Folsom Lake
Folsom Lake sits on the American River in the Sierra Nevada foothills northeast of Sacramento. The reservoir and its shoreline…
Reservoir
State
Lake beaches and swimming lakes in California
California swimming splits between the Sierra Nevada and the Central Valley foothills. Lake Tahoe sits at about 6,225 feet and holds roughly 122 million acre-feet, so it stays cold through early summer. Folsom Lake, at the western edge of the foothills on the American River, warms faster and sits inside one of the busiest units of the California state park system. The California Data Exchange Center publishes daily reservoir elevation and storage for both the big foothill reservoirs, which is what our level pages use.
32Lakes
52Swimming spots
Lakes in California on the map
Click a marker to open the lake page.
Lakes in California
Each page has the live water level, weather, access points and sources.
Shasta Lake
Shasta Lake is a 30,000-acre reservoir on the Sacramento River in California. It lies in Shasta County. It is managed by USFS…
Reservoir
Lake Berryessa
Fed by the Putah Creek, Lake Berryessa holds roughly 19,250 acres of water in California. The lake is in Napa County. It is…
Reservoir
Lake Oroville
Lake Oroville is a 2,520-acre reservoir on the Feather River in California. The lake is in Butte County. It is managed by…
Reservoir
Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe straddles the California and Nevada state line in the Sierra Nevada at about 6,225 feet. It reaches 1,645 feet deep…
Natural lake24 beaches
Big Bear Lake
Big Bear Lake is a reservoir of some 2,971 acres on the outflow =, in California. It lies in San Bernardino County. BBMWD manages…
Reservoir1 beach
Bass Lake
Bass Lake is a 1,166-acre reservoir on the Willow Creek in California. Its shoreline falls inside Madera County. Madera County…
Reservoir
Lake Nacimiento
Fed by the Nacimiento River, Lake Nacimiento holds roughly 5,400 acres of water in California. The lake is in San Luis Obispo…
Reservoir
New Melones Lake
Fed by the Stanislaus River, New Melones Lake holds roughly 12,500 acres of water in California. You will find it in Calaveras…
Reservoir
Millerton Lake
Millerton Lake is a 4,900-acre reservoir on the Friant-Kern Canal Madera Canal San Joaquin River in California. You will find it…
Reservoir
Lake Casitas
Lake Casitas covers about 1,100 acres of the Coyote Creek in California. Its shoreline falls inside Ventura County. It is managed…
Reservoir2 beaches
Lake Isabella
Lake Isabella is a 1,111,974-acre reservoir on the Kern River in California. Its shoreline falls inside Kern County. Management…
Reservoir1 beach
Lake Almanor
Lake Almanor is a 28,170-acre reservoir on the North Fork of the Feather River in California. It lies in Plumas County. It is…
Reservoir2 beaches
Lopez Lake
Lopez Lake is a 974-acre reservoir on the Arroyo Grande Creek in California. Its shoreline falls inside San Luis Obispo County.…
Reservoir
Lake Cachuma
Lake Cachuma covers about 3,100 acres of the Santa Ynez River in California. It lies in Santa Barbara County. Management is in…
Reservoir3 beaches
Lake Perris
Lake Perris is a 2,200-acre reservoir on the outflow = in California. The lake is in Riverside County. It is managed by…
Reservoir3 beaches
Pyramid Lake
Fed by the Truckee River, Pyramid Lake holds roughly 120,340 acres of water in Nevada. Its shoreline falls inside Washoe County.…
Reservoir3 beaches
Castaic Lake
Castaic Lake is a 2,235-acre reservoir on the Castaic Creek in California. You will find it in Los Angeles County. Management is…
Reservoir
Huntington Lake
Huntington Lake covers about 1,441 acres of the Big Creek in California. You will find it in Fresno County. USFS Sierra NF / SCE…
Reservoir2 beaches
Salton Sea
Salton Sea covers about 219,430 acres of the evaporation in California. It lies in Imperial County. Management is in the hands of…
Natural lake6 beaches
Lake Tulloch
Lake Tulloch is a 1,260-acre reservoir in California. You will find it in Calaveras County. Tri-Dam Project manages it. The gauge…
Reservoir
Trinity Lake
Fed by the Trinity River, Trinity Lake holds roughly 16,400 acres of water in California. You will find it in Trinity County. It…
Reservoir2 beaches
Silverwood Lake
Fed by the West Fork Mojave River, Silverwood Lake holds roughly 976 acres of water in California. It lies in San Bernardino…
Reservoir
Loon Lake
Loon Lake is a 1,100-acre reservoir in California. The lake is in El Dorado County. Management is in the hands of Sacramento…
Reservoir
Whiskeytown Lake
Whiskeytown Lake is a 3,458-acre reservoir on the Clear Creek in California. You will find it in Shasta County. It is managed by…
Reservoir1 beach
Lake Natoma
Fed by the American River, Lake Natoma holds roughly 500 acres of water in California. It lies in Sacramento County. Management…
Reservoir
San Luis Reservoir
San Luis Reservoir is a reservoir of some 12,700 acres on the California Aqueduct, in California. It lies in Merced County. It is…
Reservoir2 beaches
Don Pedro Reservoir
Don Pedro Reservoir is a 13,000-acre reservoir on the Tuolumne River in California. You will find it in Tuolumne County. It is…
Reservoir
Lake Sonoma
Fed by the Dry Creek, Lake Sonoma holds roughly 2,700 acres of water in California. Its shoreline falls inside Sonoma County. It…
Reservoir
Frenchman Lake
Fed by the Little Last Chance Creek, Frenchman Lake holds roughly 1,580 acres of water in California. It lies in Plumas County.…
Reservoir
Donner Lake
Donner Lake is a reservoir of some 840 acres on the Donner Creek to Truckee River, in California. It lies in Nevada County.…
Reservoir
Pine Flat Lake
Pine Flat Lake is a 5,970-acre reservoir on the Kings River in California. Its shoreline falls inside Fresno County. Management…
Reservoir
Current lake levels in California
Reservoir levels in California are managed for water supply and flood control, so they follow a yearly curve rather than a fixed line. Folsom Lake usually peaks in late spring and draws down through the dry season. Check the elevation before planning a trip around a specific ramp or beach.
| Lake | Level | Full pool | How full |
|---|---|---|---|
| Folsom Lake | 409.86 ft | — | no percent published |
| Shasta Lake | 987.69 ft | — | no percent published |
| Lake Berryessa | 430.38 ft | — | no percent published |
| Lake Oroville | 778.09 ft | — | no percent published |
| Lake Tahoe | — | — | no percent published |
| Big Bear Lake | — | — | no percent published |
| Bass Lake | — | — | no percent published |
| Lake Nacimiento | 748.53 ft | — | no percent published |
| New Melones Lake | 1,008.90 ft | — | no percent published |
| Millerton Lake | 505.83 ft | — | no percent published |
| Lake Casitas | — | — | no percent published |
| Lake Isabella | — | — | no percent published |
| Lake Almanor | — | — | no percent published |
| Lopez Lake | — | — | no percent published |
| Lake Cachuma | — | — | no percent published |
| Lake Perris | — | — | no percent published |
| Pyramid Lake | 3,802.04 ft | — | no percent published |
| Castaic Lake | 1,505.80 ft | — | no percent published |
| Huntington Lake | — | — | no percent published |
| Salton Sea | — | — | no percent published |
| Lake Tulloch | 507.45 ft | — | no percent published |
| Trinity Lake | 2,322.65 ft | — | no percent published |
| Silverwood Lake | — | — | no percent published |
| Loon Lake | — | — | no percent published |
| Whiskeytown Lake | — | — | no percent published |
| Lake Natoma | — | — | no percent published |
| San Luis Reservoir | — | — | no percent published |
| Don Pedro Reservoir | 792.52 ft | — | no percent published |
| Lake Sonoma | 448.28 ft | — | no percent published |
| Frenchman Lake | — | — | no percent published |
| Donner Lake | 5,933.44 ft | — | no percent published |
| Pine Flat Lake | — | — | no percent published |
Cities in California
Lakes and swimming spots near the main towns.
Anaheim Riverside San Bernardino Modesto Fontana Moreno Valley Ontario Rancho Cucamonga