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Towhead Lake
Spectacular Rock-Bound Pond in Geology Showcase
Lake
in
Rogue River NF
,
Red Buttes Wilderness
,
Klamath Mountains
,
Coast Ranges
near
Happy Camp
,
CA
Towhead Lake is a gem of a lake in a rocky subalpine setting. The lake is small and fed only by snowmelt; there is a small marshy meadow on the south shore which has been used as a campsite. Unfortunately, this is a fragile area which will not long withstand human use, and already it shows signs of degradation. Another campsite exists on the rock bluff to the east of the lake; while it requires a scramble, the campsite is mostly pine needles and gravel, and human use will impact it far less than the wet meadow area.
In summer the small lake is perfect for swimming. There are no fish, but the water is clear there are rocks along the north shore for diving. Adiabatic winds can occasionally blow fiercely through the pass at Towhead Lake.
California Freshwater Fishing Regulation Map
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There is no official trail to Towhead Lake. To get there, follow the Pacific Crest Trail west from Cook and Green Pass to the Kangaroo Springs trailhead. Then watch for a user trail going uphill; it will lead to a disused mining road leading to the west. Follow the road to a gate (see picture, below) and then continue past the gate into the valley to the north. The road turns into a user trail following a seasonal creek to the north, and then crosses the watercourse (usually dry in summer) and meanders through boulders to Towhead Lake.
For the geology fan, the Red Buttes Wilderness and the Towhead Lake area are exceptional. Towhead Lake lies in an exposure of peridotite, a family of rocks which includes "seafloor basalt" produced where tectonic plates move apart, but also crystalline residues of basalt melts such as dunite and harzburgite. These are the "left-overs" which often underlie zones of seafloor spreading. Higher in the valley, a marble outcrop trends east-west, and higher in the valley still, schist and metamorphosed shale outcrop along the access trail.
All this tells a tale of a deep seafloor volcanic zone (peridotite), and layers of the remains of calcium-carbonate shells (limestone transformed by heat and pressure to marble), as well as seafloor sediments also altered by heat and pressure (schist).
In the picture below, the reddish rocks in the background are peridotite, and the gray-white rocks in the foreground are marble.
The marble outcrop hosts a number of small sinkholes and caves. Some are visible from the access trail, and all should be approached with respect: caves are not formed for human safety. They have nasty sharp projections in unexpected places, head-knockers and knee-slashers, and they may have vertical shafts and drops. Be safe: don’t go in unless you have gear and knowledge!
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