{{Short description|Lake located in Alaska, US}} {{Use American English|date=July 2025}} {{Infobox body of water | name = Galbraith Lake | image = GALBRAITH LAKE, LOOKING SOUTH INTO THE ATIGUN VALLEY - NARA - 550403.tif | caption = | location = North Slope Borough, Alaska | coords = {{Coord|68|28|N|149|25|W|region:US-AK_type:waterbody_source:GNIS_scale:10000|display=inline,title|name=Galbraith Lake}} | type = | inflow = | outflow = | catchment = | basin_countries = United States | length = {{Convert|3.6|mi|km}} | width = | area = | depth = | max-depth = | volume = | residence_time = | shore = | elevation = | cities = <!-- Map --> | pushpin_map = Alaska#North America | pushpin_label_position = | pushpin_map_alt = Location of Galbraith Lake in Alaska, USA. | pushpin_map_caption = <!-- Below --> | website = | reference = }}
'''Galbraith Lake''' is a lake located in the North Slope Borough of Alaska, United States. The surrounding area is uninhabited except for seasonal residents.
The lake is located on the west side of the Dalton Highway between miles 272-75 of the highway. The lake is approximately {{cvt|3.6|mile}} long and was formed by glaciers, and is known to contain lake trout, burbot and grayling fish, with some reports of Arctic char.<ref name="fish">Haugen, Scott. [https://books.google.com/books?id=xQY-1AkXpWsC&pg=PA423 Flyfisher's Guide to Alaska: Includes Light Tackle], p. 423 (2006 ed.)</ref> A campground is also located near the lake.<ref name="fish"/><ref>{{cite AV media| url-status = live| archive-url = https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211209/9DWQNKY0cVs| archive-date = 2021-12-09| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DWQNKY0cVs| title = Galbraith Lake camp ground. | website=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
The lake was named in 1951 after Bart Galbraith, a bush pilot who died in a 1950 plane crash while flying from Barter Island to Barrow.<ref name="gal1">[https://books.google.com/books?id=mkkNrY-608wC&pg=PA5 The Dalton Highway News], p. 5 (U.S. Department of Interior)</ref><ref name="dict">Orth, Donald J. [https://books.google.com/books?id=0y48AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA358 Dictionary of Alaska Place Names, Issue 567], p. 358 (U.S. Department of Interior 1967)</ref><ref name="crash2">Cole, Dermot. [https://books.google.com/books?id=0C0FFtYqv0QC&pg=PA68 Amazing Pipeline Stories], p. 68 (1997)</ref>
Galbraith Lake Airport is located in the area, as well as Pump Station 4 of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System.
A work camp was located at Galbraith Lake during the construction of the pipeline. An oil spill near the camp in 1975 caused some oil to enter the lake and a slick to appear on its surface.<ref name="camp1">(21 June 1971). [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=888&dat=19710621&id=qMwNAAAAIBAJ&sjid=vXUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7389,114749 Conservationists Keep Alaskan Oil In The Ground], ''St. Petersburg Times'' (Associated Press story)</ref><ref name="spill">[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1243&dat=19750701&id=fWZYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8vcDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2194,3823256 Slick forms on Lake Galbraith: Damage assessed in pipeline oil spill], ''The Bulletin (Bend)'' (Associated Press)</ref><ref name="blade1">Pollick, Steve (12 Jan. 1976). [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19760112&id=hgpPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SgIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5964,4023305 Fremont Engineer Likens Alaskan Oil Job To Army], ''The Blade''</ref><ref name="oilleak">(26 June 1975). [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19750626&id=M5ghAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ApoFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6483,3448856 Oil Leak in Alaska], ''Reading Eagle''</ref> Clean up efforts were then conducted.<ref name="clean1">[http://vilda.alaska.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/cdmg2/id/5650/rec/7 Clean up of oil spill at Galbraith Lake Camp], Alaska's Digital Archives, Retrieved 3 October 2014</ref>
The infrastructure of the pipeline construction project in the 1970s also permitted the conduct of archeological investigations in the area, which previously had not been explored, funded by the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company.<ref name="digs1">[https://books.google.com/books?id=7O3OBMLJVV8C&pg=PA129 Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: final comprehensive conservation plan], p. 129 (1988)</ref><ref name="alex">Alexander, Herbert L. [http://www.penn.museum/documents/publications/expedition/PDFs/9-3/Alexander.pdf Alaskan Survey], ''Expedition'' (Spring 1967)</ref><ref name="digs10">(27 June 1975). [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=336&dat=19750627&id=uCZVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ZoADAAAAIBAJ&pg=6983,6797991 Ancient bonanza found in tough Alaska diggings], ''Deseret News'' (UPI)</ref>
==Campground== The Galbraith Lake Bureau of Land Management Campground is 359 miles north of Fairbanks and 140 miles south of Deadhorse at the 275 mile mark.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211209/_GQfugI6J4A Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20200301180314/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GQfugI6J4A Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite AV media| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GQfugI6J4A| title = Rving Alaska: Dalton Highway to Prudhoe Bay, Tent Camping on the North Slope | website=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
==Climate== Galbraith Lake has a cold subarctic climate, bordering on a true tundra climate. Snow has occurred in all three summer months. During the construction of the Alaska Pipeline a weather station was operated at the construction site.<ref name="wrcc">{{cite web |title=GALBRAITH LAKE AP, ALASKA - Climate Summary |url=https://wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?ak3210 |website=wrcc.dri.edu |publisher=Western Regional Climate Center}}</ref> Because the weather station was operated for only a decade, the temperature record is irregular, with December the coldest month of the year, and record highs and lows less extreme than those of nearby locations. Likewise, the precipitation record is incomplete, with some months having less than ten years of record.
{{Weather box |location = Galbraith Lake |single line = Y | Jan high F = 2 | Feb high F = −4 | Mar high F = 3 | Apr high F = 19 | May high F = 42 | Jun high F = 56 | Jul high F = 61 | Aug high F = 59 | Sep high F = 40 | Oct high F = 16 | Nov high F = 10 | Dec high F = −5 | year high F = 25 | Jan low F = −18 | Feb low F = −25 | Mar low F = −21 | Apr low F = −6 | May low F = 19 | Jun low F = 36 | Jul low F = 40 | Aug low F = 37 | Sep low F = 20 | Oct low F = −3 | Nov low F = −11 | Dec low F = −24 | year low F = 4 | precipitation colour = green | Jan precipitation inch = 0.68 | Feb precipitation inch = 0.26 | Mar precipitation inch = 0.39 | Apr precipitation inch = 0.12 | May precipitation inch = 0.36 | Jun precipitation inch = 1.42 | Jul precipitation inch = 0.93 | Aug precipitation inch = 1.60 | Sep precipitation inch = 0.70 | Oct precipitation inch = 1.00 | Nov precipitation inch = 0.50 | Dec precipitation inch = 0.51 | year precipitation inch = 8.46 | Jan snow inch = 8.5 | Feb snow inch = 2.9 | Mar snow inch = 6.8 | Apr snow inch = 1.4 | May snow inch = 0 | Jun snow inch = 0.7 | Jul snow inch = 0.5 | Aug snow inch = trace | Sep snow inch = 4.6 | Oct snow inch = 9.2 | Nov snow inch = 6.6 | Dec snow inch = 5.0 | year snow inch = 46.1 |source 1 = <ref name="wrcc" /> |date=June 2018 }}
==Prior names== thumb|Aerial view of Galbraith Lake Camp, 1973 Alternate prior names for the lake were "Natravak Lake" and "Sagavanirktok Lake." "Natravak" is an Eskimo name for "big lake" and a common name in northern Alaska.<ref name="dict"/>
==References== {{reflist}}
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Category:Lakes of Alaska Category:Bodies of water of North Slope Borough, Alaska