Wallowa Lake

For the 4th of  July weekend, we decided to get out and see another of Oregon's geologic gems, Wallowa Lake.

Aside from being a rare large lake in eastern Oregon, Wallowa Lake is one of the best examples of a glacial morain damming a valley to form a lake. From a view point off the Mt. Howard Tram, the moraines forming the boundary of the lake are easily visible.

While the moraines are easily visible, it is hard to convey a sense of disproportionate scale. The moraines rise over 200 meters from the lake surface and almost 300m from the surrounding area. A road cut through the moraine along the edge of the lake reveals a poorly sorted mix of granitic and basaltic rocks, cobbles and smaller sediments.