Lake Sonoma
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
5 reviews for Lake Sonoma
from the time i was 11 until i was 17, i went to summer camp every summer. it was a dream: getting into the great outdoors, tons of activities to keep an ADD kid from getting bored seeing all the same "summer friends" that come every year, and best of all, no parents. during those angsty, formative teenage years, the most incredible thing is having your only guardians be even more angsty college students/camp counselors, whose main concerns for the summer are getting tans and hooking up with each other (the ranks of whom i joined when my time came). under this little to non-existent supervision, i managed to partake in my first cigarette (gross), my first french kiss (even grosser), and many, many toilet paperings of other cabins. but one of my favorite activities was one that i could actually write home to my mother about: the banana boat.
10 feet of inflatable, bright yellow joy, the banana boat was the rocket-shaped "tube" on which five campers would sit in a row and be hurtled around the river behind a speedboat. so. much. fun. predictably, the counselor in charge would often take hairpin turns in an effort to spill the campers off their perches and send them flying into the water. but when the water is teeming with jellyfish, as chesapeake bay offshoots often are, you learn to hold on.
heading to lake sonoma brought back fond memories of flying behind a speedboat, wind and water whipping your face as you hold on for dear life and feel that rush of pure adrenaline. the marina and lake itself are filled with power boats, tugging tubers and wakeboarders alike, while jet skiiers weave paths around them. canoes and kayaks are available for rent, though you might feel slow and out of place in one. i was un-prepared for such water sports, but had a good time grilling out in their picnic areas (with two fairly clean grills for public use), and languishing in the sun while watching the boats go by. there is not as much grass to spread out on as i had hoped, and the bees were relentless that day, but it's a beautiful spot, and would be perfect if you owned a boat and could spend the day speeding around on an innertube with some friends.
This place gets one star for horrible customer service on Sunday, 09/06/2009. My friends and I were blown away by the audacity of the young man working at the boat dock where we returned our wakeboard boat rental. Beyond unhelpful, he was downright rude. Additionally, he charged us for an additional hour when we were less than 5 minutes late getting into the dock. Grrrr...
The lake is really pretty and the older gentleman who got our day started was much more helpful.
Went camping out here with some friends. We picked a spot way in the back away from the lake and the views were SPECTACULAR. The campsites were pretty large and flat. Although, halfway through the night I was attacked by an army of caterpillars and spiders the likes I have never witnessed. The next day we went and played some softball on the large park area at the base of the lake, it was huuuuuuuuuuuge, great place for a BBQ. I have been to a lot of parks before, but the campsites here were nice and the park area was very well kept. A+
I've been to Lake Sonoma for everything from barbecues to camping trips to birthday parties. It's a nice place if you get a camping spot (make sure you have permission!). The lake is cold but pretty clean... great for wakeboarding! It's way up in the hills, and you may want to stop at the Dry Creek Fish Hatchery on the way up. Overall, it's a great place to chill during the summer.
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Yay , for a lazy ass day of doing nothing. Yes I am a big fan of that. Especially when it means calling in sick to work. Shh..this is our secret. The drive was beautiful. Escaping the city into the lush rolling hills of the country wins me over every time. Seeing cows and deers makes me feel the giddiness of childhood all over again. The road leading to the lake is best lead to professional all terrain driver. Long winding roads may make you meet your breakfast in the unfriendliest way. I suppose it helps keep the lake a more secluded locale. I loved sitting at the shore dipping my feet into the water. My friends swam and rode their kayak. The lake was big enough for multiple families to boat in and swim. Picnic tables and BBQ grills available too. Get there early if you want a nice canopy.
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