- Joined
- Mar 11, 2001
- Messages
- 70,011
- Reaction score
- 1,003
Revitalize your body and mind with a Lake Don Pedro escape
It's an ideal spot for fishing and water sports
Tom Stienstra, San Francisco Chronicle
May 29, 2003
The search for Golden Pond eventually lands visitors at Lake Don Pedro,
where you can moor a boat within view of your campsite, or create a personal boat-in site.
A couple of days here can realign your senses. The lake is big enough to provide tons of secret coves and quiet spots for hideaways, yet has three developed campgrounds and two full-service marinas with boat rentals, including houseboats.
Many people see a piece of Don Pedro for the first time while driving past on Highway 120 en route to Yosemite. That view is stunning right now: The lake is 96 percent full, a brilliant blue-green against the backdrop of oak foothills, now quickly turning gold. Temperatures here hit the 90s this week for the first time this year, and with all that water, Don Pedro is again a recreation paradise.
Lake Don Pedro is located in the San Joaquin Valley foothills, about a 2 1/2-hour drive from San Francisco. It is a big lake, with 160 miles of shoreline, highlighted by several lake arms, each with hundreds of secluded coves. Despite the opportunity for camping, water sports and fishing, Don Pedro gets far less use than comparable destinations, the San Joaquin Delta, Folsom Lake or Shasta Lake.
The lake has three campgrounds, two (Fleming Meadows and Blue Oaks) on the west shore, and one (Moccasin Point) on the east shore. The best for families is Fleming Meadows, which has a 2-acre swimming lagoon with a beach. The water temperature is already climbing into the high 60s here, and by midsummer, it will hit the low 80s.
My personal preference at Don Pedro is to create a boat-in campsite, away from everybody. There are several inlets on the upper half of the lake where you can search out along the shoreline and find ideal spots. A few keys: 1. Bring a shovel to dig out a flat spot for your tent or sleeping bags. 2. Bring a large tarp, with stakes and rope that can be set up as a sunscreen. 3. Bring a portable toilet.
If you don't own a boat, you can rent fishing boats, patio boats and houseboats at Don Pedro Marina on the west side of the lake. Moccasin Point Marina (on the east side) also has boat rentals.
With the arrival of hot days, this is a dreamland launch point for water sports. It can feel strange bobbing around in a life jacket to cool off, with the water warm on top, yet with cold pockets around your feet.
The best spots for wakeboarding and waterskiing are inside the lake arms, which provide shields for afternoon winds, yet are wide enough for lots of space and no blind spots. A great secret is the outstanding flat water in the canyon on the upper end of the lake, ideal for canoeing and kayaking, surreal perfect in the early morning when the wind is nil.
Don Pedro is also one of the best lakes in California for fishing, though it can take a trip or two to learn the lake and the most effective techniques. The best of it is trolling for kokanee salmon (at least 30 feet deep, best at Middle Bay and Jenkins Hill), for largemouth bass with plastic worms (backs of coves, leeward side of points), or using worms under bobbers for large redear sunfish (protected coves near submerged structure).
Fieldscout Dan Bacher, who has fished every lake in the foothills of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valley, rates Don Pedro as his favorite.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IF YOU WANT TO GO
Cost: $5 day use, $5 boat launching.
Camping: $17 for tents, $22 for partial RV hookups, $25 for full hookups; reservations with credit card, (209) 852-2396 or http://www.donpedrolake.com/reservations.html.
Boating: Lake Don Pedro Marina (west side), (209) 852-2369; Moccasin Point Marina (east side), (209) 989-2206; http://www.donpedrolake.com/marinas.html.
Restrictions: Dogs permitted on boats, not in campgrounds. Quiet time enforced 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Fires restricted to barbecue/fire rings.
Fishing: Fish-On Guide Service, Escalon, (209) 838-7040; Fish'n Dan's Guide Service, Twain Harte, (209) 586-2383.
How to get to Oakdale: From the Bay Area, take Highway 580 east to
I-205 cutoff and continue 14 miles to I-5. Merge north on I-5 and go
3 miles to Highway 120. Turn east and drive to Oakdale (road becomes 120/108). Continue as below:
Directions to Blue Oaks: From Oakdale, drive east on Highway 120 for 20 miles to La Grange Road/J59 (signed Don Pedro Reservoir). Turn right and drive 10 miles to Bonds Flat Road. Turn left and drive a half mile to the campground and boat ramp on the left.
Directions to Fleming Meadows: Drive to Blue Oaks turnoff. Continue straight 2 miles to the campground and boat ramp on the left.
How to get to Moccasin Point: From Oakdale, drive east on Highway 120 to the 120/108 split. Turn right on Highway 120 and drive about 10 miles to Jacksonville Road. Turn left on Jacksonville Road and drive a short distance to the campground and lake on the right.
Information: Don Pedro Recreation Agency, (209) 852-2396; http://www.donpedrolake.com.
Chronicle Graphic
E-mail Tom Stienstra at tstienstra@sfchronicle.com.
It's an ideal spot for fishing and water sports
Tom Stienstra, San Francisco Chronicle
May 29, 2003
The search for Golden Pond eventually lands visitors at Lake Don Pedro,
where you can moor a boat within view of your campsite, or create a personal boat-in site.
A couple of days here can realign your senses. The lake is big enough to provide tons of secret coves and quiet spots for hideaways, yet has three developed campgrounds and two full-service marinas with boat rentals, including houseboats.
Many people see a piece of Don Pedro for the first time while driving past on Highway 120 en route to Yosemite. That view is stunning right now: The lake is 96 percent full, a brilliant blue-green against the backdrop of oak foothills, now quickly turning gold. Temperatures here hit the 90s this week for the first time this year, and with all that water, Don Pedro is again a recreation paradise.
Lake Don Pedro is located in the San Joaquin Valley foothills, about a 2 1/2-hour drive from San Francisco. It is a big lake, with 160 miles of shoreline, highlighted by several lake arms, each with hundreds of secluded coves. Despite the opportunity for camping, water sports and fishing, Don Pedro gets far less use than comparable destinations, the San Joaquin Delta, Folsom Lake or Shasta Lake.
The lake has three campgrounds, two (Fleming Meadows and Blue Oaks) on the west shore, and one (Moccasin Point) on the east shore. The best for families is Fleming Meadows, which has a 2-acre swimming lagoon with a beach. The water temperature is already climbing into the high 60s here, and by midsummer, it will hit the low 80s.
My personal preference at Don Pedro is to create a boat-in campsite, away from everybody. There are several inlets on the upper half of the lake where you can search out along the shoreline and find ideal spots. A few keys: 1. Bring a shovel to dig out a flat spot for your tent or sleeping bags. 2. Bring a large tarp, with stakes and rope that can be set up as a sunscreen. 3. Bring a portable toilet.
If you don't own a boat, you can rent fishing boats, patio boats and houseboats at Don Pedro Marina on the west side of the lake. Moccasin Point Marina (on the east side) also has boat rentals.
With the arrival of hot days, this is a dreamland launch point for water sports. It can feel strange bobbing around in a life jacket to cool off, with the water warm on top, yet with cold pockets around your feet.
The best spots for wakeboarding and waterskiing are inside the lake arms, which provide shields for afternoon winds, yet are wide enough for lots of space and no blind spots. A great secret is the outstanding flat water in the canyon on the upper end of the lake, ideal for canoeing and kayaking, surreal perfect in the early morning when the wind is nil.
Don Pedro is also one of the best lakes in California for fishing, though it can take a trip or two to learn the lake and the most effective techniques. The best of it is trolling for kokanee salmon (at least 30 feet deep, best at Middle Bay and Jenkins Hill), for largemouth bass with plastic worms (backs of coves, leeward side of points), or using worms under bobbers for large redear sunfish (protected coves near submerged structure).
Fieldscout Dan Bacher, who has fished every lake in the foothills of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valley, rates Don Pedro as his favorite.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IF YOU WANT TO GO
Cost: $5 day use, $5 boat launching.
Camping: $17 for tents, $22 for partial RV hookups, $25 for full hookups; reservations with credit card, (209) 852-2396 or http://www.donpedrolake.com/reservations.html.
Boating: Lake Don Pedro Marina (west side), (209) 852-2369; Moccasin Point Marina (east side), (209) 989-2206; http://www.donpedrolake.com/marinas.html.
Restrictions: Dogs permitted on boats, not in campgrounds. Quiet time enforced 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Fires restricted to barbecue/fire rings.
Fishing: Fish-On Guide Service, Escalon, (209) 838-7040; Fish'n Dan's Guide Service, Twain Harte, (209) 586-2383.
How to get to Oakdale: From the Bay Area, take Highway 580 east to
I-205 cutoff and continue 14 miles to I-5. Merge north on I-5 and go
3 miles to Highway 120. Turn east and drive to Oakdale (road becomes 120/108). Continue as below:
Directions to Blue Oaks: From Oakdale, drive east on Highway 120 for 20 miles to La Grange Road/J59 (signed Don Pedro Reservoir). Turn right and drive 10 miles to Bonds Flat Road. Turn left and drive a half mile to the campground and boat ramp on the left.
Directions to Fleming Meadows: Drive to Blue Oaks turnoff. Continue straight 2 miles to the campground and boat ramp on the left.
How to get to Moccasin Point: From Oakdale, drive east on Highway 120 to the 120/108 split. Turn right on Highway 120 and drive about 10 miles to Jacksonville Road. Turn left on Jacksonville Road and drive a short distance to the campground and lake on the right.
Information: Don Pedro Recreation Agency, (209) 852-2396; http://www.donpedrolake.com.
Chronicle Graphic
E-mail Tom Stienstra at tstienstra@sfchronicle.com.
