Foxes Tarn is one of the smallest named tarns in the

Lake District The Lake District, also known as ''the Lakes'' or ''Lakeland'', is a mountainous region and National parks of the United Kingdom, national park in Cumbria, North West England. It is famous for its landscape, including its lakes, coast, and mou ...

of England,The Tarns of Lakeland, Volume 1: West, John Nuttall & Anne Nuttall, p98, Cicerone, 1995 situated slightly to the east of the summit of

Sca Fell Scafell ( or ; also spelled Sca Fell, previously Scawfell) is a mountain in the Lake District region of Cumbria, England. It has a height of , making it the second-highest mountain in England after its neighbour, Scafell Pike, from which it ...

. Foxes Tarn is also one of the highest named tarns in the Lake District, with either it or the nearby Broadcrag Tarn being the higher. Harry Griffin writing in The Guardian gives the height of Broadcrag Tarn as Country diary - The Lake District - A Harry Griffin
/ref> (N.B. this does not agree well with the latest OS maps). The Nuttall's guide puts Broadcrag Tarn as slightly higher, based on looking at large-scale maps. A higher unnamed tarn on Long Top, the highest of the

Crinkle Crags Crinkle Crags is a fell in the English Lake District in the county of Cumbria. It forms part of two major rings of mountains, surrounding the valleys of Great Langdale and Upper Eskdale. The name reflects the fell's physical appearance a ...

, has an altitude of . The tarn varies in sizeLake District Directory from walkthefells.net - Foxes Tarn
/ref> and has very little outflow, but what little there is descends to How Beck and the River Esk. Foxes Tarn is well known to fell-walkers due to its location on one of the standard routes between

Scafell Pike Scafell Pike () is a mountain in the Lake District region of Cumbria, England. It has an elevation of above sea level, making it the highest and the most prominent mountain in England. The mountain is part of the Scafell massif, an extinct v ...

and

Scafell Scafell ( or ; also spelled Sca Fell, previously Scawfell) is a mountain in the Lake District region of Cumbria, England. It has a height of , making it the second-highest mountain in England after its neighbour, Scafell Pike, from which i ...

, the two highest mountains in England. The direct ridge route crosses Broad Stand, which can only be negotiated safely by rock-climbers. Two main alternatives exist for walkers, one being via Lord's Rake, and the other involving a descent to Foxes Tarn before a re-ascent. The tarn is at a significantly lower elevation than Mickledore, the col between the mountains, so while the Foxes Tarn route is easier, it also requires more re-ascent.

References

{{authority control Lakes of the Lake District Cumberland (unitary authority)