PYRAMID LAKE

lake in Pyramid Lake Indian Reservation, western Nevada, U.S., between the Lake Range and the Virginia Mountains. A remnant of ancient Lake Lahontan (formed during the Pleistocene Epoch, about 2,000,000 years ago) and the largest natural lake in the state, it is about 30 mi (48 km) long and 7 to 9 mi wide. It is fed from the south by the Truckee River. The lake is known for cutthroat trout and is the home of the Cui-ui (Qee-we), an endangered species of fish. The lake was visited in 1844 by the soldier-explorer John C. Frmont, who named it for the tufa deposits that rise from the lake and resemble the Pyramids of Egypt. Anahoe Island in the lake is a bird sanctuary and a breeding ground for white pelicans.