Weekend getaway to Jenkinson Lake
What you see: The scene at Sly Park last week was beautiful: a full lake surrounded by conifers, a couple of boats strewn across the water, and a handful of kayaks and motor boats. From the dam to the east one could see some islands in front of the main part of the lake, which were framed on the horizon by the ridge of the sierra. Jenkinson Lake is the heart of the Sly Park Recreation Area. The lake is 640 acres, small enough to have a sense of intimacy and lovely camping areas, big enough for boating, fishing, and water sports.
Place: Jenkinson Lake is located near Pollock Pines (on Highway 50) at an elevation of 3,500 feet on the western flank of the Sierra.
Boat / swimming: The temperature of the lake reaches the high 70’s during the summer heat waves. The main lake is big enough for water sports, where boats go counter-clockwise for water skiing and wakeboarding on crowded weekends. Kayaks, canoes, and standup paddle boards (SUPs) instead head to the head of the lake above the Narrows, where a speed limit of 5 miles per hour is enforced. The days of the week were calm.
Boat rules: No private watercraft. Before launching, check your boat for clams and weeds and make sure your boat is clean and dry. A boat patrol enforces a speed limit of 5 miles per hour within 60 feet of swimming areas, banks, and structures, 30 feet of skiers in the water, and upstream of the narrows.
Rentals: Current Adventures rents kayaks, canoes and SUPs from Friday to Sunday and on public holidays. The rental is located at the Stonebraker Launch Ramp. Online reservations can be made through http://currentadventures.com.
Warehouse: Lake view camps include the Pinecone Strip (tent sites only, no shallow RV sites), Sierra, and Chimney, where boats can be parked on the shore near your campsite. In total, Sly Park has 10 campsites with 191 pitches that offer a variety of settings for tents and RVs up to 12m in length, from private, wooded off-water pitches to lakeside pitches with less privacy. Make a reservation at 530-295-6810.
Camping etiquette: Quiet time enforced 10:00 pm to 7:00 am No amplified music, no admission after the gate has closed during the night; many other published rules are enforced to eliminate rude behavior.
Fish: Jenkinson Lake is one of the few lakes in the area where you can fish for perch. Bluegill are more common. The best area is from the Narrows to the entrance of Hazel Creek; It’s popular with kayaks and a speed limit of 5 mph will keep water skiers away. From late autumn to spring, the lake is stocked with rainbow trout. A couple of large but elusive Mackinaw trout roam the depths.
Explore: Sly Park has a hiking / mountain biking trail that circles Jenkinson Lake. The route is approximately 8.5 miles, with a short stretch of road and some climbs not suitable for teenagers.
Forest thin is over: Earlier this year, dead trees were removed from the back of the park to reduce the risk of fire. The website says this is still happening, but that activity is over.
Contact: Sly Park Recreation Area, El Dorado Irrigation District, 530-295-6824, www.eid.org.
How to get there
From the Bay Area: Take Interstate 80 to Sacramento and the fork (keep left) on US 50 (also signposted for I-80 Business Loop / Capital City Freeway). Stay left and travel 8.2 miles to join US 50. Join US 50 and travel 84.4 miles (past Placerville) to Exit 60 on Sly Park Road. Take the Sly Park Road exit, turn right and travel 4.2 miles to Lakewood Drive. Turn left and drive a short distance to the campsite (the road continues along the lake to the headwaters); turn right to the main boat ramp, dam (or drive past the lake to the Mormon Emigrant Trail).
Distances: 5 miles from Pollock Pines, 17 from Placerville, 60 from Sacramento, 117 from Vallejo, 126 from Concord, 146 from San Francisco.
– Tom Stienstra
