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10 Best Lakes California

California’s nature has so much to offer, from the sun-baked deserts in the south to the snowy and rugged Sierra Nevada Mountains in the north.

The lakes in California are beautiful and sparkle with scenic natural attractions as well as numerous recreational opportunities like swimming, boating, fishing, and kayaking. Below are the 10 best lakes in California;

1. Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe – Flickr

Lake Tahoe meaning “the lake” is a freshwater lake that was formed about two million years ago as part of the Lake Tahoe Basin, and its modern extent was shaped during the ice ages. It straddles the state line between California and Nevada, west of Carson City.

It is the largest alpine lake in North America with a surface area of over 191 square metres, it is one of the highest elevation lakes in the USA at a height of 625 ft, and with a depth of 1,645 ft (501 m), making it the second-deepest lake in the United States after Crater Lake in Oregon (1,949 ft or 594 m).

The lake provides great photo opportunities with its dazzling blue water, framed by forested pine mountains and the cobalt sky. Lake Tahoe is also home to winter sports, summer outdoor recreation, and scenery enjoyed throughout the year.

2. Mono Lake

Mono Lake – Flickr

Mono Lake is a saline soda lake formed at least 760,000 years ago as a terminal lake in an endorheic basin. This 18,000-hectare lake is located between Yosemite National Park and the Nevada border. The lack of an outlet causes high levels of salts to accumulate in the lake, which make its water alkaline. This makes Mono Lake extremely unique, as it contains three times as much salt as the ocean.

Mono Lake features distinctive ancient tufa towers sprouting from the water. These unique geological formations are created when freshwater springs shoot up through the alkaline lake and cause sediments to combine. It is such a stunning view that it has been shot in such films as ‘Fair Wind to Java’ (1953) and Clint Eastwood’s ‘High Plains Drifter’ (1973). It was also used for the album cover of Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here.

The aquatic wildlife is unique in the lake, with brine shrimp thriving on the native green algae and abundance of Alkali flies. The rich brine shrimp at Mono Lake attracts numerous migratory birds to the area, which also makes Mono Lake a premiere destination for bird-watching

3. Lake Havasu

Lake Havasu – Flickr

Lake Havasu is a large reservoir formed by Parker Dam on the Colorado River in 1938, on the border between San Bernardino County, California and Mohave County, Arizona. It is a 72 km long reservoir with a capacity of 619,400 acre-feet (764,000,000 m3) that boasts 724kms of shoreline.

Surrounded by the desert landscapes of a beautiful mixture of palm trees, barren mountains, and shimmering water under the uniquely blue California sky is nothing short of mesmerizing. The lake has ideal fishing conditions almost all year round. In fact, it hosts numerous large fishing tournaments. The fish species present are bass, carp, catfish and sunfish.

The lake was named (in 1939) after the Mojave word for blue.

4. Big Bear Lake

Big Bear Lake – Flickr

Big Bear Lake is a man-made reservoir In the San Bernardino National Forest, between Los Angeles, Barstow and Twentynine Palms. Due to its elevation at an altitude of 2060 meters in the San Bernardino Mountains, it sports a pleasant climate and gets a fair amount of snow each year.

Surrounded by Ponderosa pine forests at an elevation of over 6,700 feet, the shimmering lake does not only provide an impressive sight in winter, but it also has an enormous range of activities like swimming on one of the numerous public beaches lining the shore, hundreds of miles of hiking trails surround Big Bear Lake, paddleboarding, kayaking, fishing or waterskiing.

5. Mammoth Lakes Basin

Mammoth Lakes – Flickr

The Mammoth Lakes basin is a large circular basin that was created by the grinding movement of glacial ice and rocks entrained within the ice. The lakes in the lower basin and most popular are Lake Mary, Lake George, Mamie, Horseshoe and Twin Lakes. The lakes in the upper basin, include Duck Lake, Shelton Lakes, and Deer Lakes, all depressions in the underlying bedrock from metamorphosed sedimentary rocks that were scooped out by glaciers.

The Mammoth Lakes Basin is an outdoor enthusiast’s oasis of towering pine forests, clear blue lakes and cascading mountain streams. Serene alpine lakes nestle within picturesque mountains rising so rapidly that they appear to kiss the sky. In the spring and summer, wildflowers splash vivid colors against the surrounding rock walls in a truly breathtaking display.

6. Silverwood Lake

Silverwood Lake – Flickr

Silverwood Lake is a large reservoir in San Bernardino County, California created in 1971 as part of the State Water Project by the construction of the Cedar Springs Dam as a forebay on the 444 mi (715 km) long California Aqueduct.

At an elevation of 3,355 ft (1,023 m), Silverwood Lake is the highest reservoir in the State Water Project, has a surface area of 976 acres and has 13 miles of shoreline.

The lake offers multiple recreational opportunities with four campgrounds, two swim beaches, several picnic areas, and a marina where visitors can either rent a boat or launch their own.

7. Lake Berryessa

Lake Berryessa – Flickr

Lake Berryessa is a reservoir in the Vaca Mountains that was formed following the construction of the Monticello Dam on Putah Creek in the 1950s. It is the largest lake in Napa County, California over 20,000 acres (80 km²) when full, approximately 25 km (15.5 miles) long and 5 km (3 miles) wide. It has approximately 265 km (165 miles) of shoreline.

On the southeast side of the reservoir is the Morning Glory Spillway measuring 72 feet (22 m) in diameter. This unique water management system acts like a massive drain plug and creates a whirlpool in the middle of the water when the reservoir is getting too high.

The reservoir was named after the first European settlers in the Berryessa Valley, José Jesús and Sexto “Sisto” Berrelleza (a Basque surname, Anglicized to “Berreyesa”, then later respelled “Berryessa”), who were granted Rancho Las Putas in 1843.

8. Lake Almanor

Lake Almanor – Flickr

Lake Almanor is a large man-made reservoir in northwestern Plumas County, northeastern California formed by Canyon Dam on the North Fork of the Feather River, as well as Benner and Last Chance Creeks, Hamilton Branch, and various natural springs.

The lake has a capacity of 1,308,000 acre-feet (1.613×109 m3), is at an elevation of 4505 feet above sea level 43.75 square miles and 90 feet deep. Lake Almanor was named for the three daughters of Guy C. Earl, Vice President of Great Western Power: Alice, Martha and Eleanor

The lake is a popular recreation area, with fishing, boating, water-skiing, swimming and camping available.

9. Folsom Lake

Folsom Lake – Flickr

Folsom Lake is a reservoir on the American River in the Sierra Nevada foothills of California, located within Placer, El Dorado, and Sacramento Counties. The lake surface area is 11,500 acres (4,700 ha), its elevation is 466 ft (142 m), and it has 75 mi (121 km) of undulated shoreline.

The Lake is an oasis for outdoor activity and exploration offering a wide range of activities such as fishing, boating, water-skiing, swimming and camping.

10. Convict Lake

Convict Lake – Flickr

Convict Lake was originally carved out by glaciers. It is situated in the Sherwin Range of the Sierra Nevada mountains in Mono County, California. The lake is approximately 7,850 feet (2,390 m) above sea level, with its greatest depths approximately 140 feet (43 m) deep in various places.

Originally known to the Paiute as Wit-sa-nap, it was renamed by settlers after an incident on September 23, 1871, in which a group of convicts escaped from prison in Carson City, Nevada, and took refuge near the lake.

The lake is oblong and famous for its turquoise-blue water, surrounded by jagged Mt. Morrison and rust-colored band of metamorphic rock at the base of Laurel Mountain.