Isa Lake facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Isa Lake
Isa Lake
Isa Lake Location in Wyoming Show map of Wyoming Isa Lake Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Yellowstone National Park, Teton County, Wyoming, US
Coordinates	44°26′27″N 110°43′09″W / 44.44083°N 110.71917°W / 44.44083; -110.71917
Type	Natural lake
Primary outflows	Firehole River (west) (spring only) Lewis River (east) (spring and early summer)
Basin countries	United States
Surface elevation	8,262 feet (2,518 m)

Isa Lake is a special lake found in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, USA. It sits right on the Continental Divide, which is like a giant invisible line that separates which way water flows across a continent.

This unique lake was first found in 1891 by a man named Hiram M. Chittenden. He was looking for the best way to build a road connecting two famous areas in Yellowstone: Old Faithful and West Thumb. Chittenden named the lake after Miss Isabel Jelke from Cincinnati, but we don't know why he chose her name.

A Lake That Drains Two Ways

Map of the Continental Divide at Isa Lake

Isa Lake is very unusual because it's one of the few natural lakes in the world that drains into two different oceans! Most lakes only drain into one.

• The water from the east side of Isa Lake flows into the Lewis River. This river eventually makes its way to the Pacific Ocean.
• The water from the west side of Isa Lake flows into the Firehole River. This river's water ends up in the Gulf of Mexico, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean.

This makes Isa Lake a fascinating example of how water can travel across a continent in different directions from the same spot.

Visiting Isa Lake

It's easy to visit Isa Lake! It's located right next to the road that connects the Old Faithful and West Thumb geyser basins. This road is part of the "lower loop" of the main figure-eight road system that goes through Yellowstone National Park.

When you visit, you might notice many beautiful yellow flowers floating on the water. These are called great yellow pond-lilies (Nuphar polysepalum), and they grow very well in Isa Lake.