One of the aspects that helps to make Pyramid Lake so special is its tufa rock formations. In fact, the lake’s namesake 500-foot high Pyramid Rock is made of the material.
The 125,000-acre lake, located 33 miles north of Reno, has long been a sacred place for the native Northern Paiute people, who have inhabited its shores for tens of thousands of years. The lake is the central part of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribes Reservation.
According to tribal histories, the distinctive pyramid rock at the lake’s southeastern shore represents the spearhead of the Great Father, who thrust it upward to ward off a long drought.
But the pyramid-shaped mound is only one of a number of unusual stone shapes formed from tufa rock, which is a reminder of the area’s volcanic origins. Tufa rock, in fact, is created when calcium-filled springs gurgle up through salty, carbonate water. The chemical bonding of the two results in the creation of a limestone-like substance.
Formations, such as those found around Pyramid Lake, are the result of a build-up of this tufa material while it is underwater. Once the water recedes and exposes the formations, they cease to grow.
As if to put an accent on its fiery, geological roots, boiling water from natural hot springs pour from cracks in the pyramid at an estimated rate of two hundred gallons per minute. Additionally, hot springs around the lake (not open to the public) are another reflection of the area’s geothermal origin.
The pyramid isn't the only unusual formation found on the southeast end of the lake. Nearly adjacent to the triangular rock, on the shore, are an extensive series of tufa forms that truly give the lake an otherworldly ambience.
These include several tufa "bubbles," which are giant mushroom-shaped rocks that are hollow in the center, as if they collapsed when exposed to air.
Additionally, just south of the bubble formations is "Great Stone Mother and Basket," a remarkable tufa rock mound that resembles a hooded Indian woman seated with an open basket lying next to her.
One legend about the "Stone Mother" is that she was so filled with remorse when some of her children were driven away by her more-evil siblings, that she began to cry and filled the lake with her tears. Her basket remains empty, awaiting their return.
The tufa formations on the eastern shore of Pyramid Lake, such as Stone Mother and the tufa bubbles, are closed to the public due to past vandalism and concerns about environmental degradation. But they can be viewed from a distance.
A few of the tufa rocks that are open to the public include Popcorn Rock at the lake’s southern tip and Indian Head Rock on the southwestern shore.
The lake is a popular recreation area for fishing, boating, jet-skiing, swimming, picnicking and camping. All of those activities require a tribal permit, so make certain to pick one up at the Ranger Station in Sutcliffe (https://pyramidlake.us/permits).
A good place to learn about Pyramid Lake and the Paiute people is the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe Museum and Visitors Center, located at 709 State Street in Nixon, just south of the lake. The museum is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
For more information about Pyramid Lake go to http://www.pyramidlake.us/.
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