5 Lakes Within Hours of the Bay Area You Can Swim In (That Aren’t Tahoe)

While there’s no doubt that the Bay Area boasts some attractive lakes of its own, only a few are actually swimmable.

So if you’re looking to take a lake dip this summer — and you’ve already exhausted our list of rivers, swimming pools and best Bay dunk spots — which spots within driving distance of the Bay Area should you actually make the trip for?

It’s a conversation that unfolded on Reddit recently. And after commenters posted a wealth of tips for lakes to swim and kayak in around Northern California — that aren’t Lake Tahoe — we decided to look into their top suggestions.

What we found were some true gems, most of which are far less crowded than Tahoe in the summer, and each offering their own unique spin on lake life for visitors hoping to get away — even for just the day. Read on for ideas for your next weekend adventure.

Jump straight to: 

• Lake Berryessa (Napa County)
• Bass Lake (Madera County)
• Lake Almanor (Plumas County)
• Lake Del Valle (Alameda County)
• Clear Lake (Lake County)

For a family-friendly escape, try Lake Berryessa 

The top-voted comment on Reddit, by far, was Lake Berryessa in Napa County — an oft-overlooked lake that’s open to all sorts of recreation, including boating, paddling and swimming.

The 23-mile-long lake — which also offers fishing, wildlife viewing and hiking — has two boat marinas and three other central areas for water-based recreation. From here, you can launch a kayak or find bathrooms and concessions, but you can also launch a nonmotorized boat from any legal launch area around the lake.

The lake was created in the 1950s when the town of Monticello was flooded to create a dam across the Putah Creek to provide water to Solano County, and since then, it has been mired in controversy over its management. Because the lake remains mostly undeveloped, there are lots of quiet coves and beaches to explore.

And if you’re lucky enough to visit during a particularly high precipitation year, you may even catch a glimpse of its famous 72-foot-wide Morning Glory spillway, which sucks lake water back down to the creek to stop the dam from overflowing when water levels reach 440 feet above sea level.

If you’re planning to stay the night, be aware that there’s only one resort on Lake Berryessa, so you’ll have to plan to camp if you want to stay on the lake. Or, stay in any one of the nearby wine country towns instead and make a weekend out of it.

For a summer camp vibe, head to Bass Lake

With almost as many votes, Bass Lake in Madera County, just south of Yosemite National Park, came in an easy second place on Reddit. Michelle Miller, owner of Miller’s Landing Resort on the lake’s south shore, said most people come to rent a pontoon boat to cruise the 4.5-mile lake and anchor in one of its many coves for a barbecue. Water sports are also popular, she said, as is paddling in the early morning or around sunset on the relatively calm and warm lake.

Miller said many of their overnight guests are people who first found out about the lake on a Yosemite trip and decided to return year after year.

“What makes Bass Lake most special is just the traditions that people have created coming here every year for generations,” she said.

While Miller said Fourth of July is their “Super Bowl,” with around 20,000 people coming to the small lake just for that weekend, the rest of the year tends to be much quieter. It’s even renowned for its mountain biking and fishing during the spring and fall shoulder seasons. And in the winter, skiers and snowboarders often choose to stay at the lake to visit Badger Pass Ski Area, the oldest ski resort in California.

“Even if you don’t do water sports, it’s definitely still a great place to come visit,” Miller said. “I think people come back every year just to get away because it’s so beautiful.”

For a superior fishing hole, visit Lake Almanor

Lake Almanor’s 52 miles of shoreline come with ample fishing, swimming and boating opportunities — and views of Lassen Peak in nearby Lassen Volcanic National Park just 20 minutes away.

“We’re not crowded like Tahoe,” said Sharon Roberts of the Plumas County Tourism Association. “We have so much outdoor recreation, there’s places to spread out.”

Known internationally for its bass fishing, the lake is home to several fishing tournaments, including the Bass Angler Magazine Pro Tour. Boat rentals stay open until the end of October, when fall colors are bursting, and so long as there are no fires in the region, “the air quality is fabulous,” Roberts said.

The 12-mile recreation trail that runs along the west shore of the lake is walkable and bikeable and has beach access. Birdwatching is aplenty, with August bringing the annual Grebe Festival, and so is history — a 140-year-old barn still stands on the north end of the lake.

The nearby Plumas town of Chester has plenty of places to stay, or you can camp or stay in rustic cabins around the lake. While some of the PG&E-managed campgrounds tend to be snapped up months in advance, their first-come, first-served sites can accommodate last-minute planners.

For a short drive, check out Lake Del Valle

If you don’t want to travel outside of the Bay Area, Lake Del Valle in Livermore could be your closest option for a summer day by the lake. Nestled in the 4,000-acre Del Valle Regional Park’s oak-studded hills, the lake feels a world away from the bustle of the East Bay.

Two swimming beaches have lifeguards on duty, but the whole lake is open to all types of watercraft and water recreation, including motorboats, sailing, windsurfing and kayaking. The East Bay Regional Parks even offers free boat tours on the lake for visitors to learn more about the wilderness and its wildlife.

If you do decide to make a weekend of your visit, there are plenty of places to camp — and the lake is stocked with trout and catfish in addition to its bass population, but be sure to follow the state’s guidelines on which fish are safe to eat. It’s also the only reservoir in the Bay Area that’s used for drinking water, where you can also swim.

For a remote feel, visit Clear Lake

Lake County’s Clear Lake was by far Reddit’s most controversial suggestion as a summer destination for Bay Area-based travelers, with commenters torn on this spot.

One of Clear Lake’s advocates is Canadian Davis Wuolle, who found a home here during the pandemic. The lake reminded him of his lakeside childhood home in British Columbia, said Wuolle, and within just a few days of visiting the area for the first time, he’d made an offer on a house. “We took a look around and I was like, ‘Oh, it’s beautiful up here,’” he said.

It’s California’s largest natural freshwater lake, after all, and is full of fishing, hiking and water-based recreation. On any given day, Wuolle said he’ll see dozens of raptors hovering overhead and zero people around.

Clear Lake isn’t a high alpine lake, nor does it have a ton of amenities — in fact, Wuolle said the rolling hills and wine country aesthetic add to its appeal for him.

“I was struck by how much it felt like home,” he said. “I was also struck by how little development there was.”

So why did Clear Lake provoke such strong emotions in the Reddit conversation? Commenters noted the frequent presence of algae in the waters and what they saw as a dearth of amenities nearby. “Some of the towns [are] not at their peak growth right now,” Wuolle said. But to him, the key to a good time at Clear Lake is instead posting up by the shore and enjoying the open space.

“There’s a lot of cool opportunities for outdoor recreation,” he said. “With the Bay Area only two and a half hours away, I know people aren’t taking advantage of them to the extent that they could.”

“If you do your research and plan your trip correctly, you can have just as much or more fun here as going to Tahoe.”