Williams Lake is an alpine glacial lake in northern New Mexico, set high in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains below Wheeler Peak within the Wheeler Peak Wilderness of Carson National Forest. Reached by the Williams Lake Trail from Taos Ski Valley, it sits in a stark high mountain basin and is unusual for having no fish because it freezes in winter. The lake takes its name from William Frazer, a gold miner who staked claims nearby and helped found the mining camp of Twining in the late 1800s. It remains a popular mountain destination below New Mexico’s highest peak.