abrasive. The bowl shape extended to its northeast edge, where there was a terminal moraine of smaller rocks and debris which had been deposited by the glacier. When the bowl-shaped crater filled with water, this terminal moraine acted as a natural dam, helping to contain the water in the newly-formed cirque lake.
History
Okwanuchu
The Okwanuchu were one of a number of small Shastan-speaking tribes of Native Americans in Northern California, who were closely related to the adjacent larger Shasta tribe...
tribe, one of a number of small Shastan
Shastan languages
The Shastan family consisted of four languages, spoken in present-day northern California and southern Oregon.-Family division:# Konomihu # New River Shasta # Okwanuchu # Shasta ...
-speaking tribes of Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
who were closely related to the adjacent larger Shasta
Shasta (tribe)
The Shasta are an indigenous people of Northern California and Southern Oregon in the United States. They spoke one of the Shastan languages....
tribe. The Okwanuchu occupied territory near Mount Shasta
Mount Shasta
Mount Shasta is located at the southern end of the Cascade Range in Siskiyou County, California and at is the second highest peak in the Cascades and the fifth highest in California...
, including the nearby present-day cities of Mount Shasta
Mount Shasta, California
Mount Shasta is a city in Siskiyou County, California, located at around 3,600 ft on the flanks of Mount Shasta, a prominent northern California landmark. The city is less than southwest of the summit of its namesake volcano...
and Dunsmuir, California
Dunsmuir, California
Dunsmuir is a city in Siskiyou County, California, United States. The population was 1,650 at the 2010 census, down from 1,923 at the 2000 census. It is currently a hub of tourism in Northern California as visitors enjoy fishing, skiing, climbing, or sight-seeing...
, and the upper Sacramento River
Sacramento River
The Sacramento River is an important watercourse of Northern and Central California in the United States. The largest river in California, it rises on the eastern slopes of the Klamath Mountains, and after a journey south of over , empties into Suisun Bay, an arm of the San Francisco Bay, and...
canyon (among other areas). The Okwanuchu were speakers of the older Hokan
Hokan languages
The Hokan language family is a hypothetical grouping of a dozen small language families spoken in California, Arizona and Mexico. In nearly a century since Edward Sapir first proposed the "Hokan" hypothesis, little additional evidence has been found that these families were related to each other...
-speaking family of languages, with archaeological sites associated with their range dating back more than 5000 years. However, members of a tribe of the Penutian-speaking family of languages, the Wintu
Wintu
The Wintu are Native Americans who live in what is now Northern California. They are part of a loose association of peoples known collectively as the Wintun . Others are the Nomlaki and the Patwin...
, who arrived in central Northern California about 1200 years ago, were out-competing their Hokan-language family neighbors, and were expanding Wintu territory. It is unclear at the time of first contact with non-Native Americans in the 1820s which tribe was living nearest to Castle Lake. Little or no information is available about Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
use or beliefs regarding Castle Lake; for example, Castle Lake is not mentioned in a published collection of Wintu tales and legends.
The first non-Native Americans to pass through the area of Castle Lake were hunters and trappers of the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
, who began to come down the Siskiyou Trail
Siskiyou Trail
The Siskiyou Trail stretched from California's Central Valley to Oregon's Willamette Valley; modern-day Interstate 5 follows this pioneer path...
from present-day Washington into Mexican-controlled California, in the late 1820s and early 1830s, in search of beaver and other pelt-bearing animals. At about this same time, Ewing Young
Ewing Young
Ewing Young was an American fur trapper and trader from Tennessee who traveled Mexican southwestern North America and California before settling in the Oregon Country. As a prominent and wealthy citizen there, his death was the impetus for the early formation of government in what became the state...
led the first group of Americans up the Siskiyou Trail, passing near Castle Lake. In 1841, an overland party of the United States Exploring Expedition
United States Exploring Expedition
The United States Exploring Expedition was an exploring and surveying expedition of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding lands conducted by the United States from 1838 to 1842. The original appointed commanding officer was Commodore Thomas ap Catesby Jones. The voyage was authorized by Congress in...
, the first cartographers and scientists came through the area. Following the annexation of California by the United States in 1848 as a result of the Mexican-American War, Castle Lake came under the control of the U.S. Federal Government as public land.
In 1855, an area near Castle Lake, now known as Battle Rock, was the site of a battle between Native Americans and California Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
-era settlers. The poet Joaquin Miller
Joaquin Miller
Joaquin Miller was the pen name of the colorful American poet Cincinnatus Heine Miller , nicknamed the "Poet of the Sierras".-Early years and family:...
wrote a first-hand account of this battle, The Battle of Castle Crags, in which Miller took part in the fight, and received an arrow wound through the cheek and jaw. This battle was reportedly the last battle between Native Americans and settlers in which the Native Americans fought exclusively with bow and arrow.
With the development, first, of the U.S. "Forest Reserve" system in the late 19th century, and then the organization of the U.S. National Forests
United States National Forest
National Forest is a classification of federal lands in the United States.National Forests are largely forest and woodland areas owned by the federal government and managed by the United States Forest Service, part of the United States Department of Agriculture. Land management of these areas...
in the early 20th century, Castle Lake came under the stewardship of the U.S. Forest Service. The association between U.C. Davis and Castle Lake began in 1957, with the first extensive study done of the lake, followed by the construction of the Castle Lake Limnological Research Station itself.
Animal life
Humans introduced fishFish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
into the lake in the 1930s for sport fishing, including Rainbow Trout
Rainbow trout
The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....
(Oncorhynchus mykiss), Brook trout
Brook trout
The brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, is a species of fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. In many parts of its range, it is known as the speckled trout or squaretail. A potamodromous population in Lake Superior are known as coaster trout or, simply, as coasters...
(Salvelinus fontinalis), and Golden Shiner (Notemigonus crysoliecas). The Rainbow Trout is stocked annually by the California Department of Fish and Game
California Department of Fish and Game
The California Department of Fish and Game is a department within the government of California, falling under its parent California Natural Resources Agency. The Department of Fish and Game manages and protects the state's diverse fish, wildlife, plant resources, and native habitats...
for sport fishing. The Brook Char was also originally stocked but now has become self-sustaining, and reproduces naturally in springs found on the eastern side of the lake. Golden Shiner is a bait fish minnow
Minnow
Minnow is a general term used to refer to small freshwater and saltwater fish, especially those used as bait fish or for fishing bait. More specifically, it refers to small freshwater fish of the carp family.-True minnows:...
that was likely placed in the lake by anglers who left their remaining bait behind in the lake. The fish feed on zooplankton
Zooplankton
Zooplankton are heterotrophic plankton. Plankton are organisms drifting in oceans, seas, and bodies of fresh water. The word "zooplankton" is derived from the Greek zoon , meaning "animal", and , meaning "wanderer" or "drifter"...
and insects; the fish are then eaten by predators
Predation
In ecology, predation describes a biological interaction where a predator feeds on its prey . Predators may or may not kill their prey prior to feeding on them, but the act of predation always results in the death of its prey and the eventual absorption of the prey's tissue through consumption...
around the lake, especially Osprey
Osprey
The Osprey , sometimes known as the sea hawk or fish eagle, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and across the wings...
(Pandion haliaetus). Other birds in the area include Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle
The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...
(Haliaectus leucoephalus), Golden Eagle
Golden Eagle
The Golden Eagle is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once widespread across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many of the more heavily populated areas...
(Aquila chrysaetos), Peregrine Falcon
Peregrine Falcon
The Peregrine Falcon , also known as the Peregrine, and historically as the Duck Hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...
(Falco peregrinus), Wood Duck
Wood Duck
The Wood Duck or Carolina Duck is a species of duck found in North America. It is one of the most colourful of North American waterfowl.-Description:...
(Aix sponsa), Belted Kingfisher
Belted Kingfisher
The Belted Kingfisher is a large, conspicuous water kingfisher, the only member of that group commonly found in the northern United States and Canada. It is depicted on the 1986 series Canadian $5 note. All kingfishers were formerly placed in one family, Alcedinidae, but recent research suggests...
(Megaceryle alcyon), Steller's Jay
Steller's Jay
The Steller's Jay is a jay native to western North America, closely related to the Blue Jay found in the rest of the continent, but with a black head and upper body. It is also known as the Long-crested Jay, Mountain Jay, and Pine Jay...
(Cyanocitta stellere), and Sooty Grouse (Dendragapus fuliginosus).
Reptiles and amphibians around the lake, including the Rough-skinned Newt
Rough-skinned Newt
The rough-skinned newt is a North American newt known for its strong poison.- Toxicity :Many newts produce toxins to avoid predation, but the toxins of the genus Taricha are particularly potent...
(Taricha granulosa), the Cascades Frog
Cascades Frog
The Cascades Frog is a species of frog in the Ranidae family.It is found in western United States and possibly Canada, mainly in the Cascade Range and Olympic Mountains.-Description:-Appearance:...
(Rana cascadae) and the Garter Snake
Garter snake
The Garter snake is a Colubrid snake genus common across North America, ranging from Alaska and Canada to Central America. It is the single most widely distributed genus of reptile in North America. The garter snake is also the Massachusettsstate reptile.There is no real consensus on the...
(Thamnophis sirtalis), feed as well on insects and young fish (among other prey). Many mammals can be found around the lake and in the adjacent wilderness area
National Wilderness Preservation System
The National Wilderness Preservation System of the United States protects federally managed land areas designated for preservation in their natural condition. It was established by the Wilderness Act upon the signature of President Lyndon B. Johnson on September 3, 1964...
, national forest
United States National Forest
National Forest is a classification of federal lands in the United States.National Forests are largely forest and woodland areas owned by the federal government and managed by the United States Forest Service, part of the United States Department of Agriculture. Land management of these areas...
, and parklands. These include Black Bear
American black bear
The American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...
(Ursus americanus), Blacktail Deer
Mule Deer
The mule deer is a deer indigenous to western North America. The Mule Deer gets its name from its large mule-like ears. There are believed to be several subspecies, including the black-tailed deer...
(Odocoileus hemionus), River otter
Northern River Otter
The North American river otter , also known as the northern river otter or the common otter, is a semiaquatic mammal endemic to the North American continent, found in and along its waterways and coasts. An adult river otter can weigh between 5 and 14 kg...
(Lutra canadensis), Black-tailed Jackrabbit
Black-tailed Jackrabbit
The black-tailed jackrabbit , also known as the american desert hare, is a common hare of the western United States and Mexico, where it is found at elevations from sea level to up to...
(Lepus californicus), and Mountain Lion (also known as "cougars") (Puma concolor). Castle lake Cougars have on occasion been known to crouch in the bushes and watch humans, their eyes shining in the moonlight. No attacks have been noted.
Plant life
Although the lake (at elevation 5574 ft (1,699 m)) and surrounding areas are well below local tree line (for example, on nearby Mount Shasta, the tree line is at about 7900 ft (2,407.9 m)), because of the high concentration of granite and the often exposed steep, rocky slopes, the vegetation at the lake and in the area can vary widely, from dense mixed forest near and below the lake to the appearance of near-alpine conditions above the lake.At and in the area below the lake, mixed forests of Ponderosa Pine
Ponderosa Pine
Pinus ponderosa, commonly known as the Ponderosa Pine, Bull Pine, Blackjack Pine, or Western Yellow Pine, is a widespread and variable pine native to western North America. It was first described by David Douglas in 1826, from eastern Washington near present-day Spokane...
(Pinus ponderosa), Red Fir
Red Fir
Abies magnifica, the Red Fir or Silvertip fir, is a western North American fir, native to the mountains of southwest Oregon and California in the United States. It is a high altitude tree, typically occurring at altitude, though only rarely reaching tree line...
(Abies Magnifica), White Fir
White Fir
White Fir is a fir native to the mountains of western North America, occurring at altitudes of 900-3,400 m. It is a medium to large evergreen coniferous tree growing to 25–60 m tall and with a trunk diameter of up to 2 m . It is popular as an ornamental landscaping tree and as a Christmas Tree...
(Abies Concolor), Lodgepole Pine
Lodgepole Pine
Lodgepole Pine, Pinus contorta, also known as Shore Pine, is a common tree in western North America. Like all pines, it is evergreen.-Subspecies:...
(Pinus Contorda), Incense Cedar (Libocedrus decurrens) and Alder
Alder
Alder is the common name of a genus of flowering plants belonging to the birch family . The genus comprises about 30 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, few reaching large size, distributed throughout the North Temperate Zone and in the Americas along the Andes southwards to...
can be found. Alders play a particularly important role, as Alders establish symbioses
Symbiosis
Symbiosis is close and often long-term interaction between different biological species. In 1877 Bennett used the word symbiosis to describe the mutualistic relationship in lichens...
with the nitrogen
Nitrogen
Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N, atomic number of 7 and atomic mass 14.00674 u. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78.08% by volume of Earth's atmosphere...
-fixing Actinobacteria
Actinobacteria
Actinobacteria are a group of Gram-positive bacteria with high guanine and cytosine content. They can be terrestrial or aquatic. Actinobacteria is one of the dominant phyla of the bacteria....
(Frankiella alni). This bacteria converts atmospheric nitrogen into soil-soluble nitrate
Nitrate
The nitrate ion is a polyatomic ion with the molecular formula NO and a molecular mass of 62.0049 g/mol. It is the conjugate base of nitric acid, consisting of one central nitrogen atom surrounded by three identically-bonded oxygen atoms in a trigonal planar arrangement. The nitrate ion carries a...
s which can be utilised by the Alder, and favorably enhances the soil fertility generally. Alders benefit other plants growing near them by taking nitrogen out of the air and depositing it in the soil in usable form; fallen Alder leaves make very rich compost
Compost
Compost is organic matter that has been decomposed and recycled as a fertilizer and soil amendment. Compost is a key ingredient in organic farming. At its most essential, the process of composting requires simply piling up waste outdoors and waiting for the materials to break down from anywhere...
. Other deciduous trees at lower elevations in the area may include such species as Bigleaf Maple
Bigleaf Maple
Acer macrophyllum is a large deciduous tree in the genus Acer.It can grow to be up to 35 m tall, but more commonly grows 15 m to 20 m tall. It is native to western North America, mostly near the Pacific coast, from southernmost Alaska to southern California...
, Vine Maple
Vine Maple
Acer circinatum is a species of maple native to western North America, from southwest British Columbia to northern California, always within 300 km of the Pacific Ocean coast....
, Black Oak and Pacific Dogwood
Pacific Dogwood
The Pacific Dogwood, Cornus nuttallii , is a species of dogwood native to western North America from lowlands of southern British Columbia to mountains of southern California. An inland population occurs in central Idaho. Cultivated examples are found as far north as Haida Gwaii...
.
At higher elevations above the lake (especially in rocky or exposed locations), the pine and fir tree forests are thinner, and the trees grow in a more stunted fashion; instead, shrubs and bushes, such as Green Manzanita
Arctostaphylos patula
Arctostaphylos patula is a species of manzanita known by the common name greenleaf manzanita. This manzanita is native to western North America where it grows in coniferous forests at moderate to high elevations.-Description:...
(Arctostaphylos patula), Dwarf Mountain Manzanita (Arctostaphylos neuadensis), and Tan Oak (Lithocarpus densiflorus) find areas and niches to grow.
The best-known plant life in the area, however, are the lakeside and nearby meadow displays of alpine and sub-alpine flowers in the early summer. These can include Wood Rose
Rosa gymnocarpa
Rosa gymnocarpa is a species of rose native to western North America. It is known by the common names wood rose, baldhip rose, and dwarf rose. It grows in shady, damp, and rich forests.-Description:...
(Rosa gymnocarpa), Shasta Lupine (Lupinus albicaulis), Red/Crimson/Scarlet Columbine (Aquilegia truncata), Tiger Lily (Lilium pardalinum), Fawn Lily (Erythronium sp.), Pine-drops (Pterospora andromedae), Douglas Spiraea (Spiraea douglasii), Scarlet Paintbrush (Castilleja pinetorum), Alpine Paintbrush (Castilleja arachnoidea), Dwarf Paintbrush (Castilleja miniata), Alpine Saxifrage (Saxifraga nidifica), Shasta Pentstemon (Pentstemon laetus), Alpine Buckwheat (Eriogonum pyrolaefolium), and Tofield's Swamp Lily (Tofieldia occidentalis). Also, in cool, wet spots near the lake, carnivorous Pitcher Plants
Darlingtonia californica
Darlingtonia californica , also called the California Pitcher plant, Cobra Lily, or Cobra Plant, is a carnivorous plant, the sole member of the genus Darlingtonia in the family Sarraceniaceae. It is native to Northern California and Oregon, growing in bogs and seeps with cold running water...
(Darlingtonia californica) appear.