Flora Lake is a remote
lake
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...
located in the northern environs of
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park ( ) is an American national park in California, surrounded on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service and covers an ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. The lake is located in a rugged environment that is only accessible to intrepid hikers.
The lake was once proposed as a cavalry outpost for the
U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
as it provided easy access to the northern border of
Yosemite.
During the early 20th century the U.S. military was burdened with protecting the newly formed
National Park System
The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...
. Shortly after the park's creation, many wilderness outposts were created in order to curb the illegal intrusion of goat herds which shepherds would lead into the park. This activity routinely devastated otherwise pristine valleys.
Today the lake offers solitude and beauty that characterize those portions of northern Yosemite National Park and the adjacent
Emigrant Wilderness.
See also
*
List of lakes in California
There are more than 3,000 named lakes, reservoirs, and dry lakes in the U.S. state of California.
Largest lakes
In terms of area covered, the largest lake in California is the Salton Sea, a lake formed in 1905 which is now saline. It occupie ...
References
Lakes of Yosemite National Park
Lakes of Tuolumne County, California
{{TuolumneCountyCA-geo-stub