Atlin Lake

Atlin Lake
Áa Tlein (Tlingit)
A portion of Atlin Lake (on the right half of the image) during the winter, as seen from space. The lake seen on the left half of the image is Tagish Lake
Atlin Lake is located in British Columbia
Atlin Lake
Atlin Lake
Atlin Lake is located in Canada
Atlin Lake
Atlin Lake
LocationAtlin District, northwestern British Columbia
Coordinates59°30′N 133°45′W / 59.500°N 133.750°W / 59.500; -133.750
Primary inflowsO Donnel River, Pike River, Llewellyn Glacier
Primary outflowsAtlin River
Basin countriesCanada
Max. length137 km (85 mi)[1]
Max. width6.5 km (4 mi)[1]
Surface area791 km2 (305 sq mi)[2]
Max. depth289 m (948 ft)[2]
Surface elevation669 m (2,195 ft)[3]
SettlementsAtlin

Atlin Lake (Lingít: Áa Tlein) is the largest natural lake in the Canadian province of British Columbia.[4] The lake is 6.44 kilometres (4.00 mi) wide and 137 kilometres (85 mi) long.[1] The northern tip of the lake is in the Yukon, as is Little Atlin Lake. However, most of the lake lies within the Atlin District of British Columbia. Atlin Lake is generally considered to be the source of the Yukon River[5] although it is drained via the short Atlin River into Tagish Lake. Atlin Lake was named by the Tlingit First Nation people of the region.[6]

The name comes from Áa Tlein (in Canadian spelling  Tłèn), the Tlingit name meaning simply "big lake".[7]

The community of Atlin, British Columbia, is located on the eastern shore of the lake. The southern part of the lake is in the Atlin Provincial Park and Recreation Area.

View of Atlin Lake
  1. ^ a b c Moore, Carolyn (December 2022). "Discover Atlin". Discover Atlin. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  2. ^ a b Gilbert, Robert; Desloges, Joseph R.; Lamoureux, Scott F.; Serink, Andrea; Hodder, Kyle R. (29 September 2005). "The geomorphic and paleoenvironmental record in the sediments of Atlin Lake, northern British Columbia" (PDF). Geomorphology. 79 (1–2) (published 2006): 130. doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2005.09.021. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 August 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  3. ^ "Atlin Lake - Peakbagger.com". www.peakbagger.com. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  4. ^ "Atlin Lake | Infoplease".
  5. ^ Brabets, Timothy P.; et al. (2000). Environmental and Hydrologic Overview of the Yukon River Basin, Alaska and Canada. Anchorage: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. p. 7.
  6. ^ "Atlin Lake - Atlin - North BC - British Columbia - Canada Parks- Atlin, BC parks, trails and places". eh Canada Travel. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  7. ^ Edwards, Keri (2009). Dictionary of Tlingit (PDF). Juneau, Alaska: Sealaska Heritage Institute. ISBN 978-0-9825786-6-7.