Editor’s Note: This week, Currents looks at some of the places in PG&E’s service area where camping, fishing, hiking and other outdoor activities can be enjoyed – public recreational facilities that are just some of the benefits of PG&E’s hydroelectric generation system and other operations
PLUMAS COUNTY – Owned by PG&E and used for hydroelectric power production, Lake Almanor is a popular destination for boating, fishing and camping. The reservoir has many resort communities along its shores, providing spaces for recreational vehicles as well as camping cabins.
Watersports are one of the popular activities on Lake Almanor. (Photo by stbernardlodge.com.)
PG&E provides facilities for public use such as boat ramps, shorelines, picnic areas and campgrounds for tent camping.
With 52 miles of shoreline, it is PG&E’s largest lake. It is 13 miles long and six miles wide.
Lake Almanor’s present dam was built in 1926 and 1927 along the North Fork of the Feather River in Plumas County. With a maximum depth of 90 feet, the lake holds 1.3 million acre feet of water and when full, is at an elevation of 4,506 feet. The Lake Almanor Basin is where the granite slopes of the Sierra Nevada meet the volcanic rock of the Cascade mountain range.
The Rocky Point Campground on the west side of Lake Almanor has 131 individual and two group campsites. That location has access to fishing, swimming and a nearby boat launch. Call 916-386-5164 for more information.
Built by Great Western Power, and later acquired by PG&E, Lake Almanor was named for the daughters of a Great Western executive: Alice, Martha and Eleanor.
More facilties are available at the nearby Butt Valley Reservoir. Also nearby are the Lassen National Forest and the Caribou Wilderness. Each offers dozen of campgrounds.
Lake Almanor is about 75 miles from Red Bluff and 70 miles from Chico.
Tomorrow: Stunning views from trails near Diablo Canyon Power Plant.
