User:Darcyloo/Waptus Lake

Waptus Lake Waptus Lake is located in the western section of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, within the Cle Elum Ranger District in a northwest-trending valley, about 37 km northwest of Cle Elum and 11.3 km northwest of Salmon La Sac (Wolcott, 1973). It sits at an elevation of approximately 914 m in the upper Waptus River Valley, and includes parts of sections 1, 2, 3, 10, 11, and 12 in Township 23 north and Range 13 east of the Willamette Meridian. Waptus Lake is the second largest lake in the ALW, measuring 2.4 km long and 0.4 km across at its widest point (USFS, 1988; Beckey, 2000), and totaling 5526.6 m2 (Wolcott, 1973). The primary access route to Waptus Lake is from the Salmon La Sac trailhead, following the Waptus River Trail (1310). Additional routes providing access to Waptus Lake include the Waptus Pass and Quick Creek Trail (1329) via Polallie Ridge Trail (1309) to the south. The Pete Lake Trail (1323) also provides access over Waptus Pass via the Tired Creel Trail (1322). Other access routes from the northeast include Trail Creek Trail (1322) via the Cathedral Rock Trail (1345). The PCT (2000) runs adjacent to the north shore of Waptus Lake and provides access from both the south and the north. 

Waptus Lake occupies a classic glacial trough (see Figure 8) and is surrounded by horns and arêtes (USFS, 1981). The Southeast shore of Waptus Lake, which hosts the majority of campsites, is comprised of Pleistocene alpine glacial deposits (Tabor et al., 2000). These glacial deposits likely impounded the lake in the glacially eroded valley (Wolcott, 1973). The relatively steep northern shore hosts numerous campsites on alluvial fans. The relatively isolated northwestern and southern shores exhibit several Pleistocene and Holocene alluvial fans.

The proximity of Waptus Lake to the Cascade Crest (9 km to the west) dictates the areas weather patterns, which are similar to those found at Stampede Pass (See Figure 10). The study site features wet and cold winters, contrasted by warm and dry summers. At Stampede Pass, the average January temperature is approximately –3° C and the average July temperature is approximately 16° C (WRCC, 2010; NRCS 2008). Annual precipitation averages range from 127 cm to 210 cm with the majority falling in the winter months as snow. Snowfall usually begins at higher elevations in October and areas remain snow covered into July (USFS, 1981). Snow fall at Stampede Pass is approximately 10 m a year (WRCC, 2010).

According to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) soils data, the predominant soil on the north and south side of Waptus Lake is the Vabus series (See Figure 11; NRCS, 2008). Vabus soils are spodosols, forming in moderately deep to dense glacial till mixed with volcanic ash and found on mountainsides and valleys at elevations of 762 m to 1,463 m (NRCS, 2001). The soil type at the southeast end of Waptus Lake is the Kladnick series (Figure 11), formed in glacial outwash with a mantle of volcanic ash. Kladnick soils are inceptisols, found on young geomorphic surfaces that exhibit minimal horizon development (NRCS, 2008). The unnamed entisols and inceptisols located at the northwest end of Waptus Lake are described as Cryofluvents-Dystrocryepts complex. These recently formed entisols and poorly developed inceptisols are fine textures loamy and clayey soils with a cryic soil temperature regime (Buol et al., 2003). Waptus Lake is host to coniferous, mid-elevation forests with a diverse cover of trees, shrubs, and herbaceous perennials. The landscape is dominated by lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), western red cedar (Thuja plicata), and Pacific silver fir (Abies amabilis) forests with huckleberry (Vacinium ssp) and bunchberry (Cornus canadensis) as the most prevalent understory.

The name Waptus was derived from the Sahaptin word “wáptas” meaning “feather” (Bright, 2004). Waptus was likely an important location for native inhabitants, as it was one of the few high lakes that retained native fish populations following the Pleistocene glaciations (Pfeifer, Swayne, & Curtis, 2001).Waptus Lake was frequented by native tribes as a fishing location as evidenced by Splawn (1917): Over there is Wap-tus lake. In the long ago it was the home of a huge water serpent which had swallowed so many people who were traveling along the shores of the lake that finally no one dared travel that way anymore. This serpent had been seen many times, raising its head far above the waters and, with a hissing noise, spouting fire from its mouth while its tail lashed the waters into a fury.

Waptus Lake is currently accessed by one of the longer lowland river hikes in the ALW. The primary entry point is the Waptus River Trail which begins at the Salmon La Sac trailhead on the Cle Elum Ranger District. The 14.5 km, undulating Waptus River Trail mostly has a gentile gradient with only 171 m of total elevation gain. Cooper Lake and Cathedral Rock trailheads provide secondary access points and the PCT runs adjacent to the lake’s north shore. Although the Salmon La Sac/Waptus River Trail is long, the route is popular, especially with stock users. Multiple access points make Waptus Lake a central hub for activities such as hunting and fishing. Another reason for this lake’s popularity may be the fact that it is located within a one-day hike of approximately 20 other lake destinations (USFS, 1999).