This was my second time visiting San Vicente Reservoir, and it's quickly becoming one of my favorite places. Admission is $10 per person (for adults), and there's plenty of parking available. The reservoir recently expanded the dam, and the lake is absolutely beautiful. There's people fishing, wakeboarding, tubing, jet skiing, swimming, or simply relaxing by the water. Just keep in mind that Monday through Thursday is reserved for fishing only while the weekends are open for recreational boating and water sports. The scenery is gorgeous, and the atmosphere is incredibly peaceful. It's the perfect place to escape the city, spend time with family or friends, or just unwind and enjoy nature. If you're looking for a relaxing day on the water in San Diego County, San Vicente Reservoir is definitely worth the visit. read more

San Vicente Reservoir - Parks Near Me - Lakeside, California

I looked up spots to fly drones in town and this one popped up. It's a nice reservoir. If you have boats and water toys this is your jam. I believe there are entrance and other fees for using them. Since I was not using any of those I got a free pass in to look around. Definitely a nice back drop to just chill and observe even if you do not have any water toys. I hear drone enthusiasts dig this spot. I can see why. read more

San Vicente Reservoir - Parks Near Me - Lakeside, California

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Everything was pretty much fun in the sun at San V. Always have a fun time with families and friends. And the locals. San Diego native. Born and raised. Love the backyard lake we have here. read more

San Vicente Reservoir - Motor boating across the Vicente! - Parks Near Me - Lakeside, California

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The San Vicente Reservoir offers stunning views of the surrounding mountains from the middle of the lake. It provides excellent opportunities for water activities like kayaking, canoeing, fishing, tubing, and wakeboarding. However, the higher water levels have eliminated any beach areas along the shoreline, confining water enthusiasts to their boats. For more info visit: https://www.paddlingcalifornia.com/San_Vincente_Lake.html read more

Really nice facility and friendly stuff. But it is crazy in 2025 that they only take cash or checks no credit cards. The other frustrating thing with the city of San Diego running this is there's no annual membership option so if you're taking friends boating each week, it gets very expensive probably the most expensive lake in the nation to go boating at weekly. read more

San Vincente's Reservoir is a serene haven tucked away in nature's embrace. The pristine waters offer a tranquil escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life. During my recent visit, I was pleasantly surprised by the cleanliness of the lake. The water sparkled under the sunlight, reflecting the surrounding beauty without a hint of debris or pollution in sight. The staff at San Vincente's Reservoir were incredibly kind and accommodating. From the moment I arrived, they greeted me with warm smiles and were eager to assist with any questions or needs I had. Their dedication to maintaining the reservoir's cleanliness and ensuring a pleasant experience for visitors was evident in their attentive service. I had brought my Jetski and they allowed me to fish from it! Overall, my experience at San Vincente's Reservoir was nothing short of exceptional. With its pristine waters and friendly staff, it's the perfect destination for anyone seeking a peaceful retreat in nature. read more

San Vicente Reservoir - Jetski - Parks Near Me - Lakeside, California

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Word of advice: do not come here on the weekends, that means Saturday and Sundays. It's way too crowded, and you won't be able to do anything. We've been coming out here a couple of times in the past year, sometimes on a weekday, sometimes on a weekend day, and experience is drastically different. On weekdays the water is super flat and you can basically have the whole lake to yourself, and do whatever you want wakeboarding is actually super Duper fun. On weekends it is a total zoo and you feel so anxious and constantly worrying about if somebody's going to hit you. They do charge you $20 per person to use the lake and additional $25 to launch the boat. The facilities are very clean for the price is a little steep. read more

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Rented pontoon boat for the day! Had fun swimming & fishing! Beautiful not crowded lake!

San Vicente Reservoir is a beautiful place to boat, fish and swim. It's expensive so be prepared but, you'll catch some killer fish and have a great time. The ramp is steep and the water is low, it was sad. We need rain! Take a picnic and sit by the cement tables and enjoy the view, birds and sunny Southern California. We came during the week so it wasn't as crowded. It was a much needed chillaxing day! Stop by! read more

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Such a nice location! This was my first time here! Absolutely loved it! There's nothing but great views, the weather was nice and it is a nice low key escape! Came here with friends to celebrate a birthday and had a blast. You can swim if you want or water ski. The choice is yours! A nice alternative to hitting the beach! There is an entrance fee of $8 or $10 depending on if you're swimming or not and other fees associated with coming here but well worth it! read more

San Vicente Reservoir - Parks Near Me - Lakeside, California

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This is a great reservoir to fish at. It's better if you are in a boat that the shore. You really have to hike for a while to find a good place to fish you are going to fish off the shore. But definitely worth checking out! read more

Great local place to boat in fresh water. Clean restrooms, great convenience store, friendly staff.

I almost don't want to Yelp how much we loved our 6.5 hours pontoon boating on this amazing reservoir as to try and keep this place on the hush hush. But honestly this lake is so huge (its so big they have floating restrooms scattered around) that I highly doubt that overcrowding would ever become an issue. So I'm happy to share that this place is amazing! Ken and Chris are absolutely what customer service is all about. In addition to the beautiful lake and A+ staff, the facilities are clean and seem to be new. The 10 of us on the boat all agreed that this past Saturday (4/7/2018) spent at San Vincente was one of our favorite days we all have shared in a long time. See you fellas again real soon!!! read more

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San Vicente has reopened and it is spectacular. A huge lake excellent for fishing as well as skiing/tubing/wake boarding. The lake is beautiful with incredible mountain views. Those fishing and those skiing, etc. cohabitate nicely, the lake is plenty big to accommodate both. The only drawback of the lake is that with the new higher water level, there are no beaches or good shoreline. You are pretty much relegated to the boat. No good spots to anchor and go ashore. The new picnic areas above the launch are clean and really nice. The boat launch is huge and there is ample parking for vehicles and trailers. Small outboard fishing boats can be rented to $80/day and they offer fishing pontoon boats for $200/day and "deluxe" pontoon boats for $300/day. On this day we were with a friend who owns his own boat. What's better than owning a boat? Having a friend who owns a boat. read more

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Big lake, lost lots of water but still got big fish in there. Caught a monster catfish yesterday...9-17-21. Wanted to share with the people that there's big fish in there...thought I had the lake record with a 54.8 pound blue catfish but the record is twice that at 101 pds.. fish on y'all read more

San Vicente Reservoir - My catch and I. Blue catfish weighed in at the dock.. - Parks Near Me - Lakeside, California

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I came here with my family to check the place out only. Unfortunately, our vehicle broke down on us and we were stuck in the parking lot until our tow truck came over. Special thanks to Ruben and Will for their outstanding customer services, and for going above and beyond to assist us during our vehicle struggle. I will definitely be coming back to this place to enjoy a nice boat ride. read more

This place is great for boating and fishing. The bathrooms are modern and very very clean. The staff are very very helpful and friendly. We did not catch any bass this weekend in November but we saw a lot of fish. There is an arm of the reservoir set aside for slalom water skiing. The water is gin clear. Please check their website for fees. Boats are available for rental. Everyone had a smile. read more

One of the best run parks & rec facilities I've experienced. Friendly staff, efficient layout, helpful and safety-minded rangers. Gets crowded and windy in the afternoon but given the proximity to the city, it's north county's best kept secret. My family and I love San Vicente and appreciate the staff that enhance our experiences. read more

San Vicente Reservoir - Parks Near Me - Lakeside, California

The water was not heated and it's expensive to get in its at least 75$ just for me and my parents. Otherwise the lake is really nice theres a ski course and a waterfall. The bathrooms are gross though. read more

A really great reservoir. Crystal clear water and great fishing. Rented a pontoon boat. The boat was in great condition and the rental staff was the greatest. Very friendly, helpful and professional. The restrooms were very clean. A really great day! read more

This place recently opened up and this was my first time there. It was much larger than I thought it would be and the water was really clear! We rented a pontoon boat for half a day for about $130! Such an awesome day at the lake! Hopefully going back this weekend. read more

San Vicente Reservoir - First catch of the day! - Parks Near Me - Lakeside, California

Wow! This place it's gorgeous. We had no idea it's only 10 minutes from our new home. Too bad we don't own a boat. But you can definitely rent a boat here. My husband and I definitely coming back to rent a boat and spend all day in this gorgeous lake. read more

San Vicente Reservoir - Parks Near Me - Lakeside, California

Horrible experience ever !!! I will never go back there again. It was miserable. Police would not leave us alone. I had my two boys, my 97 year old grandpa, dad and hubby. We all finally got In the boat in sure enough here comes the police asking us tons of questions. We decided to leave. Because we said that he wrote us a ticket. Loser. Best place to go ocean and sand. Lakes suck !!! read more

When the weather starts getting warm we head to San Viciente to go wake boarding and water skiing.. What a great way to spend the afternoon cooling off at the lake. The lake is pretty large it has four miles of shoreline and surrounded by very pretty mountains. Being surrounded by the scenery is breath taking. There are a lot of little beaches here and there so you can bring some beach chairs and lounge while others are taking turns on the boat. In 2009 the city will be closing the lake in order to raise the dam which is a total bummer, this place will be missed. So visit while you can! read more

Very scenic - but most of the reservoir is only visible by boat or from above (like from the summit of Iron Mountain) since Lowell Island blocks the majority of everything on the other side of it being seen from the rec station/launch ramp. The only areas really accessible without a boat are the parking area and one road blocked to vehicles that you can walk about a mile and then back - and some fishermen do. There is an $8/day per adult usage fee and a $10/adult water contact fee. If you just want to drive in and check it out, you can get a 1/2 pass for free at the entry booth. It's worth just taking a look of you've never been just to see what's there even if you don't plan on paying and staying longer. read more

This place was shut down by San Diego back in 2008 and after almost a decade it's finally back open to the public. I've never visited San Vicente before but I decided to check it out to see what it's all about. The lake is beautiful and quite amazing to see. The city did a wonderful job at rebuilding the place with lots of parking and great facilities to use. You're able to bring out your own boats or rent them here. I came here to simply just check the lake out, they have a path that goes out a mile so you can walk around it. You can get some good views of the lake by taking the path on the left in the parking area. The day I came it was quite cold, so the place wasn't busy but I expect it will get quite more packed as the summer gets closer. There is a huge parking lot here though and a large launching area. Like all the other parks, the city does charge fees for going out on the water or fishing. So be prepared to throw down some money. read more

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This lake is nice for skiing. It is very mountainous. I think they will be, or maybe already have, shut it down to raise the level. If your driving the boat with a ski behind you you wont be going straight for too long until you have to make a turn. Theres lots of straight skiing at EL Capitan res.. As for fishing...well.. im not sure. On the weekends tho.. there's skiers. Good luck and have fun! read more

Had a great time rented a pontoon with the family, the first one we rented had problems, but the staff quickly helped us out and tried to fix it. With no success they transferred us to a nicer boat and we were able to continue our day, with no problems. Thank you we will return..staff and lake are great. What a jewel close to home read more

Wow, what a beautiful lake. First time here since it reopened and I am more than impressed. It is super clean and very organized. The lake picnic and history area has bbq's and very clean bathrooms. Lots of covered areas for picnics too! Has a little store with snacks and a few fishing supplies. The lake itself is huge with divided areas for skiing and tubing , children's areas too! The Mtn side has been cleaned up and the area is impeccable!! I am so impressed with what they have done here. Tried some fishing but timing was bad for that so we just boated around and enjoyed the amazing views, birds and ducks!! Love this lake!! read more

Lake is beautiful and the staff was top notch. the two star review comes from the fishing pontoon boat we rented. They don't tell you you can't fish from the nice pontoon boats they have when you call. when you get there you get a fishing pontoon boat, that is nothing more than benches and a small motor. The pontoon boat that is for fishing has no hole holders no drink holders two outdoor carpeted benches. If you're going to claim it's a fishing pontoon boat at least have a used line container or something you can throw hooks and worms into. read more

Facilities are clean and nice. Friendly staff. Pontoon boats are awesome. Roomy, well kept, easy to drive. Pricing reasonable for boat rentals. read more

Beautiful lake and I caught s monster bass on the first time fishing here. Definitely going back.

I used to fish at San Vicente all the time before relocating to the MidWest. I remember a beautiful lake, well kept, quiet and blessed with GREAT fishing. I would walk all the way into the back and fish for catfish, bass and bluegills. I am not sure what they are like now, but the bluegills were easily the biggest I had ever caught! I caught one on my bottom pole with meal worms that weighed in very close to two pounds! I can't imagine how great the fishing is after all those years of no fishing pressure. If anyone wants a place with peace and quiet and great fishing, take a ride to San Vicente. I have a feeling that you will be quite pleased. And let me close with this. I remember San Vicente has some unbelievably large catfish. I suspect there are many still swimming around in there. Bring heavy tackle and have a ball. You just may find some memories to last a life time. read more