Pyramid Lake

Pyramid Lake is mostly famous for being one of the default backgrounds on the iPad-- but it's also famous for being supremely haunted... possibly even cursed. The lake itself is filled with impressive, huge tufa formations; the most well-known one, Anaho Island, is shaped like a huge pyramid, which is what gave the lake its name. It is home to many rare white American pelicans, as well as several species of trout and other fish, plus a mermaid, a Loch Ness-type monster and some water baby ghosts. According to local lore, members of the Paiute tribe who lived near the desert lake used to throw disabled and premature babies into the lake, thinking that they would be unlikely to survive in the punishing conditions of the Nevada desert. The spirits of these infants, known now as "the water babies" allegedly haunt the lake-- visitors claim to have heard their cries and wails when they get too close to the lakeshore. Another legend tells the tale of a mermaid-like creature who charmed and married one of the Paiutes. When the groom brought his Lady of the Lake back to the rest of his tribe, they spurned her, casting her out of their village. She angrily returned to Pyramid Lake, placing a curse on it and vowing revenge on anyone who got too close to the lakeshore. Shortly after that, she sent a serpent out of the lake, which ate a baby and then took the baby's form. When the child's mother came back to feed her baby, the serpent attacked her. As the story goes, a medicine man allowed the serpent to remain in the lake, as long as it let the mother live. Whether or not there's any truth to the legend, or it is something early American settlers made up entirely, there's no denying that there's something spooky going on at the lake; each year, especially around the spring, several fishermen go missing after setting out on the lake. Is it just a random coincidence, possibly due to the weather and the fact that the lake deepens quickly near the shore, or is it the work of the jilted mermaid? -Roadtrippers Pyramid Lake covers 125,000 acres, making it one of the largest natural lakes in the state of Nevada. Pyramid Lake is also the biggest remnant of ancient Lake Lahontan, the colossal inland sea that once covered most of Nevada. The scenery is spectacular, and the color of Pyramid Lake changes from shades of blue or gray, depending on the skies above. Pyramid Lake is also surrounded by unusual rock formations, including the Stone Mother. Pyramid Lake's significant role in the history of the Paiute Indian tribe also adds to its mystique and many myths and tales surrounding it.