Save
You must be signed in to save park lists.
Your Park Lists
add New List
Add Photo
You must be signed in to add photos.
state route ranger badge
California
60

California State Parks

responsive menu icon
USA Parks
California
Northern California Region
Clear Lake State Park
Clear Lake State Park © Gary OToole
Clear Lake State Park Lakeside Premium Campsite © Mary Wilson
Be prepared for blue green algae bloom in July/August. It is a natural occurrence every summer when weather is warm. The smell is very bad
Search
Availability
Calendars
Availability Search
CLEAR LAKE STATE PARK
CLEAR LAKE STATE PARK
5300 Soda Bay Road
Kelseyville, California   95451

Phone: 707-279-4293
Reservations: 707-279-4293
Clear Lake State Park is on the shores of California?s largest freshwater lake. The area is popular for all kinds of water recreation, including swimming, fishing, boating and water-skiing.

Anglers can catch large mouth bass, crappie, bluegill and channel catfish. The park is the nesting place for waterfowl.

Hikers enjoy the Indian Nature Trail, a self-guided trail that shows how the Pomo people, who lived in the area for centuries, utilized the area?s resources. The trail passes through the site of what was once a Pomo village.

The park visitor center features displays about the area?s natural and cultural history.

California State Parks is excited about the soon-to-be-installed rustic cabins. To plan your trip if you want to stay in one of them, we recommend you call Clear Lake SP directly.

History of the Area
Several thousand years ago, a landslide blocked natural drainage from a valley into the Russian River. The water rose until it found an outlet through Cache Creek into the Sacramento River to form Clear Lake, the largest natural lake entirely within California. Most of the water comes from runoff. Some comes from springs in Soda Bay.
FACILITIES AND ACTIVITIES OVERVIEW
Day-UseFishingyes
 Hiking Trailyes
 Swimming Beachyes
BoatingLaunch Rampsyes
CampingPrimitiveyes
Nearby Accommodations
businesss listing main photo
Backyard Garden Oasis BB - Middletown, CA
BBs / Inns
Close to Calistoga, Napa Valley and Lake County Vineyards, and Harbin Hot Springs in the Mayacama Mountains, and 2 hrs away from San Francisco or Sacramento. Backyard Garden Oasis is an exquisite respite for those wanting a nature-filled retreat surrounded by some of Californias most beautiful country.
18.1 miles from park*
Fishing
The bass fishing is so good that the professional bass fishing organizations, such as U.S. Bass, Cal Bass, Western Bass, have designated Clear Lake as the number one bass lake in the nation, based on numbers of fish caught. There are also catfish, blackfish, Sacramento perch, hitch, crappie and bluegill.


Location
Clear Lake State Park is located near Clearlake, Cloverdale and Kelseyville

Trails
Dorn Nature Trail 1.5 mile loopClear Lake is the largest lake located entirely within the state. (Tahoe is a larger lake, but it?s partly in Nevada.) Around the lake are mountains and beyond a fruited plain of vineyards, walnut groves and, as locals boast, ?the world?s largest Bartlett pear growing area.?

Clear Lake, earth scientists estimate, is 2.5 million years old; some claim it?s the oldest lake in North America. At the very least, it?s considerably older that such 5,000-year-old ?infants? such as Lakes Tahoe and Superior.

Clear Lake is a natural lake, meaning that it has a set-in-nature feeling, and gives an altogether more tranquil vibe than state mega-reservoirs such as Folsom Lake or Lake Oroville.

Clear Lake State Park offers much-needed public access to the lake and preserves about two miles of lakeshore. Swimming, water skiing and hiking are popular at the park, but fishing is as big as the lake itself. ?Wall to wall? catfish, bluegill, crappie and black bass lure fishermen to the lake.

Located on the lake?s south shore, the state park includes some terrific lakeshore campsites at Kelsey Creek Campground. A modern visitor center features exhibits about the lake, as well as Native America lore. Dorn Nature Trail samples the slopes above Clear Lake and offers fine Lake County vistas.

Directions to trailhead: From Highway 29 in Kelseyville (just south of Lakeport) turn east on signed Soda Bay Road and follow the signs to Clear Lake State Park and the day-use parking area near the visitor center.

The hike: From the visitor center, walk back up the day use access road to the main park road; here you?ll see signed Dorn Nature Trail. The path joining Dorn Nature Trail from the left is the return leg of the loop.

The path ascends into a woodland of California buckeye and valley oak, switchbacks a bit, and soon serves up the first view of the lake.

A quarter mile climb brings you to the crest of a minor ridge and a junction with a side trail splitting to the right and leading to Upper Bayview Campground. Stay left and continue on Dorn Trail to an overlook.

Oak and manzanita frame a grand view of the lake, backdropped by vineyards, orchards, and the Mendocino Coast Range.

A bit farther down the trail, a second overlook offers another vista of the lake, as well as towering Mount Konocti.

Three-quarters of a mile out, about halfway through this walk, the path descends and passes a right-forking trail leading to Lower Bayview Campground. The descent continues over fern-covered slopes, contours west, then drops to the park road back at the trailhead.

Visitor Comments, Memories and Reviews
May 30 Great place before July
park review stars; one to five Beautiful lake, it does get gross around July, once its been hto for a few weeks. Great sunrises and sunsets ont he lake. Great wineries in the area are 3 casinos arouns the lake. Lakeport and Upper alke are the nicest towns, the rest are iffy.
March 29 Nice and Quiet
park review stars; one to five I had two great experiences here. The rangers were very professonal and the park is super beautiful
August 19 Beware of July/ August Algae Bloom by Campsalot
park review stars; one to five We made reservations for lakeside premium campsites this July/Aug 2009. The weather was hot, but the water was THICK(like MUD) with algae and we were unable to go swimming in the lake. The stench was horrible! The rangers assured us this was not a sewage spill, but a normal occurrence in July and August!
write a review
Share On

Area Campgrounds
Northport Trailer Resort
5020 Lakeshore Boulevard
Lakeport, CA
707-263-6311
Edgewater Resort & RV Park
6420 Soda Bay Road
Kelseyville, CA
Drift Inn RV Resort
2730 Lakeshore Boulevard
Upper Lake, CA
707-274-5501
Nearby Hotels
Booking.com

Directions
The entrance to the park is 3.5 miles northeast of Kelseyville on Soda Bay Road, north of Calistoga in the wine country.

Latitude/Longitude: 39.0094 / -122.8106

state route ranger badge
California
60

California State Parks

X