In June I took some time to visit a new area of the Sierra Nevada mountains called the the Lakes Basin Recreation Area which contains 20+ small lakes and numerous campgrounds and lodges (some with small resorts). In case you missed it, I posted separately about Sardine Lake, Gold Lake and the Sierra Buttes.

Inspiration: I first heard about this amazing area in the book “52 Weekend Adventures in Northern California” by Tom Stienstra. This book is a treasure for adventure ideas and I highly recommend picking up a copy for yourself.

Below are my notes from my visit to the region …

New Bullards Bar Reservoir is an interestingly-shaped reservoir with a cool-looking curved dam which is 645 feet tall (second tallest in California and fifth tallest in the nation). If you don’t want to rent a houseboat on the reservoir, then the Schoolhouse Campground (managed by the Forest Service) nearby looks like a great option. From there you can bring your boat (motorized or not), canoe, kayak etc. to the reservoir. Sadly, swimming is not permitted in the reservoir and the steep sides of rock surrounding the water make accessing the water difficult anyway.

Lake Francis Resort seems like a good place to stop as you make your way into the area but before you start to rise into the mountains. I saw a sign for ice cream, coffee and more while I was driving and yet I didn’t stop by … maybe next time.

Downieville and the surrounding area (particularly along CA highway 49 east of the city) has a lot of cabins and little resorts – many of them with river access (North Yuba River).

I walked through Wild Plum Campground a bit and it seems like a pretty and serene family camping option. Reservations can be made through the Forest Service. There is a creek running through the campgrounds and I saw a trail marked to go to a local water hole. The water was definitely cold but not freezing.

If Sardine Campground is full, the closest alternative is Salmon Creek Campground which is just on the other side of – you guessed it – Salmon Creek. The sites closer to the Gold Lake Highway seemed a little sloped. A few of the camp sites seemed to have a unique narrow and long shape, which means the table and the tent camp site might be 100 yards or more from where the car is parked. A few of the sites were very close to the creek – which could be peaceful-sounding or might present a challenge if you have small kids.

If you would like to have a small lake all to yourself then you have options! At least when I was there in early June, there were only maybe one or two camp sites in use among these three small lakes – Haven Lake, Goose Lake and Snag Lake. These campgrounds have fewer amenities, i.e. no running water, no easy access to the lake (such as a dock or beach area) and reaching your site may require AWD/4WD and careful slow driving to negotiate the rocks, trees and grooves in the dirt “roads”. Speaking of driving, these campgrounds and lakes are smaller and thus relatively easy to miss if you are driving fast along the highway.

If camping is not your thing, there are quite a few lodges and resorts particularly at the northeast end of the Gold Lake Highway in and around Graeagle, Portola and the neighboring communities. I stopped in the town of Portola for dinner at a lovely Mexican restaurant – Rico’s. Naturally I had to try the Chile Relleno which was featured on the front of the menu. Mountainous Mexican yumminess!

I also made a quick visit to Lake Davis and stopped at Mallard Cove. There was nobody around on a Tuesday afternoon except for some some chipmunks, some geese and surprisingly a few white pelicans. The lake is a little cloudy due to the sediment that comes along with the water – sort of like Shaver Lake. I didn’t go in the water but it appeared to have a muddy / silty bottom rather than a rocky one that is common with mountain lakes. There are a few spots where you could launch a kayak or small boat or wade into the water. Supposedly Coot Bay has a spot which is better for families and water play, but I didn’t have time to check it out and I went instead to find my nearby camping spot for the night (booked on Hipcamp) and secure my food away from the local bears.

There were numerous other options for places to stay in the area – hotels, lodges, resorts and many campgrounds. The area is truly rich in fresh air, water, trees, rocks and lodging options!