When life comes crashing through my door with the demands of adulthood igniting a gasoline soaked…read moremidlife crisis brought on by the sprinting in place that is the pace of the bay area... I retreat to Bridgeport. As I sit here watching the sun kiss the top of breeze curled waves with the wind at my face and my troubles behind me I think of how simple happiness can be. I truly wish I could be here forever. Bridgeport holds a special place in my heart, showing me stars like i'd never seen before or since, cradling me in a hidden oasis of peace and traquility. My cat is in love with Bridgeport as well. She was even brave enough to go out on one of the rented Kayaks, a mere $15 for 2 hours. Crusing the glass like reflection of the snow topped sierras for the price of a hipster's latte, priceless. 4 days went by in a flash, but the memories will always remain cemented, etched into a safe place in my mind labeled, "Break Glass in case of Emergency." The camp sites are clean, cheap and roomy, the bathroom decent enough, and the views are stunning. It's a place where in the company of the waters symphony against the shore all of life's answers come easy. Not the first time and certainly not the last that I will visit my favorite place, Bridgeport.

I enjoyed everything about this place! Going out on the water was so lovely and the views are top…read moretier. I loved the campsite I was in and it was close to the restrooms where they had showers!! What a luxury. The owner Chase and his grandmother were so sweet and accommodating. It's a pretty affordable spot compared to all the other places in the area. I found out that the bugs weren't even mosquitos either. I had zero bug bites and let me tell you I am a mosquito magnet. Overall I love this place and it will definitely be a staple in our families summer spots. Thank you to the friendly staff for such a great experience!

Nice views and a lot of hiking and biking trails, but a lot of mosquitoes and pretty crowded.read more

Twin Lakes is a vibrant hub for outdoor recreation throughout the summer months. It offers…read moreexceptional opportunities for kayaking, fishing, paddle boarding, canoeing, camping, and hiking. The area is a true haven for kayak anglers, not only due to its breathtaking scenery but also for the impressive brown trout that have been caught in these waters. You can check it out here: https://www.paddlingcalifornia.com/Twin_Lakes_Mammoth.html

September 19 through September 21, 2023. Came up for a…read morecouple day fishing trip with good friend. Campsites are both reserve and first come first serve. We showed up as first come first serve and we're lucky to get a beautiful spot right on the lake. They have nice deep fire rings, picnic tables and bear lockers. We didn't see any sign of bears. The sites are $27 a night and you can buy wood for six dollars a bundle or two bundles for $10. There is a 14 day limit on first come first serve sites. This time around, the road to Upper Blue Lake was open, so we headed up there to check it out. There are a couple campgrounds up there that have nice sites and include bathroom facilities. We ran into a couple of backpackers who convinced us to take the "short" hike to Granite Lake to do some fishing. We grabbed our fishing poles and gear and headed out thinking that short would be a quarter mile or so. The hike actually turned out to be 2 1/2 miles with about a 700 foot elevation gain. If we had known the distance, we probably would not have done the hike, but once there, we got a couple of very nice rainbow trout. We did not have any cell phone coverage in our camp, but at the 9100 foot elevation of Granite Lake we did have some pretty good cell coverage.

Flat, easy access. Beautiful!! This lake is at the end of the June Lake Loop. One of the bigger…read morelakes on the loop. It is surrounded by the mountains and very scenic.

Such a beautiful and peaceful spot that I can't wait to go back to again. The boat and camp rental…read moreplace was closed due to the winter coming. I loved that no one else there, so the adult and baby deer felt safe enough to come out with me nearby to drink water from the lake.

What a shame...Walker Lake used to be such a full and beautiful lake. I can recall driving by it as…read morea kid on numerous occasions heading to my rodeos and 4H competitions in Reno, Nevada This most recent drive by I was shocked by how much it has shrunk through the years. Since it has been receiving little to no water from Walker River since 2011, the fish and the fishing has become obsolete. Walker Lake is a natural lake in the Great Basin. It is 11 miles in length and only 5 miles wide. At its deepest, it is 68 feet. History tells us many years ago that the Northern Paiutes ancestors inhabited the area around the lake and depended on the fish and birds it provided to live. Through the Walker Basin Restoration Program they were able to deliver water to the lake in 2019 for the first time and they aim to restore Walker Lake to a state where it can house fish and birds again. I hope this comes true. We enjoyed our lunch stop overlooking this beauty.

My week I spent in Hawthorne; I had some down time hanging by Walker Lake. I'm a water baby and…read morebodies of water calm me; my happy place. It was a huge plus that the weather was perfect and probably the last warm one this year. Learning the history and chatting it up with the locals here was good time. I hope Mineral county is able to sustain Walker lake and preserve it for years to come. I look forward to my next hangout passing through the Alt-95 or next time I'm in Hawthorne.

First full weekend of June, visited the lake several times…read more Parking Saturday by 10:20am, most of the overflow parking across from the restaurant and general store were already full. To avoid walking too far if you have a vehicle, strongly recommend getting here early to keep the walk short. In contrast, on a Sunday at Noon, there were sporadic parking spots lakefront. Crowds Saturday had some areas of the lake crowded with most benches or picnic benches taken but there were some left by 11am. Sunday, dramatically less crowds. Weather Even in mid-60s, being in direct sunlight can feel much hotter and burn you. Water Just fine for early June, did not feel terribly cold. Restrooms Generally in very good condition and multiple throughout the lakefront, no soap though.

Small yet popular lake in the Stanislaus National Forest. Very convenient for Bay Area vacationers…read moreas it is only a 2.5 hour drive. I've done a few summer weekend trips here, but as a child. So don't remember many details, just that it was always a blast, camping with a large group and delving into lake activities. As an adult, I've mostly come to this area during the winter/spring months, and that's only because Dodge Ridge Ski Resort is in the same area. But never really knew how close the actual lake is to the ski resort...until recently when I finally did both in a one weekend stint. The actual lake is man-made, it is a reservoir meant to harness water, snow melt is my guess due to the regular snow fall every winter in these mountains. Then PG&E bulit a dam and used this for hydroelectric energy and you can see the raging water on the bottom of the dam if you hike over to that corner. We hiked only half of the lake on a gorgeous clear winter's day. I wanted to hike the entire circumference of the lake, which is only a little over 3 miles, but we had a small child in our group, so we kept it manageable. The trail is well kept and very easy to stay on, not many off shoots to other trails. It climbs in a few spots but nothing too difficult (at least to me). The lake is in view in practically every spot on the trail, so very very scenic and picturesque. Even though a man-made lake, seeing the clouds drift by the snowcapped mountains and all the pine trees all around, that I never felt like it was a man-made lake. Very natural contours and plant and tree habitat. I saw an occasional deer and tons of birds enjoying the sun on an otherwise cool winter's day. Even saw a couple of eagles soaring from the trees to the lake line, may have even been bald eagles as I observed white heads. I didn't have binoculars to confirm, so just a hunch, but it still felt special. Not much activity on the actual lake during my winter visit, maybe just a few people fishing off of rocks near the shore. No one was boating or swimming in these months. But in the summer, it is a much different story, as my memories recollect. Now i want to come back during the summer/fall and do some camping and kayaking. A promise I am making to myself and will surely bring into fruition. Trust.

A beautiful spot to kayak, SUP and fish. Parking can be challenging, depending on the weather,…read morelocation you choose and time of the year. Because the lakes are tucked back into the woods and off the paved road, it might be difficult for some, depending on your vehicle. Although it is a dirt road for several miles, it is maintained in great condition and should be passable by most cars. I recommend both lakes, but since you're in the area, Spicer lake is also very close, and much larger.

My pictures do not even come close to documenting just how pretty this place is. I'll have to…read moreremember my waterproof case next time so I can take pictures beyond the shore. At any rate, these reservoirs are nothing short of awesome. Totally non-motorized and crystal clear water - this is a paddler's paradise. There are plenty of spots along the shoreline and throughout the many granite islands to camp out and enjoy. The west side of Utica also features a shallower, swimming hole-like section with large slabs of granite to lay out and enjoy the sun. This was the perfect place to relax after SUPing around the lake. Both Utica and Union reservoirs each feature two small first come, first serve campgrounds that fill up fast to capacity and have limited resources. Seriously though, this place could have zero bathrooms and I would still give it five stars. Utica has a large day use/overflow parking lot across from the Sandy Flat campground that is totally free. Keep driving down the road another couple of miles and you'll find the staging area at the start of the Slick Rock Jeep Trail. I'll definitely be back, especially to explore the waterfall area between the two reservoirs.

Best Fishing ever. My dad worked the boat/fishing shop at Twin Lakes for a few years, and we have…read morebeen going every year as a family. Beautiful, Serene. Quiet and great fishing. This lake is amazing for Fishing and getting away from it all

Stopped by on a "lake tour" of the easy to access lakes of this area. It wasn't too busy and it is…read morean easy road to access this location. We only stopped at Little Virginia Lake - but it had a quaint little store and a few fisherman sprinkled along the shore. It was so pretty and I couldn't believe how clear the water was. Simply beautiful. I'd like to stop again in the future with a bit more time to enjoy the serenity.

This was a great overnight car camp for us with our 7-yr-old, 5-yr-old and border collie. We…read morearrived at 4pm on a Wednesday in July and had no problem securing a site fairly close to the lake. The campsite was nice--not secluded but neighbors were quiet and respectful. There is a sizeable bear container, picnic table and fire pit with a grill but I would recommend bringing your own wood as the campground offerings are expensive. Restrooms were as clean as they could be There are no campsites on the lake, but it's a short walk to get down to it and what an amazing place it is! Small, it would probably only take half an hour to walk around, and loaded with rainbow trout. There is also a beaver lodge and we were thoroughly entertained by three of it's inhabitants through the evening. There was also a young buck in velvet that was hanging out lakeside both in the evening and the early morning. And his little doe friend hopped right through the campground at one point! We ate breakfast at the Virginia Lakes Resort restaurant and while the food was simple, it was good. And it was nice not to have to worry about cooking and cleaning at the campsite! The restaurant also serves lunch and dinner as well as beverages to stay or to go (Sierra Nevada on tap). Little Virginia and Big Virginia are both drive-up lakes, and they were VERY crowded by shore fishermen, boaters and float tubers. No motors here, but row boats were available for rent at the resort. There are some easily-accessible high-elevation lakes just above Big Virginia but you'll have to bring your own map, as the Wilderness offers no signs of guidance...and i'm not giving much more away as the upper lakes were a nice, quiet retreat from the madness below :)

This campsite was probably the worst I've ever been at. The campground "host" and I use that term…read moreloosely was basically non existent. In previous years, the campground host would have never allowed such egregious behavior from site 29. My parents; who are in their 60s, may not ever camp again because of the patrons in site 29. I hope that you see that getting rid of the old host was a massive oversight and your campground has gone to hell.