Grass LakeEldorado National Forest's Grass Lake photographed by Glenn Franco Simmons. Grass Lake photos by Glenn Franco Simmons. The area is a lake in winter, when it isn't snowed in. Even in late summer, there are still areas with water, when it becomes a wetland. This area was almost destroyed by a fire in 2021, which was caused by the federal and California state governments ignoring a lightning strike in a remote area that they called a "good fire" that then exploded and caused so much damage, the area will not recover for hundreds of years; a federal government control burn; and a third that was caused by humans on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada. There also have been other fires close by in past years. How long this area will last in its beautiful, near-pristine state is anyone's guess. I'm fortunate I got it photographed. The last fire burned within minutes of this location on north, south, east and west.