Church Pond in the Mount Rose Wilderness
Church Pond

Off the Jones/Whites Loop Trail: Church Pond (July 21, 2017)
Church Pond at an elevation of 8,290 feet (2,527 m) is a tiny, sub-alpine lake less than a mile away from the summit of the Jones Creek/Whites Creek Loop Trail. This pond shows a significantly fluctuating water level. The pond was nearly dried up at the end of summer 2016. The high snowpack level of the winter/spring season of 2017—the highest since 2011—resulted in a large amount of meltwater appreciately filling up the water hole again. Church Pond (also written Church's Pond) is—like Church Peak (the north summit of Mt. Rose)—named in honor of hydrologist James Edward Church, who is known for developing the Mt. Rose snow sampler to accurately measure the water content of snow (see, for example, the UNR biographical note in “A Guide to the Papers of James Edward Church”). Water supply forecasting has always been important for the Reno-Tahoe area and Church Pond's water level serves as an instructive indicator for the local water supply outlook.
Follow Me on Pinterest
Mount Rose Wilderness