This Popular Washington Peak Hides North America’s Highest Lake

Not only is the highest elevation for a lake in North America, but it is also one of the least visited because of the danger.

Washington State Mountain Hides North America's Highest Lake

There is a hidden lake near the summit of Mount Rainier in Washington State that hardly anyone has ever seen. It was discovered during the Mount Rainer Fumarole Cave Project back in 2014 about 200 feet down a vertiginous slope. The previously undiscovered lake was named Lake Adelie by U.S. Forest Service law enforcement agent Eddy Cartaya because the blue water reminded him of Adélie penguins. The lake might be the most difficult to visit in all the world, taking crews of experienced climbers to even reach it. It is also the highest elevation for any lake in North America. After being discovered in 2014, crews for the project immediately made plans to go back.

Crews Returned to Lake Adelie in 2016

In 2016, another crew of cave explorers returned, this time with sensor equipment to be left in the lake over the summer to monitor the water levels, water conductivity, and temperature every 15 minutes. When the teams returned, the sensor had become stuck under fallen rocks but was eventually recovered along with a summer of data to learn more about Lake Adelie. They found that the conditions in Lake Adelie hardly changed all summer and continuously remained at .5°C or froze. Another discovery showed that the cave's atmosphere increased temperature during large storms. The snow seals off openings to the cave structure, causing the natural heat from the volcano below to be trapped inside. Read more details about how the lake was discovered in the National Parks Conservation Association's original article and see a few amazing and rare pictures of the lake below.