Wallowa Lake, Glacial lake in Oregon, US

Wallowa Lake is a narrow, ribbon-shaped glacial lake 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Joseph, Oregon, at 4,372 ft (1,333 m). It is dammed by moraines that rise over 900 ft (270 m) above the water. The lake is bordered by forested slopes rising to a mountain ridge, with a low shore of pale gray sand and small stones.

The Wallowa band of the Nez Perce lived here until 1877. After gold was found, the 1863 treaty talks tried to exclude the Wallowa country from the reservation; the Wallowa refused to sign. Facing violence, Chief Joseph led his people away. The U.S. Army caught them at Bear Paw, Montana, where Chief Joseph surrendered on October 5, 1877. The government then opened the land to settlers, and in 1880 the town of Joseph was named after him.

The lake lies in the homeland of the Wallowa band of the Nez Perce, guaranteed to them by the Treaty of 1855. The town of Joseph, at the north end, was named after Chief Joseph in 1880. Monuments around the lake and nearby towns commemorate the Nez Perce and the 1877 war.

The state park offers several camping options with showers, toilets, and other basic facilities for visitors staying overnight. Plan to visit during warmer months when trails are easier to access and the lake is more comfortable for recreation.

The moraines that dam Wallowa Lake rise more than 900 feet (270 m) above the water, yet they begin well below its surface. Geologists cite the lake in textbooks as a classic example of a moraine-dammed lake, and the last glacier to enter the valley, the Wallowa Glacier, arrived about 17,000 years ago.