High Sierra Topix

For me, there have been several memorable spots in the Sierra where one gets "infinity pool" views across a lake. In ideal circumstances, the lake appears to vanish into a stunning backdrop. One of those places is the Blue Lake view back toward Ritter-Banner & the Minarets. The first lake one hits on Darwin Bench has a great sight line back across Evolution Valley toward the Hermit and surrounding Peaks. Spearpoint Lake's outlet plummets into French canyon and the long view up Spearpoint is stunning. I'm sure the accomplished photographers of HST know of many more examples. I'll try to embed another of my favorites and let's see what the pros come up with.
cg

Picket Guard Lake looking east toward the Whitney Range. SEKI August 2008.

Love PGL Vandman, one of my favorites, just wish that darn ridge on the eastern
side was just a little lower so the Sierra Crest (Whitney region) could reflect into it, making
it the ideal mirror shot, but it is what it is.

Gaylor Lakes:

Those are great reflection pictures! I don't think I have any pictures from any of my backpacking/hikes. Only pics I have now are either local stuff or road-side pics.

Tioga Lake


Tuolumne Meadows


Sorry, I had to post one of my favorite reflection shots, but it's not from the Sierra.
Merced NWR

This is my favorite for this year.


Mt Gardiner from unnamed lake

And a favorite from years past


Unnamed lake north of Finger Peak

I'd never heard of that term so didn't understand what you were referring to. So did a web search. Better than the below definition is to go to the wikipedia page and look at their picture.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infinity_pool" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"An infinity edge pool (also named negative edge, zero edge, disappearing edge or vanishing edge pool) is a swimming or reflecting pool which produces a visual effect of water extending to the horizon, vanishing, or extending to "infinity"."

Maybe a term coined by swimming or reflecting pool makers for their wealthy clients. Apparently a popular design for those rich who have ocean front property up on slopes. All the web image hits shows various swimming pools. No wonder I'd never heard of the term.

Probably a more valid description of small bodies of water like pools instead of large lakes. With ponds and lakes, anything with at most only a minor rise on the opposite shore is probably good enough. Really large lakes in relatively flat landscapes have that look, however they are not pools in any sense. Only cgundersen's image qualifies per the definition. The other posters apparently are thinking you are referring to ordinary mirror lake reflections.

I have one image in my gallery that has that kind of look:

http://www.davidsenesac.com/images/print_80a_15-31.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

At the bottom of that page is a crop of frame center that shows peaks several miles distant beyond that small alpine lake's opposite shore. Its 35mm Kodachrome slide saw light before any of you twentysomethings were born.

Great Western Divide from Crabtree Lakes early morning.

Hi All,
So, yes, as Dave observed, I was more looking for shots across a body of water where the lake's far surface seems to blend directly into a distant backdrop. Perhaps, this is not quite the infinity pool of Wikipedia, but I find such displays to be visually arresting, even if my description was lacking. And, this is nothing against the stunning reflections on display, just a different visual effect. Anyway, as another example of what I think of as an infinity pool, here's the Blue Lake view of the Minarets & Ritter:

So more like this one (also Gaylor Lake).