107 Lake/ River/ Ponds to Explore in California

A beautiful lake located in the heart of San Jose and is surrounded by wildlife and beautiful hiking trails. You can enjoy activities that include hiking, jogging, and cycling along 30 acres of lake and 65 acres of land. It will be a pleasure visiting this place .

This is an artificial lake in Morgan Hill, located in southern Santa Clara County The 4,275 acre Anderson Park also features the Coyote Creek Parkway multiple use trails, the Jackson Ranch historic park site, the Moses L. Rosendin Park, and the Burnett Park area. It provides limited fishing, picnicking, and hiking activities. Although swimming is prohibited, boating, water-skiing and jet-skiing are permitted in the reservoir.

An endorheic basin noted as the lowest point in North America, with a depth of 282 ft (86 m) below sea level. Consisists of a small spring-fed pool of "bad water" next to the road in a sink; the accumulated salts of the surrounding basin make it undrinkable, thus giving it the name. Significant rainstorms flood the valley bottom periodically, covering the salt pan with a thin sheet of standing water. When the basin is flooded, some of the salt is dissolved; it is redeposited as clean crystals w

Bass Lake is one of California's premier boating, swimming and sailing lakes. It is nearly five miles long and is surrounded by beautiful pine trees. Boat launching facilities, mooring and rentals are available at several Bass Lake marinas.Most of the land around the lake is part of the Sierra National Forest. The U.S. Forest Service designated the lake an official Recreation Area and has developed campgrounds and picnic areas on the south shore of the lake.

Bear Lake is a lake in Alpine County and has an elevation of 7,267 feet. The lake is formed by snow melt, so the water is very cold until well into the summer. It’s regularly planted with trout – making for some great fishing here on 180 surface acres with an average depth of about 40 feet. Hikers enjoy the four-mile trail around the lake.

Bear River Reservoir, has a normal water surface of 149 acres and has a maximum capacity of 6,818 acre-feet. it is popular for boating, fishing, canoeing, and kayaking, and even water skiing. Nearby trails lead hikers to the upper Bear River Reservoir and beyond into Long Valley.

This is the highest reservoir bridge in North America. This bridge crosses the parts of Lake Oroville. It was also the 3rd highest bridge in the world after the Royal Gorge suspension and Glen Canyon Dam arch bridges

A beautiful reservoir in the San Bernardino Mountains. It is a completely snow-fed lake, having no other means of tributaries or mechanical replenishment. This Lake provides an attractive setting for many outdoor activities, including fishing (trout, bluegill, crappie, catfish and largemouth bass), pleasure boating, and water skiing.

Big Pine Creek is a 12.1-mile-long stream in Inyo County of eastern California, in the western United States. It flows from the eastern Sierra Nevada down to the Owens Valley, where it is a major tributary of the Owens River near Big Pine. The canal provides water to the Big Pine area for irrigation, recreation and groundwater recharge. There are no storage dams or reservoirs.

Big Pine Lakes is located in the heart of the Eastern Sierras of California. It is roughly 10 miles west of of Big Pine and around 15 miles south of Bishop. Whether you are day hiking or backpacking Big Pine Lakes, the view once you reach the glacial lakes will take your breath away. This hike is one of the biggest bucket list hikes in California that must be done if you are an avid hiker and outdoor adventurer.

Buena Vista is a man-made site located approximately 25 miles southwest of Bakersfield. It was the second largest of several similar lakes in the Tulare Lake basin, and was fed by the waters of the Kern River. A good camping location and also there are so many interesting locations to see and do.

Bull Run Lake is a reservoir, an impoundment of the Bull Run River in the U.S. it rates highly as an oligotrophic lake, a very clean source of water. The lake basin receives more than 110 inches of rain annually due to its location in the Cascade Range. Water from the reservoir first flowed into the Portland water system on January 2, 1895. President Theodore Roosevelt restricted entry to all but government agents and water company employees and banned stock grazing on April 28, 1904.

Burnside Lake is a lake in Alpine County and has an elevation of 8143 feet. it is situated southwest of Hawkins Peak. it is one of the beautiful recreational post here and is also famous for fishing and other activities.

Caples Lake is located 59 miles east of Jackson at an elevation of 7,800 feet. The 600 acre lake has 6 miles of shoreline. The lake has been used by many different groups of people including Native Americans, 49ers, and resort owners so it is known by a few different names. It offers a variety of different recreational opportunities such as hiking, fishing, and skiing within close proximity.

A majestic artificial lake in Santa Clara County, impounded by Coyote Dam, a 140-foot high, 980-foot long, earth and rock dam built in 1936. It holds 23,244 acre feet of water when full. It is the second largest reservoir owned by the Santa Clara Valley Water District. Power boating, jetskiing, waterskiing, sailing, canoeing/kayaking and fishing are all allowed in the reservoir. It has two docks, a 3-lane concrete ramp, paved parking and a restroom.

A pair of artificial lakes located in the northern Santa Cruz Mountains of San Mateo County. It is one of the beautiful recreational location in this area and also there are so many things to ee and do in this natural area.

A 390-acre lake surrounded by a 1,050-acre park located in north central Omaha, Nebraska. The lake was constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for flood control and recreation and opened to the public in 1977. It has tent camping, no-wake boating, fishing, hiking, bicycling, picnicking and horseback riding.

Duck Lake lies in a glacial cirque, surrounded on three sides by peaks with its outlet on the far side. As a result, camping around Duck Lake is limited. Reflections across the expanse of Duck Lake are mesmerizing when they happen. You can continue backpacking from here by heading towards Purple Lake and Lake Virginia, or you can day hike around the area or simply enjoy being lakeside in the wilderness for awhile.

A beautiful artificial lake in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Madera County, California. The 1,780-acre lake is operated by the Army Corps of Engineers and serves as flood control, irrigation, and recreation. Waterskiing, fishing, and swimming are favorite activities at the lake. It is one of the iconic attraction in this area and also attracts many tourists.

El Corte de Madera Creek is a small river in the Santa Cruz Mountains, San Mateo County, northern California. It is a tributary of San Gregorio Creek.The creek flows about 7 miles, from its source in Kings Mountain near Skeggs Point on Skyline Boulevard, to its confluence with San Gregorio Creek about 2.7 miles east of San Gregorio.