Audio
Lassen Audio Tour Stop 7 - Lake Helen
Transcript
Stop 7. Lake Helen This lake isn’t just a gorgeous jewel lying below Lassen Peak, it is also a critical part of northern California’s watershed. This location boasts one of the deepest average snowpacks in all of California. Scientists began surveys here in 1930, finding it one of the wettest survey sites in the state. In 1995, surveyors measured a colossal 40 foot snow drift!
The lake, originally named Sapphire Lake, was renamed for Helen Tanner Brodt, who was the first white woman to summit the volcano in 1864. Today, hikers working their way to the summit gauge their progress by the ever shrinking size of the sapphire gem below them.
Helen Brodt likely admired the lake for its striking azure blue color. Deep alpine lakes absorb longer wave red light while scattering and reflecting the shorter wave blue light. The deeper the clear water, the bluer it looks. The 110 foot deep waters of Lake Helen are exceptionally clear.
In the winter, Lake Helen is buried in a white mantle of snow. And that snow, slowly melting through summer, helps provide water to a thirsty state. Each year, on April 1, the site is surveyed to help water managers determine the snowpack savings account that will provide water for crops and people. So whether you are walking its lovely pebbled shores here in the park or enjoying a juicy peach down in the valley, Lake Helen is a source of rejuvenation for all of us.
Description
This lake isn’t just a gorgeous jewel lying below Lassen Peak, it is also a critical part of northern California’s watershed.
Credit
NPS
Date Created
09/01/2018
Copyright and Usage Info