Smith Lake (Alaska)

Smith Lake (Athabascan: Tr'exwghodegi Troth Yeddha' Bena') is a lake in Fairbanks, Alaska^[1] on the property of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. It is triangular in shape, roughly 980 ft × 980 ft × 1,250 ft (300 m × 300 m × 380 m).^[2]

Smith Lake
Ice skater on Smith Lake, Fairbanks, Alaska. October 2020.
Smith Lake Show map of Alaska Smith Lake Show map of North America
Location	Fairbanks, Alaska
Coordinates	64.8658°N 147.8639°W / 64.8658; -147.8639
Type	lake
Max. length	980 feet (300 m)
Max. width	980 feet (300 m)

The university maintains ecological and hydrological monitoring sites at the lake.^[3]

Wildlife

Smith lake is a good wildlife viewing location.^[4]

Bird species found at the lake may include Pacific loons, ring-necked duck, bufflehead, American wigeon, northern pintail, northern shoveler, green-winged teal, red-necked grebe, horned grebe, Bonaparte's gull, Wilson's snipe, lesser yellowlegs, long-billed dowitcher, red-necked phalarope, pectoral sandpiper and Bohemian waxwing.^[5]

Recreation

In winter the frozen surface of Smith Lake is popular with ice skaters and cross-country skiers.^[6]

Further reading

• Sarah K. Andersen and Daniel M. White (2006). "Determining soil organic matter quality under anaerobic conditions in arctic and subarctic soils". Cold Regions Science and Technology 44(2), 149–158. Research done on the soils at Smith Lake.
• University of Alaska Fairbanks Trail System