Tioga Lake
Encyclopedia
Tioga Lake is a small glacial lake
in the Inyo National Forest
of Mono County, California
, about two miles (3 km) north of the Tioga Pass
entrance to Yosemite National Park
. The lake bed is alongside State Route 120
in the Sierra Nevada mountains of northern California
.
word, meaning "where it forks" or "swift current". However, Tioga County, New York
is the namesake for the lake. The area is believed to have been settled as early as 10,000 years ago by California
indigenous peoples
. John Muir
was among the first Americans to see the area. The next major interest came from the mining
and logging
industries.
s. Occasionally a bobcat
or bighorn sheep
can be seen, although the latter are particularly shy.
Although Tioga Lake is technically outside the borders of Yosemite, many consider it a part of the park because of the lush topography. This is especially in contrast to the desert
below, surrounding the Mono Lake
area, US 395 and the eastern Sierra Nevada. While the region has a stark beauty, this is far less popular than Yosemite Valley
, mostly because of the added distance to most of California.
Because of the inaccessibility, the region and Tioga Lake itself is most popular with campers who want to avoid the crowds of Yosemite, photographers, anglers, and nature lovers in general. Birds of prey are more common here, making Tioga Lake and its surroundings popular especially with bird watchers. Because of the altitude and location at the crest of a major pass, the weather is extremely unpredictable, and the length of the seasons varies from year to year.
Glacial lake
A glacial lake is a lake with origins in a melted glacier. Near the end of the last glacial period, roughly 10,000 years ago, glaciers began to retreat. A retreating glacier often left behind large deposits of ice in hollows between drumlins or hills. As the ice age ended, these melted to create...
in the Inyo National Forest
Inyo National Forest
Inyo National Forest is a federally administered forest in the United States. The forest covers parts of the eastern Sierra Nevada of California, and the White Mountains of California and Nevada. It contains two wilderness areas: the John Muir Wilderness and the Ansel Adams Wilderness...
of Mono County, California
Mono County, California
Mono County is a county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of California, to the east of the Sierra Nevada between Yosemite National Park and Nevada. As of the 2010 census, the population was 14,202, up from 12,853 at the 2000 census...
, about two miles (3 km) north of the Tioga Pass
Tioga Pass
Tioga Pass is a mountain pass in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. State Route 120 runs through it, and serves as the eastern entry point for Yosemite National Park. It is the highest highway pass in California and in the Sierra Nevada. Mount Dana is to the east of the pass...
entrance to Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park is a United States National Park spanning eastern portions of Tuolumne, Mariposa and Madera counties in east central California, United States. The park covers an area of and reaches across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain...
. The lake bed is alongside State Route 120
California State Route 120
State Route 120 , in northern California, runs between the Central Valley near Manteca, through Yosemite National Park, and ends at U.S. Route 6 in Mono County.-Route description:...
in the Sierra Nevada mountains of northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
.
History
Unlike most passes through the Sierra which named for an individual, "tioga" is an IroquoisIroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
word, meaning "where it forks" or "swift current". However, Tioga County, New York
Tioga County, New York
As of the census of 2010, there were 51,125 people residing in the county, with 22,203 housing units, of these 20,350 occupied, 1,853 vacant. The population density was 98 people per square mile...
is the namesake for the lake. The area is believed to have been settled as early as 10,000 years ago by 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...
indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
. John Muir
John Muir
John Muir was a Scottish-born American naturalist, author, and early advocate of preservation of wilderness in the United States. His letters, essays, and books telling of his adventures in nature, especially in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, have been read by millions...
was among the first Americans to see the area. The next major interest came from the mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
and logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
industries.
Recreation
The lake offers spectacular views, as well as trout fishing, a picnic area, and a 13-site managed campground. Some of the wildlife in the area are brave enough to approach humans, especially birds and marmotMarmot
The marmots are a genus, Marmota, of squirrels. There are 14 species in this genus.Marmots are generally large ground squirrels. Those most often referred to as marmots tend to live in mountainous areas such as the Alps, northern Apennines, Eurasian steppes, Carpathians, Tatras, and Pyrenees in...
s. Occasionally a bobcat
Bobcat
The bobcat is a North American mammal of the cat family Felidae, appearing during the Irvingtonian stage of around 1.8 million years ago . With twelve recognized subspecies, it ranges from southern Canada to northern Mexico, including most of the continental United States...
or bighorn sheep
Bighorn Sheep
The bighorn sheep is a species of sheep in North America named for its large horns. These horns can weigh up to , while the sheep themselves weigh up to . Recent genetic testing indicates that there are three distinct subspecies of Ovis canadensis, one of which is endangered: Ovis canadensis sierrae...
can be seen, although the latter are particularly shy.
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
below, surrounding the Mono Lake
Mono Lake
Mono Lake is a large, shallow saline lake in Mono County, California, formed at least 760,000 years ago as a terminal lake in a basin that has no outlet to the ocean...
area, US 395 and the eastern Sierra Nevada. While the region has a stark beauty, this is far less popular than Yosemite Valley
Yosemite Valley
Yosemite Valley is a glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada mountains of California, carved out by the Merced River. The valley is about long and up to a mile deep, surrounded by high granite summits such as Half Dome and El Capitan, and densely forested with pines...
, mostly because of the added distance to most of California.
Because of the inaccessibility, the region and Tioga Lake itself is most popular with campers who want to avoid the crowds of Yosemite, photographers, anglers, and nature lovers in general. Birds of prey are more common here, making Tioga Lake and its surroundings popular especially with bird watchers. Because of the altitude and location at the crest of a major pass, the weather is extremely unpredictable, and the length of the seasons varies from year to year.