Lake Helen is a high-elevation glacial tarn in Lassen Volcanic National Park, lying in a cirque about 8,200 feet above sea level just south of Lassen Peak. Formed in a bowl-shaped basin carved by ice, it has a stark alpine setting and remains frozen or buried under deep snow for much of the year, with ice often lasting from autumn into midsummer. The area receives extraordinary snowfall from Pacific storms, often around 600 to 700 inches annually, making it widely regarded as California’s snowiest place. The lake was named for Helen Tanner Brodt, who in 1864 became the first white woman to reach Lassen Peak’s summit.