At the upper end, near Fallen Leaf Lodge, under the cliffs it has a depth of over 380 feet, but it becomes much shallower at the northern or lower end near the outlet.  Its surroundings are majestic and enthralling as well as picturesque and alluring.  On the west Mt.  Tallac towers its nearly 10,000 feet into the sea of the upper air, flanked on the south by the lesser noble and majestic Cathedral Peak.  In the earlier part of the season when these are covered with snow, the pure white materially enhances the splendor of both mountain and lake by enriching their varied colorings with the marked contrast.

[Illustration:  Glen Alpine Falls]

[Illustration:  Glimpse of Grass Lake, looking across and up Glen Alpine Canyon]

[Illustration:  The Triumphant Angler, Lake Tahoe]

To the southwest rise the Angora Peaks, and these likewise catch, and hold the winter’s snow, often, like Mt.  Tallac, retaining beds of neve from year to year.

To the geological student, especially one interested in glacial phenomena, the lateral and terminal moraines of Fallen Leaf Lake are of marked and unusual interest.  The moraine on the east is upwards of 1000 feet high, and is a majestic ridge, clothed from the lake shore to its summit with a rich growth of pines, firs and hemlocks.  Its great height and bulk will suggest to the thoughtful reader the questions as to how it was formed, and whence came all the material of its manufacture.  It extends nearly the whole length of the lake, diminishing somewhat in size at the northern end.  There is a corresponding moraine on the western side not less compelling in its interest though scarcely as large in size as its eastern counterpart.  The terminal moraine, which is the one that closed up the lake, separating and raising it above the level of Lake Tahoe, is a less noble mound, yet geologically it allures the mind and demands study as much as the others.  In Chapter VIII, Dr. Joseph LeConte’s theories are given in full explaining the various glacial phenomena connected with this lake.

The fish of Fallen Leaf are practically the same as those of Tahoe, though rod and fly fishing is more indulged in here.

Boating, canoeing and the use of the motor boat are daily recreations, and swimming is regularly indulged in during the summer season.

FALLEN LEAF LODGE

The distinguishing characteristics of this resort are simplicity, home-likeness, unostentation.  It makes its appeal especially to the thoughtful and the studious, the not luxuriously rich, those who love Nature rather than the elegance of a first-class hotel, and who desire to climb trails, study trees, hunt, fish, and generally recreate out-of-doors rather than dress and fare sumptuously.

It is situated on the southwestern edge of Fallen Leaf Lake, five miles from Tallac, reached by a road that winds through the trees of the Baldwin estate, and then skirts the eastern and southern shores of the Lake.  Stages—­horse and automobile—­run daily during the season and meet all the steamers at Tallac.