PG&E Recreational Areas

Visit the great outdoors

From the Pit River country in the Cascade Range to the King's River region in the southern Sierra Nevada, our recreational facilities are ready for you to enjoy. Locations such as Lake Almanor, Lake Spaulding and Lake Britton, are engineered to create clean energy through our hydroelectric system. These sites feature campgrounds and picnic areas. Most of the lakes also offer fishing, swimming and boating.

LEARN ABOUT OUR HYDROELECTRIC SYSTEM

LEARN ABOUT HYDROPOWER AND WATER SAFETY

Pick the perfect destination

Choose a recreational facility that's close to home or plan a longer trip. Our facilities are located all across the state, and range from sea-level elevations to 8,200 feet. Whether you drive, boat or hike in, the natural beauty is yours to enjoy. We’ve outlined some ideas for your next trip in this section.

2019 season notices

Wildfire risk reduction
In an effort to reduce the risk of wildfire, PG&E will prohibit and/or restrict certain recreation activities during times when our Fire Index Rating is elevated.
- When the Fire Index Rating is R4 (Very High): Use of charcoal grills will be prohibited.
- When the Fire Index Rating is R5 (Extreme): All fires will be prohibited smoking will only be allowed within vehicles/RVs
- When the Fire Index Rating is R5-PLUS (Extreme Plus): All fires and flames will be prohibited, including petroleum and LPG devices. The following activities will be restricted to within vehicles/RVs: smoking, use of generators, use of battery powered devices with motors, extension cords, devices with power cords.

Additional wildfire risk mitigations and prohibitions that aren’t tied to the Fire Index Rating are posted in our Frequently Asked Questions.

Public Safety Notice - Kilarc Reservoir Closed
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has closed its Kilarc Reservoir (forebay) due to damage to the Kilarc Canal sustained during the winter and spring storms. While PG&E is exploring short-and-long-term options to restore water to the canal and forebay, the engineering, regulatory approvals and actual repairs may take several more weeks even for a temporary remedy. In the meantime, the reservoir water levels are dropping, creating a muddy shoreline that could collapse or pose a hazard when walking upon. As the water temperature warms, there is the potential for harmful algae that can be toxic to pets. For public safety, PG&E has closed the reservoir and the PG&E property surrounding it to public access. There are other fishing opportunities at Lake Nora, Lake Britton and numerous streams in the area. California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is not stocking Kilarc Reservoir and will not allow fish to be relocated due to the potential for negatively impacting native species. PG&E check back for updates.
Lodgepole
Lodgepole is now open with a limitation to First Come First Serve for the remainder of the 2019 season. At the end of the season it will remain closed for the entire 2020 and season in support of a dam repair project. Normal camping schedule is expected to resume in 2021.
Upper Blue Lake 2019 Closure
Due to planned work at Upper Blue Lake Dam and surrounding campgrounds all recreation located around Upper Blue Lake will be closed to the public for the entire 2019 season. Recreation around Lower Blue Lake will be open. The closures include the following campgrounds: Middle Creek, Middle Creek Expansion, Upper Blue Lake Dam Site, Upper Blue Lake Dam Site Expansion, Upper Blue Lake. The closure includes access to the Grouse Lake/Granite Lake Trailhead and all boat ramp access to Upper Blue Lake.
Highway 70 closure
PG&E's Belden Day Use Area in the Feather River Canyon along Hwy 70 will be closed to public access beginning March 15, 2018 to approximately October 2019 due to a highway project by Caltrans that proposes to reconstruct the Hwy 70 bridge over Yellow Creek. The PG&E day use facility will be used as a construction staging area by Caltrans for this project and will be closed to public use during the term of the project. Caltrans will provide alternate recreation parking and portable toilets during the project at a site across the Belden Bridge in Belden. This temporary day use parking site will be located on PG&E property along Howells Rd and is intended to allow for continued public use of area trails and stream/river reaches during the project. Caltrans will provide signage in the area directing users to the alternate recreation parking site as well as how to access area trails around the construction closure. For highway project information please contact Denise Yergensen, Caltrans Public Information Officer at 530-225-3260.
Camping season
Most of our campgrounds are at higher elevations and therefore are not open year-round. Typically, they open in the spring soon after snow melt and they generally close in the fall when temperatures drop and camper use decreases. The actual opening and closing dates for each campground is dependent on the elevation and weather so our estimated dates are subject to change.
Reservation season
Some of our campgrounds offer reservations in addition to first come first serve camping. At these campgrounds, since weather and snow melt are so unpredictable, our reservation season is shorter than our camping season. For example, at a particular campground we may plan to open the gates to first come first serve campers on May 1st but we may not begin our reservation season at that campground until May 20th. We’re trying to minimize the chances that we’ll have to cancel a reservation you made due to weather conditions or snow melt. Where possible, our typical reservation season starts the Monday before Memorial weekend and closes a week after Labor Day weekend.

Visit the Pecho Coast and Point Buchon trails

Through our Land Stewardship Program, PG&E preserved areas near the Diablo Canyon Power Plant. Enjoy the natural beauty and ocean vistas along the Central Coast. Find out more about the program and area.

Visit the Pecho Coast Trail and Point Buchon Trail