Nestled In The Northern Sierra Nevada Is California's Overlooked Mountain Lake For Peaceful Paddling

You can beat the summer crowds of Tahoe by heading instead to Lassen County, California, which is home to numerous stunning alpine lakes. You can visit the local recreational playground of Lake Almanor, but there's another lake nearby that is such a gem that Hipcamp calls it "an essential stop when passing through either Lassen or the nearby Plumas National Forest." This hidden paddler's paradise is owned by the Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) and officially known as Mountain Meadows Reservoir, but many locals still call it Walker Lake after the family that previously owned the land. 

Just 27 miles from the charming and friendly mountain town of Susanville to the east, and 13 miles from Lake Almanor to the west, Mountain Meadows Reservoir is a skinny, crescent-shaped body of water about 7 miles long and 1 mile wide at its widest point, with plenty of room to seek out solitude. The lake sits at an elevation of 5,000 feet (around 500 feet higher than Lake Almanor). This means that when summer temperatures in Sacramento Valley cities like Chico (just 80 miles away) are nearing triple digits, the average here remains comfortably in the 70s. You will need to take some dirt roads to get here, because the lake is truly secluded. Best of all, lake access is free of charge.

In 2018, the reservoir became a conservation area managed for PG&E by the Feather River Land Trust, with a renewed focus on both habitat restoration and outdoor recreation. Hiking, biking, birding, and fishing are among the other summer activities here, although paddling is the standout. In winter, the shallow lake freezes over, and the fire road trails can be used for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

The Northern Sierra Nevada's Mountain Meadows Reservoir is an emerald-green beauty that is unspoiled, yet easy for paddlers to access. The main launch ramp is located beside Indian Ole Dam, just outside the little town of Westwood. The reservoir is a shallow, marshy lake, no deeper than 16 feet, making it perfect for non-motorized craft like canoes, kayaks, and stand-up paddleboards. The same conditions that make the reservoir perfect for paddle craft make it less attractive to speed demons. You'll see small fishing boats with near-silent trolling motors, but few noisy speedboats will disrupt your paddle-powered bliss here.

The reservoir's marshland ecology suffered during California's worst drought years, even running completely dry in 2015. However, since coming under the management of the Feather River Land Trust via a conservation easement in 2018, the ecosystem has flourished. Just launch a canoe or kayak for some peaceful relaxation in pristine marshlands teeming with wildlife and birdsong.

On the water, you'll paddle along coves and bays where you may spot numerous species of birds and fish. You can explore different parts of the lake's shoreline, from deeply forested shady zones to meadows with sweeping views. Numerous small islands invite exploration. One reviewer on Paddling.com notes the "scenic backdrop of mountains and meadows," along with "wildlife and good fishing." 

The Mountain Meadows Gateway Preserve, which is within walking distance of the small town of Westwood, offers pedestrian lake access, and it's a lovely place for a picnic, a stroll, and some first-rate bird watching. The reservoir is located along the Pacific Flyway, the route used by hundreds of millions of migratory birds each year. Birders come here to look for cranes, terns, ospreys, bald eagles, and pelicans. The shallow lake is also popular for fishing, which you can do from the bank or from a kayak. "I practically live at this lake," writes one local reviewer on the fishing review site Fishbrain. They add, "The bass are suckers for most anything you throw."

For hiking and biking, a 23.6-mile forest road (per AllTrails) encircles the lake, with plenty of quiet solitude. "A beautiful and peacefull [sic] area," writes one Google reviewer, noting that it's good for activities ranging from "soul searching to star gazing."

One thing you cannot do here is set up camp. There is no camping at Mountain Meadows Reservoir, but Lake Almanor's North Shore Campground is just 11.5 miles down the road from the kayak launch. If you're flying in, you're about 2.5 hours from Reno-Tahoe International Airport in Nevada. You could even make your stop at Mountain Meadows Reservoir a day trip on your way to the underrated Lassen Volcanic National Park, just 43 miles northwest.