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Lake Thomas A Edison
Lake Thomas A EdisonShow map of CaliforniaLake Thomas A EdisonShow map of the United States
Location	Fresno County, California
Coordinates	37°22′58″N 118°58′34″W / 37.38278°N 118.97611°W / 37.38278; -118.97611
Type	Reservoir
Primary inflows	Mono Creek, Cold Creek
Primary outflows	Mono Creek
Catchment area	88 square miles (230 km)
Basin countries	United States
Max. length	3.5 miles (5.6 km)
Max. width	1 mile (1.6 km)
Surface area	1,878 acres (760 ha)
Average depth	67 feet (20 m)
Water volume	125,000 acre-feet (154,000,000 m)
Shore length	13 miles (21 km)
Surface elevation	7,648 feet (2,331 m)
Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Lake Thomas A Edison (also known as Thomas A. Edison Lake and Edison Lake) is a reservoir in the Sierra National Forest and in Fresno County, California. It is in the Sierra Nevada, and near the Pacific Crest Trail.

The reservoir's waters are impounded by Vermilion Valley Dam (National ID CA00441), which was completed in 1954 (71 years ago) (1954). The reservoir and dam are part of the Big Creek Hydroelectric Project.

Hydrology

The reservoir discharges into Mono Creek, a tributary of the South Fork San Joaquin River. However, some of its water is diverted to Huntington Lake by means of the Ward Tunnel.

Vermilion Valley Dam

Vermilion Valley Dam is an earthen dam 4,234 feet (1,291 m) long and 167 feet (51 m) high, with 8 feet (2.4 m) of freeboard. Southern California Edison owns the dam.

Recreation

Located in Sierra National Forest near the Pacific Crest Trail, Lake Thomas A Edison is the centerpiece of Vermilion Valley Resort and Vermillion Campground, which support boating, camping, fishing, swimming, canoeing, kayaking, and horseback riding.

Access

The lake is three hours away by car from Fresno. Take State Route 168 east to Huntington Lake, head east on Kaiser Pass Road. The road crosses Kaiser Pass (elevation 9,175 feet (2,797 m)) and closes during the winter months. The United States Forest Service does not recommend it for buses, large motor homes, or vehicles towing trailers.

A ferry crosses the lake twice a day (Inactive in 2021 due to extreme low levels of water - travel service to/from the trailhead can be arranged through Vermillion Valley Resort or hikers may follow a trail along the north side of the lake for trail access), linking Vermilion Valley Resort with the John Muir Wilderness trailhead and providing access to and from the John Muir Trail and Pacific Crest Trail.

Nomenclature

The lake was named after American inventor Thomas Edison to mark the 75th anniversary of his invention of the incandescent light bulb. The dam was named after the valley it flooded, noted for its reddish soil.

See also

• List of dams and reservoirs in California
• List of lakes in California

References

1. ^ "Lake Thomas A Edison". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
2. ^ "Dams Within the Jurisdiction of the State of California (T-Z)" (PDF). California Department of Water Resources, Division of Safety of Dams. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
3. ^ "Welcome to Vermilion Valley Resort". Retrieved December 21, 2012.
4. "The Big Creek System" (PDF). Retrieved December 21, 2012.
5. "Facility Details - Vermillion, CA". Retrieved December 21, 2012.
6. ^ "Lake Thomas A. Edison" (PDF). Retrieved December 21, 2012.
7. "Description of the Big Creek System" (PDF). Retrieved December 21, 2012.

External links

• Lake Thomas A. Edison (Edison Lake)

v t e Sierra Nevada
Mountains	Peaks >14,000 ft Whitney Williamson North Palisade Sill Russell Split Langley Tyndall Muir Middle Palisade Northern peaks Lola Castle Granite Chief Rose Tallac Pyramid Freel Central peaks Red Lake Round Top Mokelumne Sonora Leavitt Dana Lyell Banner Ritter Mammoth Southern peaks Humphreys Tom Bear Creek Spire Darwin Agassiz Kaweah Brewer Olancha Kern Double Climbing Peak list First ascents
Passes	Fredonyer Beckwourth Yuba Donner Mt. Rose Spooner Echo Carson Monitor Ebbetts Sonora Tioga Minaret Kaweah Sherman Tehachapi
Rivers	Feather Yuba Bear American Mokelumne Cosumnes Calaveras Stanislaus Tuolumne Merced Chowchilla Fresno San Joaquin Kings Kaweah Tule Kern Truckee Carson Walker Owens
Lakes	Tahoe Aloha Echo Fallen Leaf Spooner Mono Almanor Oroville Isabella Donner Independence Shaver Huntington Florence Edison Wishon Courtright Tenaya Mammoth Bass Crowley Convict Hell for Sure
Protected areas	National parks and monuments Kings Canyon Sequoia Yosemite Devils Postpile Giant Sequoia National forests Eldorado Humboldt–Toiyabe Inyo Lake Tahoe Basin Lassen Plumas Sequoia Sierra Stanislaus Tahoe Wilderness areas Ansel Adams Bright Star Bucks Lake Carson–Iceberg Chimney Peak Dinkey Lakes Domeland Emigrant Golden Trout Hoover Ishi Jennie Lakes John Krebs John Muir Kaiser Kiavah Mokelumne Monarch Mount Rose Owens Peak Owens River Headwaters Sacatar Trail Sequoia-Kings Canyon Yosemite State parks Burton Creek Calaveras Big Trees D. L. Bliss Donner Memorial Ed Z'berg Sugar Pine Point Emerald Bay Grover Hot Springs Lake Tahoe Nevada Plumas-Eureka South Yuba River Van Sickle
Communities	Angels Camp Auburn Bridgeport Chester Colfax Grass Valley Incline Village Jackson Kernville Loyalton Mammoth Lakes Mariposa Markleeville Nevada City Oakhurst Paradise Placerville Portola Quincy San Andreas Sonora South Lake Tahoe Susanville Sutter Creek Tahoe City Tehachapi Truckee
Ski areas	Alpine Meadows Badger Pass Bear Valley Boreal China Peak Dodge Ridge Donner Ski Ranch Heavenly Homewood June Mountain Kirkwood Mammoth Mountain Northstar Sierra at Tahoe Palisades Tahoe Sugar Bowl Tahoe Donner
Trails	High Sierra Trail John Muir Trail Pacific Crest Trail Sierra High Route

• Reservoirs in Fresno County, California
• Lakes of the Sierra Nevada (United States)
• Sierra National Forest
• Reservoirs in California
• Reservoirs in Northern California
• Southern California Edison dams