Hanging Lake (Washington - British Columbia) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hanging Lake |
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 Hanging Lake
Location in Washington (state)
Hanging Lake
Location in British Columbia
Hanging Lake
Location in the United States
Hanging Lake
Location in Canada
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| Location | North Cascades National Park, Whatcom County, Washington, United States; Chilliwack Lake Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada |
| Coordinates | 48°59′54″N 121°27′09″W / 48.99833°N 121.45250°W |
| Lake type | Cirque Lake |
| Basin countries | United States/Canada |
| Max. length | .50 mi (0.80 km) |
| Max. width | .35 mi (0.56 km) |
| Surface elevation | 4,524 ft (1,379 m) |
Hanging Lake is a beautiful body of water that sits right on the border between two countries: the United States and Canada. It's a special place because it's shared by both nations. Most of the lake is found in North Cascades National Park in Washington, USA. However, the northern part of the lake, along with where its water flows out, is in Chilliwack Lake Provincial Park in British Columbia, Canada.
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Where is Hanging Lake Located?
Hanging Lake is nestled in a wild and scenic area. It's part of the North Cascades mountain range. This range is known for its tall, rugged peaks and deep valleys. The lake is less than 1 mile (1.6 km) east-northeast of a mountain called Middle Peak.
A Lake on the Border
Imagine a lake that belongs to two countries at once! That's Hanging Lake. This means that rules from both the United States and Canada apply to different parts of the lake. It's a great example of how nature connects different places.
Part of Two Parks
The lake is protected by two different park systems. On the American side, it's in North Cascades National Park. This park is famous for its glaciers, forests, and wildlife. On the Canadian side, it's in Chilliwack Lake Provincial Park. This park also offers stunning natural beauty, including mountains and forests.
What Kind of Lake is Hanging Lake?
Hanging Lake is known as a cirque lake. You might also hear it called a tarn. This type of lake forms in a bowl-shaped hollow. These hollows are carved out by glaciers high up in the mountains. As glaciers move, they scoop out the land, leaving behind a basin. When the glacier melts, water fills this basin, creating a cirque lake.
How Cirque Lakes Form
Thousands of years ago, huge sheets of ice, called glaciers, covered much of the Earth. As these glaciers slowly moved down mountain slopes, they acted like giant bulldozers. They scraped away rock and soil, creating deep, rounded hollows. When the climate warmed and the glaciers melted, these hollows filled with water from the melting ice and snow. This is how beautiful cirque lakes like Hanging Lake are born.
