Pyramid Lake

Pyramid Lake lies entirely within the reservation of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe. The landlocked lake is about 48 km (30 miles) long, up to 14 km (9 miles) wide and up to 109 m (356 feet) deep, at an elevation of 1,157 m (3,796 feet). It is fed by the Truckee River and is the largest remnant of Ice Age Lake Lahontan. In 1844 John C. Frémont named it for a pyramid-shaped tufa rock formation. Two rare fish live in the lake: the endangered cui-ui, found nowhere else, and the threatened Lahontan cutthroat trout. Anaho Island hosts one of the largest American white pelican breeding colonies in the United States.

A tribal permit is required for visiting, swimming, camping and fishing; you can get one online or at the ranger station in Sutcliffe. Anaho Island is closed to visitors, but you can watch the pelicans from the west shore; the best time is April to May. The north side and the east shore have been closed since 2011 to protect sacred sites (as of October 2026), as have other parts of the shoreline.