Castle Lake (California)

Infobox lake
lake_name = Castle Lake
image_lake = Castlelake 3.jpg
caption_lake = The lake with Mt. Shasta in background
image_bathymetry =
caption_bathymetry =
location = Siskiyou County, California
coords = coord|41|13|39|N|122|23|01|W|region:US-CA_type:waterbody_source:gnis|display=inline,title
type = cirque lake
outflow =
catchment =
basin_countries = United States
length =
width =
area = convert|47|acre|ha|abbr=on
depth =
max-depth = convert|110|ft|m|abbr=on
volume =
residence_time =
shore =
elevation = convert|5440|ft|m|abbr=ongnis|220688|Castle Lake]
islands =
cities = Mt. Shasta, California pop. 3621

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 Mt. 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 convert|47|acre|ha|abbr=on are within the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. [http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/shastatrinity/recreation/st-main/st-fishing/alpine-lakes/castle.shtml USFS site] accessed 2008-01-14.] 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. [http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/shastatrinity/documents/st-main/maps/rogs/mt-shasta/c-crags.pdf Wilderness Area site] accessed 2008-01-14.] 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 [http://www.shastaguides.com/wildflower.shtml Shasta Guides site] accessed 2008-01-22.] for early summer displays of flowers, [http://www.shastaguides.com/wildflower.shtml Shasta Guide to wildflowers] accessed 2008-01-20.] including Red Columbine ("Aquilegia truncata"), Fawn Lily ("Erythronium sp."), and Shasta Pentstemon ("Pentstemon laetus"). [http://castlelake.ucdavis.edu/castle_lake/flora Flora] accessed 2008-01-14.] Castle Lake is home as well to the [http://castlelake.ucdavis.edu/geography/castle_lake 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).

Recreation

The lake is usually reached by driving along an approximately convert|7|mi|km|abbr=on road from Lake Siskiyou. coord|41|16|48|N|122|19|46|W|region:US-CA_type:reservoir:gnis|name=Lake Siskiyou elev. convert|3199|ft|m|abbr=on gnis|1664210|Lake Siskiyou] About convert|3|mi|km|abbr=on [http://www.visitsiskiyou.org/ Visit Siskiyou site] Go to Mt. Shasta History.pdf accessed 2008-01-20] from the lake, along this road, are Ney Springs coord|41|15|45|N|122|19|51|W|region:US-CA_type:springs_source:gnis|name=Ney Springs elev. convert|3186|ft|m|abbr=on gnis|1657875|Ney Springs] and Faery Falls.cite book |last= Durham |first= David L. | title= California's geographic names: A gazetteer of historic and modern names of the state | publisher= Quill Driver Books |year= 1998 | location = Clovis, California | isbn= 1-8849-9514-4 | page = p. 208 ] coord|41|15|41|N|122|20|07|W|region:US-CA_type:falls:gnis|name=Faery Falls elev. convert|3278|ft|m|abbr=on gnis|1657859|Faery Falls] Ney Springs is the site of the historic Ney Springs Resort, a late 19th century resort based on the mineral springs there; [http://www.shastaguides.com/wildflower.shtml Shasta Guide] accessed 2008-01-20.] this resort was one of a number of such popular resorts in Siskiyou County, including Upper Soda Springs, and Shasta Springs.cite book |last= Marlow |first= Will A. | title= California sketches |publisher= Editor Publishing |year= 1900 | location = Cincinnati | id = LOC control no. 00001469 ] A short hiking trail leads to nearby Faery Falls, where Ney Springs Creek falls nearly convert|60|ft|m|abbr=on down a granite cliff face, forming a clear pool at the bottom. [http://www.waterfallswest.com/ca-faery-falls.html Waterfalls West site] accessed 2008-01-08.]

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 plantlife, wildlife and scenery, are common activities. The lake waters can be cool, so swimming is generally limited to summer months. Kayaking, rowboating and rafting 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. [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/01/24/SP9KUJ2M7.DTL&hw=shasta&sn=001&sc=1000 Winter recreation] accessed 2008-01-25.]

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. [http://mtshastachamber.com/visitor/recreation/hiking.php Mt. Shasta area hikes] accessed 2008-01-20.] Along the way, hikers will pass the Castle Lake Limnological Research Station. [http://castlelake.ucdavis.edu/doc/driving_directions Research Station site] accessed 2008-01-20 ]

Following the eastern shore, the Little Castle Lake trailcite book |last= Soares |first= Marc J. | title= 100 classic hikes in northern California | publisher= The Mountaineers Books |year= 2000 | location = Seattle | isbn= 0-8988-6702-9 | page = p. 104] leaves the parking area, and then climbs the adjoining ridge; [http://www.trailsgalore.com/trails/1000634_Castle_Lake_Trail_California.html Little Castle Lake trail site] accessed 2008-01-20.] about convert|1|mi|km|abbr=on along this trail is Little Castle Lake, coord|41|13|19|N|122|22|20|W|region:US-CA_type:waterbody_source:gnis|name=Little Castle Lake elev. convert|5574|ft|m|abbr=on gnis|262564|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, coord|41|13|16|N|122|22|58|W|region:US-CA_type:waterbody_source:gnis|name=Heart Lake elev. convert|6076|ft|m|abbr=on gnis|225100|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, coord|41|13|18|N|122|18|33|W|region:US-CA_type:summit_source:gnis|name=Mt. Bradley elev. convert|5512|ft|m|abbr=on gnis|257429|Mount Bradley] a locally prominent mountain with views of Mt. 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. [http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=454 Castle Crags State Park site] accessed 2008-01-20.]

Formation

The lake's origins date to the Pleistocene Era (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 convert|110|ft|m|abbr=on near the southern, granitic part of the lakeshore (the "cirque face"). [http://castlelake.ucdavis.edu/geography/castle_lake "Granite is the predominate mineral in Castle Lake and in the [nearby] mountains . . ." (Castle Lake Limnological Research Station site)] accessed 2008-01-14.] 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 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.cite book | author = Bowen, Ann, John Pallister, and A. Bowe | title = Advanced geography for AQA specification A | date = 2001 | location = Oxford | publisher = Heinemann Educational Publishers | isbn = 0-435-35282-2 | page = p. 134 The online version of this reference material is available [http://books.google.com/books?id=UOZS6Asg8K0C&printsec=frontcover&dq=Advanced+geography+for+AQA+specification+A.&lr=&sig=CGAyuuQ9lcw0G7iYT0-iuJ59Kh0 here] courtesy of [http://books.google.com/ Google Books] .] 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. cite book | author = Nagle, Garrett and Kris Spencer | title = AS and A Level Geography Through Diagrams (Oxford Revision Guides) | date = 2001 | location = Oxford | publisher = Oxford University Press | isbn = 0-1991-3432-4 | pages = pp. 45 - 58 The online version of this reference material is available [http://books.google.com/books?id=VP_M5sG9vLgC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Geography+Through+Diagrams&lr=&sig=ysyC3Apm2kmm_g8JlMtoHNNxIrQ here] courtesy of [http://books.google.com/ Google Books] .] [ [http://www.fettes.com/Cairngorms/corrie%20formation.htm cirque formation] accessed 2008-01-16.]

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.

History

Castle Lake was within the range of the Okwanuchu tribe, [http://www.californiaprehistory.com/tribmap.html Tribal map of California (after Kroeber)] accessed 2008-01-21] one of a number of small Shastan-speaking tribes of Native Americans who were closely related to the adjacent larger Shasta tribe.cite book |last= Kroeber |first= A.L. | title= Handbook of the Indians of California | publisher= Smithsonian Institution |year= 1925 | location = Washington, D.C. | (Dover Publications (New York) reprint ed., ISBN 0-486-23368-5, p. 284)] 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,cite book |last= Chase |first= Christopher | co-author = Kelly M. Mann | title= The Wintu and their neighbors: A very small world-system in northern California | publisher= U. of Arizona Press |year= 1998 | location = Tucson | isbn= 0-8165-1800-9 | page = p. 81 ] were out-competing their Hokan-language family neighbors, and were expanding Wintu territory.cite book |last= Ballenger | first= Craig G. | title= Shasta's headwaters | publisher= Frank Amato Publications |year= 1998 | location = Portland, OR | isbn= 1-57188-136-0 | page = p. 16 ] 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.cite book |last= Masson | first= Marcelle | title= A bag of bones: Legends of the Wintu Indians of northern California | publisher= Naturgraph Publishers |year= 1966 | location = Happy Camp, CA | isbn= 0-911010-26-2 ]

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. cite book | last = Dillon | first = Richard H | title = Siskiyou Trail: The Hudson's Bay Company route to California | publisher = McGraw-Hill | year = 1975 | location = New York | isbn = 0-07-016980-2 | page = p. 171 ] At about this same time, Ewing Young led the first group of Americans up the Siskiyou Trail, passing near Castle Lake.cite book |last= Holmes |first= Kenneth L. | title= Ewing Young - Master trapper | publisher= Binford & Mort Publishing |year= 1967 | location = Eugene, OR | isbn= 0-8323-0061-6 | page = p. 132 ] In 1841, an overland party of the United States Exploring Expedition, the first cartographers and scientists came through the area. [http://www.sil.si.edu/digitalcollections/usexex/navigation/NarrativePages/usexex19_05b.cfm?start=292 Text of U.S. Ex. Ex. passage near Castle Lake.] accessed 2008-01-24.] 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, cite book |last = Grubbs | first = Bruce | title= Explore! Shasta Country | publisher = Globe Pequot Press | year = 2006 | location = Guilford, CT | isbn = 0762734124 |pages = p. 107 ] was the site of a battle between Native Americans and California Gold Rush-era settlers. [http://www.siskiyouhistory.org/1850_story9.html Siskiyou history site] accessed 2008-01-21.] The poet Joaquin Miller wrote a first-hand account of this battle, "The Battle of Castle Crags," cite book |last = Miller | first = Joaquin | editor = Alan Rosenus | title= Selected writings of Joaquin Miller (1977 ed.) | publisher= Union Press |year = 1892 | location = Eugene, OR | isbn = 0-9135-2205-8 ] 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, [http://www.fs.fed.us/aboutus/history/ U.S. Forest Service history site] accessed 2008-01-21.] 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, [http://castlelake.ucdavis.edu/node/824 First research work site] accessed 2008-01-21.] followed by the construction of the [http://castlelake.ucdavis.edu/geography/castle_lake Castle Lake Limnological Research Station] itself. [http://castlelake.ucdavis.edu/index.php?q=gallery&g2_itemId=27 Research Station photos site] accessed 2008-01-21.]

Animal life

Humans introduced fish into the lake in the 1930s for sport fishing, including Rainbow Trout ("Oncorhynchus mykiss"), Brook trout ("Salvelinus fontinalis"), and Golden Shiner ("Notemigonus crysoliecas"). [http://castlelake.ucdavis.edu/castle_lake/fish Fish] accessed 2008-01-16.] 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"). [http://castlelake.ucdavis.edu/castle_lake Fauna] accessed 2008-01-16.] 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"). [http://castlelake.ucdavis.edu/castle_lake/birds Birds] accessed 2008-01-22.] [cite journal | last = Kellogg | first = Louise | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = A collection of winter birds from Trinity and Shasta Counties, California | journal = Condor | volume = 13 | issue = 4 | pages = 118–121 | publisher = | location = | date = 1911 | url = http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Condor/files/issues/v013n04/p0118-p0121.pdf | doi = | id = | accessdate = 2008-02-13]

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). [http://castlelake.ucdavis.edu/castle_lake/reptiles Reptiles] accessed 2008-01-16.] Many mammals can be found around the lake and in the adjacent wilderness area, national forest, and parklands. [http://castlelake.ucdavis.edu/index.php?q=gallery&g2_itemId=41 Photo gallery of mammals] accessed 2008-01-22.] These include Black Bear ("Ursus americanus"), Blacktail Deer ("Odocoileus hemionus"), River otter ("Lutra canadensis"), and Black-tailed Jackrabbit ("Lepus californicus"). [http://castlelake.ucdavis.edu/castle_lake/mammals Mammals] accessed 2008-01-16.]

Plant life

Although the lake (at elevation convert|5574|ft|m|abbr=on) and surrounding areas are well below local tree line (for example, on nearby Mt. Shasta, the tree line is at about convert|7900|ft|m|abbr=on), [http://www.mountainweb.com/mountain-climbing/view-mountain-climbing.jsp?mountain=1108 Shasta Tree Line information] accessed 2008-01-21.] 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 ("Pinus ponderosa"), Red Fir ("Abies Magnifica"), White Fir ("Abies Concolor"), Lodgepole Pine ("Pinus Contorda"), Incense Cedar ("Libocedrus decurrens") and Alder can be found. [http://castlelake.ucdavis.edu/index.php?q=gallery&g2_itemId=39 Photo gallery of trees] accessed 2008-01-22.] 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 nitrates 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"). [http://castlelake.ucdavis.edu/index.php?q=gallery&g2_itemId=37 Photo Gallery of wildflowers] accessed 2008-01-22. ] [http://www.shastawildflowers.com/DatabaseSci.php Area wildflower list] accessed 2008-01-22.] Also, in cool, wet spots near the lake, carnivorous Pitcher Plants ("Darlingtonia californica") appear. [http://castlelake.ucdavis.edu/index.php?q=gallery&g2_itemId=38 Photo Gallery of Pitcher Plants] accessed 2008-01-22.]

Notes

References

*
* The online version of this reference material is available [http://books.google.com/books?id=UOZS6Asg8K0C&printsec=frontcover&dq=Advanced+geography+for+AQA+specification+A.&lr=&sig=CGAyuuQ9lcw0G7iYT0-iuJ59Kh0 here] courtesy of [http://books.google.com/ Google Books] .
*
*cite book | last = Dillon | first = Richard H | title = Siskiyou Trail: The Hudson's Bay Company route to California | publisher = McGraw-Hill | year = 1975 | location = New York | isbn = 0-0701-6980-2
*
*cite book |last = Grubbs | first = Bruce | title= Explore! Shasta Country | publisher = Globe Pequot Press | year = 2006 | location = Guilford, CT | isbn = 0762734124 |
*
* (Dover Publications (New York) reprint ed., ISBN 0-486-23368-5)
*
*
*
* The online version of this reference material is available [http://books.google.com/books?id=VP_M5sG9vLgC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Geography+Through+Diagrams&lr=&sig=ysyC3Apm2kmm_g8JlMtoHNNxIrQ here] courtesy of [http://books.google.com/ Google Books] .
*

External links

*
* [http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/shastatrinity/recreation/st-main/st-fishing/alpine-lakes/castle.shtml U.S. Forest Service site]
* [http://castlelake.ucdavis.edu/ Castle Lake Limnological Research Station site]
* [http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=454 Castle Crags State Park site]