Tag Archives: water sking

Hiking, Lakes in nevada county, Nevada County Information, Recreation

Camp Far West Reservoir

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Picture courtesy of Camp Far West Lake Campgrounds
Picture courtesy of Camp Far West Lake Campgrounds

Camp Far West Phone Number (530) 633-0803

Camp Far West Reservoir also called Camp Far West Lake, is located at the junction of Placer, Nevada and Yuba counties. Both Beale Air Force Base and the Spenceville Wildlife Area lay directly to the north of the lake. The lake’s location makes it easily accessible by coming from Nevada City, Grass Valley and Western Nevada County along with Sacramento, Roseville or the Yuba City/Marysville area.

Camp Far West’s 185 foot high earth and rock dam was completed in 1963 as part of the Central Valley Water Project impounding water from both the Bear River and Rock Creek. The dam was built for the purpose of flood control and irrigation, but has proven to be a boon for anglers and recreational boaters in the years since.

Camp Far West is situated at an elevation of 280 feet. It is a fairly large lake, impounding 104,500 acre feet of water when at full capacity with a surface area of 2,000 acres and 29 miles of shoreline. The lake got its name from a gold rush era immigrant camp that was located just downstream from the present day dam site. Since it was the last camp on the immigrant trail before the 49ers coming from the east reached the Sacramento Valley, it was dubbed, Camp Far West.

In the spring when the lake is full, the hills are green and the oak trees lining the shoreline are covered with budding leaves, the lake is quite beautiful. In the fall when the water level is drawn down 60 feet or more, the grass is parched and the leaves have fallen, the visual impact isn’t quite as awe inspiring, but the camping and recreation can be just as good as it is early in the year, plus crowds are typically very light during the fall.

Fishes in the lake include largemouth and smallmouth bass, black bass, crappie, catfish, brown trout and striped bass.

Availability: The North Shore is open year-around. The South Shore is open mid-May to September.

Camping and Lodging: Camping facilities and a store are available at the lake. There are 70 campsites on the North Shore and 8 RV hookups. There are 67 campsites on the South Shore and no RV hookups.

Boat Launching: The North Shore and South Shore each has a boat launch ramp and mini marts. The mini marts also include tackle and bait.

Activities: Swimming, boating, water skiing, jet skiing, hiking, biking, fishing and horseback riding

Reservations and Fees: Camp Far West Lake (916) 408-5037 or (530) 633-0803

Their Website: Camp Far West Lake


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Lakes in nevada county, Recreation

Collins Lake, Oregon House, California

Collins Lake Marina
Collins Lake Marina

Although Collins Lake Recreational Area is not in Nevada County, it is close enough to our area to be considered a great place to go fishing, boating or camping. Collins Lakes sits at an elevation of 1,200 with a surface area of over 1,000 acres with 12 miles of shoreline.

There are many activities at Collins Lake; which include:

Water skiing, tube or wakeboard are allowed. The water ski season begins May 1st and ends October 15th of each year. However, small, personal watercraft such as jet-skis and small personal watercraft are not permitted to operate on Collins Lake. Boat rentals are available. Of course, swimming is allowed, with the surface temperature of the clear water hovering around 75F to 78F degrees in the summer.

Camping facilities are available, along with cabins in addition to 150 campsites with hookups and 30 campsites without hookups.

Collins Lake Camp Site
Collins Lake Camp Site

The most noted feature of Collins Lake is its fishing. They are raising trophy rainbow trout in underwater net pens during the winter and releasing them in late spring. There are a total of 12 pens, each about the size of a bedroom (12’x 10’x 12′) which is located at the marina. These same trout are expected to triple in size to become 3 to 4 pound trophy-sized fish when released in spring time.

Not only that, they already have California’s largest trout stocking program north of Sacramento and have constructed net pens that will further increase this successful program. For every plant of rainbow trout normally received from Fish and Game, Collins Lake purchases 3 plants of larger trophy sized trout from private hatcheries. In 2007, there were a total of 28,000 pounds of trout planted. The average size of trophy trout planted each week during the spring was 2 to 6 pounds, with some whoppers topping 10 pounds! They are also famous for trophy trout and bass fishing.

For contact information and reservations call 800-286-0576 and locally 530-692-1600

Their website is at Collins Lake


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Entertainment, Hiking, Lakes in nevada county, Recreation

Lake Spaulding & High Sierra Lakes

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Lake Spaulding
Lake Spaulding

Nevada County has numerous lakes. Most of them are located in the high country between Nevada City and the City of Truckee. Some of these lakes are; Toll house Lake, French Lake, Lake Spaulding, Webber Lake, White Rock Lake and there are more! Many of the lakes were formed by ancient glaciers that are now long gone.

A few of the lakes provide hydroelectric power and is managed by Pacific Gas & Electric. Those owned by P.G.&E are used for hydroelectric power and the company provides camping grounds and picnic facilities. One of these is Lake Spaulding which sits at an elevation of 5,014 feet. It has a surface area of 698 acres surrounded by a high alpine forest. (Google Maps shows Lake Spaulding as Fordyce Creek)

The history of the lake is that it was built for hydraulic mining in 1912. Hydraulic mining generated millions of dollars in tax revenues but was an environmental disaster. Millions of tons of earth and water were delivered to mountain streams that fed rivers flowing into the Sacramento Valley. Once the rivers reached the relatively flat valley, the water slowed, the rivers widened, and the sediment was deposited in the floodplains and river beds causing them to rise, shift to new channels, and overflow their banks, causing major flooding, especially during the spring melt. The end came on January 7, 1884, Judge Lorenzo Sawyer ruled on the matter. – no more dumping of mining debris where it could reach farmlands or navigable rivers.

Lake Spaulding has 25 developed camp sites for tents and RV’s. Boating is allowed, including power, row boats, jet ski, windsurf, canoe, sail, water-ski and inflatable’s. However, check with P.G. & E. before you go up there, since rules and regulations change from time to time. This is also an area for fishing which include brown and rainbow trout. There is also swimming, picnicking, hiking and backpacking.

For reservations and further information, contact P.G.& E. Regional Land Department (916) 386-5164

Let me know if you can add to the above information, use the contact form and I’ll contact you.


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Hiking, History, Lakes in nevada county, Recreation

Lake Englebright in Nevada-Yuba County

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lake-englebright2

Englebright Lake offers a great deal of recreation including boating, camping and fishing. It’s located in Nevada-Yuba Counties, California. The lake was named after Harry Lane Englebright (January 2, 1884-May 13, 1943) who was a politician that served in the United States House of Representatives. He was a House minority whip between 1933 and 1943.  He was a mining engineer prior to entering politics in 1926 and was reelected every two years for the rest of his life.

Englebright Dam is a concrete arch structure and was constructed for the storage of hydraulic gold mining debris. The dam spans 1,142 feet across and is 260 feet high. The dam is in the steep Yuba River gorge known as the Narrows, holding back a 9 mile long lake with a surface area of 815 acres. It has 24 miles of shoreline and is at an elevation of 527 feet.

The shoreline is rocky and steep, with some areas of sandy beaches with pines and oaks.

lake-englebright1

Operating Hours:

Office hours are Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. The park is open all year.

Camping:

Camping at Englebright Lake is unique as all campsites are boat-in only and located along the lake’s 24 miles of shoreline. Each campsite consists of a table, fire grill, lantern hanger and level spot for tents. Portable restrooms are centrally located in all campgrounds. Drinking water is available near each launch ramp.

Group Camping: (reservations required)

Point Defiance Recreation Area features a group campground that is available by reservation only. To help protect our natural resources, groups are limited to 50 people. Call the park office for reservations.

Boating:

The lake provides plenty of space for the boating enthusiast, water skier or angler. Boats can be launched from one of two boat ramps located near the park’s entrance. Due to narrow canyons and sharp bends, the upper 4 miles of the lake are not suitable for waterskiing and/or towing any type of inflatable device. Therefore, these activities are restricted to the lower five miles of the lake. A counter-clockwise direction of travel is strictly enforced for the safety of park visitors. Types of boating allowed, power, row, Jet Ski, windsurf, canoe, sail, water ski, house, and inflatable’s are allowed. There is a full service marina with launch ramps. Rentals: fishing, canoe, water ski boats, houseboats & patio boats. There are also docks, berths, moorings and gas.

Fishing:

To the expert or beginning angler, Englebright means fish. Game fish such as rainbow and brown trout, large and smallmouth bass and Kokanee salmon abound in the lake’s clear, cool water. Catfish and sunfish can also be caught. Fish may be taken from the shore or boat by bottom fishing or trolling with bright, flashy lures.

Day Use:

Picnic facilities are available at the Narrows Recreation Area. Each site has a picnic table, barbeque grill and lawn area. Enjoy a short scenic hike to the dam overlook area or along the less strenuous fishing access trail.

Ranger Programs:Group tours and ranger programs can be scheduled by calling 530-432-6427.
Boat-in Camping: (first-come first-served basis)

 

Contacts:
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
P.O. Box 6
Smartville, CA 95977-0006
(530) 432-6427 or fax (530) 432-6418
Email: englebright-info@usace.army.mil

Skippers Cove Marina  (530) 432-6302 offers boat  rentals, mooring, gas, sewage pumping and store facilities.

Additional information on the amount of settlement from the gold mining days and run off are available by a recent study made by the USGS at
Bathymetric and geophysical surveys of Englebright Lake

Lakes in nevada county, Recreation

Scotts Flat Lake, Nevada City, CA

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Scotts Flat Lake picture from my deck March 21, 2009
Scotts Flat Lake picture from my deck March 21, 2009

My house overlooks Scotts Flat Lake and as you can see in the picture above, I get a really beautiful view of the lake . It’s a wonderful experience living above such a body of water, which is constantly changing appearance, either due to wind or other forces of nature. At times I can look out and see fog completely covering the lake, at other times; wind plays with the water and makes designs that are captivating to the eye and imagination. The lake is large enough for fairly large sail boats (my daughter had a 25 foot long sail boat that she sailed on the lake and there are  larger sail boats that use the lake), along with ski boats, canoes and small boats for fishing.

Scotts Flat Lake is at 3,100 feet in elevation and has a surface area of 850 acres with 7.5 miles of shoreline lined with a forest of pine trees. There are two launch ramps, a marina, campsites, a picnic area, sandy beaches and a general store. (My house is at 3,700 foot elevation.)

Looking at far side of Scotts Flat Lake, boat ramp and camp ground area. Notice the wind patterns
Looking at far side of Scotts Flat Lake, boat ramp and camp ground area. Notice the wind patterns

The fish in the lake are German Brown Trout, Massachusetts Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, Kokanee, Large Mouth Bass, Small Mouth Bass, Bullhead Catfish and Channel Catfish. There are sites that are available for camping at Gate 1 with nightly single sites, and (1) one hundred person group site, Gate 2 has seventy five single sites and three group sites, one hosts twenty, one hosts thirty and  the third one hosts forty people.

Showers and flush toilets are available, along with multiple RV sites, but no RV hookupsare available. However, they do have dumping facilities for RV’s. You can bring pets, however they must be leashed at all times and they are not allowed along the beach or swim areas.

Below Scotts Flat Lake is Lower Scotts Flat, also called Deer Creek Reservoir which is much smaller than the upper lake. The only water craft I’ve seen here are mainly canoes and a few small boats for fishing.

For more information and to make reservations for camping follow this link Scotts Flat Lake Reservations

For a map of the lake follow this link Map of Scotts Flat Lake