Snow Lake (King County, Washington)

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Snow Lake
20150621 SnowLake 043b.jpg
Snow Lake from eastern shore
(Mount Roosevelt centered)
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Snow Lake
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Red pog.svg
Snow Lake
Location King County, Washington
Coordinates 47°28′1″N121°27′20″W / 47.46694°N 121.45556°W / 47.46694; -121.45556
Primary inflows Rock Creek (from Gem Lake)
Primary outflows Rock Creek
Basin  countriesUnited States
Surface area152.9 acres (61.9 ha)
Surface elevation4,019 ft (1,225 m)
Islands 0

Snow Lake is located in King County, Washington. The lake is the "most visited lake in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness." [1] The lake is also stocked with rainbow trout for fishing. [2]

Contents

The ruins of a cabin from 1930 exist near the lake, having collapsed in 1950 due to snow. [3] [4]

Camping is available via forest service permit. Hikers can continue onwards to nearby Gem Lake or lower/upper Wildcat Lakes. [5]

Climate

Snow Lake has a hemiboreal climate. [6] The average temperature is 3 °C. The warmest month is August, with an average temperature of 15 °C, and the coldest month is January, at an average of −6 °C. [7] The average rainfall is 1,687 millimeters per year. The wettest month is December, with 247 millimeters of rain, and the least in July, with 33 millimeters of rain.

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Chiwaukum Lake is an alpine freshwater lake located on the Ewing Basin south of Lake Donald and the McCue Ridge in King County, Washington. Because of its proximity to surrounding peaks and mountains at the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, the lake is a popular area for hiking. Outflow from Chiwaukum Lake is Chiwaukum Creek and an unnamed creek flows into Chiwaukim Lake from Larch Lake. A short distance north of Donald Lake are other Scottish Lakes including Loch Eileen and Lake Julius.

Snoqualmie Lake Potholes is a set of freshwater lakes located southeast Snoqualmie Lake, in King County, Washington. Self-issued Alpine Lake Wilderness permit required for transit within the Big Snow Mountain area. Because Snoqualmie Lake Potholes are at the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, the lake is a popular area for hiking, swimming, and fishing rainbow trout and cutthroat trout.

References

  1. Snow Lake Trail at Washington Trails Association.
  2. Fish Stocking for Snow Lake at Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife site.
  3. Berg, Dana (Jun 22, 2007). "Snow Lake Trip Report #1013". Washington Trails Association. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  4. Fenton, Don (Jan 6, 2007). "Camping At Snow Lake in the Nineteen-Forties: During World War II". PIAP. Archived from the original on Feb 27, 2007.
  5. "Snow Lake and Gem Lake". We Found Adventure. September 29, 2013. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  6. Peel, M C; Finlayson, B L. "Updated world map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification". Hydrology and Earth System Sciences. 11: 1639–1640. doi: 10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007 . Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  7. "NASA Earth Observations Data Set Index". NASA. Retrieved 19 March 2021.