[9] The Germansen River is part of the Rocky Mountain Trench, where glacial and alluvial deposits make up riverbeds.

Multiple till units in this river suggest that several oscillations of the ice front occurred in this region during the advance phase of the LGP.

[10] Some of the low lying benches and bars possess no overlaying boulder clay, whereas other bedrock benches are overlain with up to 3 metres (10 ft) of auriferous glacial gravels, topped by up to 23 metres (75 ft) of boulder clay.

The 3-kilometre (2 mi) southeasterly section downriver from the lake outlet is a wide valley in the mature stage of the cycle of erosion.

[8] In 1934, a dirt road was built northward from Fort St. James, which divided nearby into northwestward to the canyon area and southeastward to Manson Creek.

The shore length is 43 kilometres (27 mi), the surface area is about 1,800 hectares (4,400 acres),[21][22] and the elevation is 957 metres (3,140 ft) above sea level.

[25] Four camping areas are found along the lakeshore, and Rainbow Cove (on the east side of the narrows) has a combination of open field sites and a few semi-private ones.

[34] Another account mentions the source as 3 kilometres (2 mi) downstream from the lake, then along flumes over the South Germansen, before entering a ditch line excavated in 1901.

[35] Downstream and on Plughat Creek, Germansen Ventures, which operated 1937–1942, obtained water from the lake, 24 kilometres (15 mi) away.

Prior to 1950, the estimated gold production for the entire Germansen River system totalled 515,851 to 750,776 grams (18,196 to 26,483 oz).

The 12–20 wooden cabins rested on the lower steep sides of the valley, which had been denuded by clearing, burning, and/or flushing.

[14] Geological mapping was conducted on this river by Taiga Consultants in 1980 and Anaconda Canada Exploration in 1982.