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Clear Lake State Park
Rating Details »
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
18 reviews for Clear Lake State Park
Just camped here for the 1st time the other night - what a great place! The Lower Bayview campground is the place to be - sites 110 and 111 are quite large, private, well shaded, and right on the cliff overlooking the lake. Even with it being 95 the day we were there, there was a nice breeze that kept the temperatures just perfect from about 5pm on. The beach is nearby, and the scenery is gorgeous. Everyone was super mellow, and there were very few RVs, which as a tent camper is nice.
Be forewarned that Clear Lake isn't so clear - lots of green weedy things and floaters...the lake is clearer in the late spring/early summer. But the water is nice and warm, and the general store in the park has everything. We're definitely going to go back, maybe in the fall when it's a little cooler.
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I haven't actually spent much time at this State Park. I just came here during the July heat wave to cool off in the lake. I won't say it's a big mistake but the lake was not as clear as I was led to believe by the name. The lake looks nice but is actually a bit mucky. Some people in our group (granted they are a bit fussy) didn't want to go in because of the algae. I thought it was okay, hey, it's a lake! What do you expect? Afterwards there was algae all down my swimsuit though. They have nice bathrooms and changing rooms, plus an outdoor shower to rinse off (though this will not help the algae down the suit).
The beach itself was not a nice sandy beach. You would probably want to at least sit on a towel. A lot of other groups brought beach chairs.
I only viewed the campground going in and out but it's definitely like camping in your backyard. The campsites are all out in the open and close together. It's like a neighborhood of tents and RVs.
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If you think at the very end of August this area would have cooled down to reasonable temperatures, you thought wrong.
The state park has a lot going for it. Sites that have specific features are as follows... great view of the lake, high up and pretty private: 93,94,95 & 96, mostly private but no view: 126, 124, nice spots in general: 143,142. The camp has a little convenience store in walking distance with live bait, ice, bug spray, etc. just in case you need anything. I personally got two ice creams here too, in a weak attempt to cool off.
We stayed in site 126 and really liked it. We got lucky cause the site next to us was empty the second night making it very private. The only problem is a lot of the sites have little to partial shade. This makes it hard to even just sit down in your site cause the temperatures during the day were in the 90s. But, on the flip side the nights are warm and you barely need blankets in your tent.
If you don't mind being literally in the middle of the campground go for any of the sites in the center of the circles in upper and lower bay view. I WOULD NOT CAMP in Cole Creek. That area is literally on the road. You can easily chum up to your neighbor all day if you want down there cause there is nothing in between you and the people next to you.
As many people said before, right now the lake not only is super green with algae on the shores, but it smells to boot. I would not go near that water with a ten foot pole. Most of the people in the water had rented canoes or paddle boats from the general store nearby.
The sites do all have fire rings, grills and picnic benches. The bathrooms were relatively clean the entire weekend and stocked. The park rangers do go by every couple hours and make there rounds, so I would not recommend for the "partying to the wee hours" bunches.
Overall a great weekend, but a little hot for my taste when it comes to camping.
If a picture is worth 1,000 words, here is a picture of the lakeside premium sites taken July 2009. We were assured by the rangers it was not a sewage spill, but a natural occurrence during July and August.
For $45 a night (Aug 17, 2009 rates), you too can get a lakeside premium camp site and experience the algae, smell and all!
When the weather is hot the algae bloom is worse. The only way the kids could cool off was to take a 4 minute shower for $.50
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We stayed at the Kelsey Creek Campground this past weekend. My daughter and I waited over a month for a lakeside camp site opening. However after our stay, I wish I didn't have to give this campground the courtesy of even one star. The bathrooms were filthy. The lake water looked like pea soup and smelled worse! I can't imagine what the algae does to boat/personal watercraft engines. The caddisflies blanketed everything and made it impossible to have a lantern lit.
I will say that the couple who ran the "General Store" were FABULOUS! Very nice folk who were generally concerned when I was stung by a wasp and was suffering from dehydration. The vistor's center was quaint. My daughter and I loved the "pet the animal" section of the wildlife display. The boaters were courteous to canoers (us).
The most campsites were big and roomy. The firewood was awesome - dry and lit on the first strike! The garbage bins were huge and recycling was available. The tables and food lockers need work. Our food locker was so bad I couldn't bring myself to store anything in it and even brandished several mouse/rat holes and turds.
I will say that the county sheriff and park ranger did make regular rounds through the campground day and night - I felt safe.
We just camped here last weekend and we didn't care so much for it.
The lake itself was really gross. It was really thick with algae. It's probably fine during other times of the year, but it was really bad in August.
Unfortunately the campsites can vary a LOT in size. We reserved two sites next to each other, and they were incredibly small. Supposedly each site can accommodate 8 campers, but we had a tight squeeze with just 4 campers per site. A lot of the other sites were huge, so that was really frustrating. A few of our tents were just a couple feet off the road, because there was nowhere else to put them.
The "quiet hours" start at 10pm, and the park rangers came around and enforced them pretty strictly (and pretty rudely, we found). If you like staying up past 10pm, this is not the place for you.
We still had a fun weekend, but overall we weren't impressed with the park. We won't be returning.
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Just adding my 5 stars for this place. No need to write anything because all the other reviews are spot on.
Great place to be a full time H2O baby: Kayaking the Lake is tranquil, peaceful, chill.
The best campsites are right on the shoreline, but the campsites are quite small and lack privacy. There is a funky smell at the marsh and creeks, so don't camp near the creek or marsh.
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Spring Break Camping Trip 2009 to Clearlake State Park was very enjoyable. Me and 3 buddies of mine made the the 3 hr drive, probably faster if I had drove. Finding our campground (kelsey creek campground) was very easy and the site had my name on a reservation pole. We were only a short walk to the lake area where you can fish or cast off your boat. I was disappointed that the bass or catfish wasn't biting. The park has wifi (At&t Log on required), plenty of areas to fish or take a hike and enjoy the views. Bathrooms are kept clean, showers take coins. There is a woman camp ranger who is super fine by the way, that is not 420 friendly. She harassed my neighbor, searched his truck and campsite only to end up empty handed. She bothered us as well but did not find anything. She also busted some juveniles for underage drinking. Hide your alcohol youngsters.
If you want to smoke on campground, don't do it around the campsite there are children and others that are not 420 friendly. Smoke in your vehicles if at all possible. Get to know your closest neighbor they might help you in a time of need.
They trip on speeding into/exiting/around the park.
Overall the park is a nice quiet area, and is just far enough from the Bay Area to feel that you've really left the area. There is a Walmart about 10 miles away in Clearlake if you forgot any essentials. Also there is a local store (left turn when exiting the park) about a mile away on your left side if needed. Happy Camping
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Clear Lake has been our home away from home this past summer. I cannot count how times we have gone camping up there. The drive is not too bad -- about 2 1/2 hours from the Bay Area. The roads are windy but with great scenic views. You'll also past many wineries and vineyards on your way there, depending on the route you take. The summer weather is extremely hot during the day but wonderful at night. It's that bearable that you don't need a sweater.
The park itself is great --- clean bathrooms (that alone deserves 5 stars!!!), nice hiking trails and great camp grounds (you are also allowed to park your car right next to your site!). There is also a swimming area/beach. There's the dock where you can launch your boat or jetskis or go fishing there. The lake is huge and beautiful. My family loves taking the boat and jetskis and riding all around the lake.
It gets really crowded during the summer --- so I do recommend a reservation. I'm usually not an outdoors or adventurous type of person but Clear Lake has really changed my perspective on things.
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Okay, let me clarify one thing, from SFO, it'll be about 3 hours drive time. Not 2, but 3. First, pass Golden Gate, and then take HWY175. Yes, I'd suggest you not to bring a prego woman, (coz they'll throw up). The road is very curvy and you must super concentrate driving on the side of a beautiful hill before reaching the state park. It's obviously my first time visiting CLEAR LAKE state Park, without Yelping. {I'll never do that again, I promise} The entrance is very humble, nobody at the gate, $5.00 fee put d moolah in a small designated envelope, take as much as info you can by the gate and go.
I took my 3 y.o niece to swim in the lake, but forgot to bring floaters for her. So we phone the visitor center (was closed earlier) and they said they will meet us there, so we can buy floaters for my lil niece. That's super awesome.
My sis then meet a deer, and baby chipmunk on her way back to the lake.
It was like 87 degree F, the wind was poised and the water was lukewarm. me and my niece hang out in the lake for hours before we took off.
I wish we get there early, this place is huge. I want to kayak and jet ski on my next visit.
Yes, there's shower stall on the swimming approved location, the rest rooms are clean too.
It's a fun time visiting Lake County. If you live in Bay Area and never been here, you owe Clear Lake a visit. Let the nature surprise you, naturally.
I am not an adventurous person. I like TV. I like having all my limbs. But there was something about Clear Lake that made me risk getting strangled by a tow rope while I'm dragged -- sorry, *pulled* -- behind a boat. Besides, the cabin had no TV. What else was I supposed to do?
We came up here with some friends whose family has a cabin/house right on the lake. I can now say Clear Lake is some seriously good times. I was apprehensive about coming up here, but I would go back. The scenery is pretty, the lake water was warm and I did a buncha shit for the first time. Kneeboarding (OK, belly boarding), wakeboarding (OK, halfway-up wakeboarding), tubing (I tubed hard core) and jet-skiing. I even got to drive the boat. All I needed was P. Diddy and some bikini-clad mamas with champagne. Instead we had two small children and some bottled water, but hey, I'll take what I can get.
I would not recommend coming up here if you aren't going to have access to a boat. There ain't much to do otherwise -- a few places to eat and a casino (http://www.yelp.com/bi...). But if you're going with friends and have some activities planned, it is sweetness. I was going to subtract a star because occasionally the lake water had some gunk in it, but overall it was not a problem. Just steer clear.
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Clear Lake is the state's largest freshwater lake, and it's absolutely gorgeous. Due to the distance from the bay area it's less crowded than Berryessa during the summer, so you can enjoy camping, houseboating, wakeboarding, etc....
Definitely a great summer destination if you're willing to spend a couple hours in the car.
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Clear Lake is unknown - I am yet to hear anything other than "Where is that ?" when I mention it to friends. At times I hope it stays that way. The largest lake in California (Tahoe is shared with Nevada) seems also to be the least known!
The Clear Lake area, and this park, are a treat as long as you plan ahead (finding good places to stay and eat is hard around here). Would recommend doing the scenic route (Route 29, 281, 20, 53) to see the lake from every angle.
The park itself is small, but with friendly staff. The beach is tiny and even with a small crowd looks jampacked. There will probably be a few open jeeps/convertibles with music blaring out loud. A lot of "bodies" on the beach, but none that you can watch without cursing yourself (reminds me of that other watery saying - water water everywhere, but not a drop to drink!). The locals may not like you if you look/act like an outsider.
Even with what seems like a list of bad things, this park is still worth a visit. There are a few trails going up from the beach, and they provide great vistas. Take your binocs. Watch out for raptors, and swifts.
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I just got back from Clear Lake State Park a few days ago - it was some good times! Aside from our campsite location, it was near perfect. We wound up next to a little pond-ish area with quite a bit of stagnant water. We doubled up on our bug repellent and citronella candles to compensate for all the skeeters... they were a-plenty!
The bathrooms were kept pretty clean, but you have to pay to use the showers, so bring plenty of quarters! (and flip flops too)
The park has a nice little general store with the sweetest older couple running it. They rent out kayaks, canoes, and a really nice pontoon boat! We rented the pontoon for 4 hours for only $175! It was the perfect way to spend a hot day on the lake. We drove out to the middle of the lake, turned off the boat and made lunch, drinks, and swam around a bit. So relaxing!
By Saturday the crowd filled in and there was quite a few kids running around on their bikes and scooters... and also a few larger parties that blasted some country music for all to hear for a few hours. Bring your boombox to set the tone for your own site ;)
If you have the time, there are quite a few vineyards to wine taste at.
Next time we go there we have our eyes on some campsites that back up to the shore. We'll park some jet skis and take off whenever we want - WEEE!
Another beautiful place to enjoy the outdoors.
Gorgeous lake to enjoy and camping..camping.
The scene/views are amazing all around.Clearlake is worth a visit.
Beautiful scenery on a beautiful lake. Any time of year you will be treated to endless beauty.
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amazing camping grounds. pay an extra 5 bucks to get a premium spot ($20 total) overlooking the lake in the lower bay view campground area. ba U ti full. delicious campfire, reasonable firewood cost, swimming if you dare. my last day there was spent watching two old men with metal detectors hunting for treasure inside the lake. if you plan on camping with a large group of friends reserve the upper bay view area. it is its own contained unit. even room up there for a croquet field. fall leaves now pave the campsites.
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