South Twin Lake
The southern member of the pair, its water comes from spring and runoff from nearby geyser activity.
Plan Around South Twin Lake
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South Twin Lake Details
Twin Lakes are a pair of lakes located along the Grand Loop Road south of Mammoth Hot Springs. The lakes were originally given their name in 1879 by superintendent Philetus W. Norris for their proximity and similar mirrored appearance to one another. North Twin Lake's water comes from spring and runoff from nearby geyser activity. It is very shallow and cannot support a fish population. Despite this, the lake was stocked with whitefish in 1889, and grayling in the 1934-1935 time period. In both cases, the lack of suitable spawning habitat led to the demise of the transplanted fish. South Twin Lake's water also comes from springs and geyser activity. And while it is somewhat deeper, it also lacks inlet and outlet channels and thus suitable spawning habitat to allow for fish reproduction. South was also stocked with whitefish in 1889, as well as 200 rainbow trout in 1933. Between 1934 and 1956, some 450,000 grayling were introduced to the lake. By the mid 1970s, the lake was once again barren, whoever. Both lakes have no defined inlet or outlet channels. There have been several studies conducted in an attempt to ascertain where the water from these lakes flows, to no avail (or to wide disagreement). It is possible that the outlets for these lakes shifts from time to time. Both lakes are currently listed as draining into a tributary of Obsidian Creek.
Difficulty
Low
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Nearby Parks Around South Twin Lake
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Nearby Points of Interest Around South Twin Lake
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0.3 mi away
North Twin Lake
The northern member of the pair, its water comes from spring and runoff from nearby geyser activity.
0.6 mi away
Roaring Mountain
Not so much an actual mountain as it is a thermal feature.
1.4 mi away
Nymph Lake
A small lake located alongside Grand Loop Road, approximately 2.5 miles north of Norris Junction.
2.8 mi away
Beaver Lake
Located 7.3 miles north of Norris Junction on the Norris to Mammoth Road.
2.8 mi away
Norris Area
The Norris Geyser Basin is the main attraction of the Norris area of Yellowstone National Park.
