Washoe Lake

Washoe Lake
Washoe Lake, with Slide Mt. and the Carson Range in the background.
Washoe Lake Location in Nevada
Location	Washoe County, Nevada
Coordinates	39°16′06″N 119°48′03″W / 39.26833°N 119.80083°W / 39.26833; -119.80083
Primary inflows	several small streams
Primary outflows	Steamboat Creek
Basin countries	United States
Surface elevation	5,029 feet (1,533 m)

Washoe Lake (Washo: c'óʔyaʔ dáʔaw ) is a lake located near Carson City in the Washoe Valley of Washoe County, Nevada. It is a very shallow lake with a surface area that can vary greatly from year to year. Washoe Lake State Park sits on the lake's southeastern shore.

Washoe Lake is a eutrophic, shallow lake between Reno and Carson City and just east of the much larger Lake Tahoe. It is actually made up of two lakes that are connected by a marsh. The lake reaches a maximum depth of just 12 feet (3.7 m). The shallowness and the high winds make the lake very turbid. Extensive droughts in the past have caused the lake to dry up entirely, most recently in 1992, 1994, and 2004.

Washoe Lake is a warm water fishery and provides a habitat for Sacramento perch, white bass, channel catfish, brown bullhead and carp. The lake has been by the Nevada Division of Wildlife since 2004 when Washoe Lake last dried up. Two boat launches are on the eastern shore of the lake within Washoe Lake State Park.

The lake provided habitat for a variety of birds. There are hundreds of migratory and resident species in Washoe Lake State Park. Pelicans, night and great blue herons can be found on the waters of the lake.

Washoe Lake is fed by several small streams which issue from the Carson Range to the west as well as ephemeral streams which flow from the Virginia Range to the east. At its northern end, Washoe Lake narrows and connects to Little Washoe Lake, at whose northernmost end issues Steamboat Creek, which runs north to the Truckee River.