Seitz Lake is a glacial 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...

 in the Ruby Mountains

Ruby Mountains

The Ruby Mountains comprise one of the many mountain ranges of the Great Basin in the western United States. They are the predominant range in Elko County, in the northeastern section of the state of Nevada. To the north is Secret Pass and the East Humboldt Range, and from there the Rubies run...

, in Elko County

Elko County, Nevada

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 45,291 people, 15,638 households, and 11,493 families residing in the county. The population density was 3/sq mi . There were 18,456 housing units at an average density of 1/sq mi...

 in the northeastern part of the state of Nevada

Nevada

Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...

. It is located near the head of Seitz Canyon

Seitz Canyon

Seitz Canyon is one of the major canyons and valleys within the Ruby Mountains of Elko County, in the northeastern section of the state of Nevada in the western United States. Approximately in length, it was extensively sculptured by glaciers in previous ice ages...

 at approximately 40°38.2′N 115°27.4′W, and at an elevation of 8915 feet (2715 meters). It has an area of approximately 17 acres (6.9 hectares), and a depth of up to 20 feet (6 meters).

Seitz Lake is a major source of flow to Rabbit Creek, which after exiting the mountains passes near the community of Spring Creek

Spring Creek, Nevada

Spring Creek is a census-designated place in central Elko County, in northeastern Nevada in the western United States. It mainly serves as a bedroom community for the businesses and industries in and around the nearby city of Elko. It is part of the Elko Micropolitan Statistical Area...

, meanders down Lamoille Valley, and then merges with the main branch of the Humboldt River

Humboldt River

The Humboldt River runs through northern Nevada in the western United States. At approximately long it is the second longest river in the Great Basin, after the Bear River. It has no outlet to the ocean, but instead empties into the Humboldt Sink...

.

The lake was named after brothers George and Edward Seitz, who were early ranchers in Pleasant Valley. George eventually left the area, but Ed Seitz became the sheriff of Elko County in 1869.