Visited in September 2012 during a weekend camping/boating trip with our friends, Scott & Todd traveling up to Trinity Lake we drove by Whiskeytown Lake on our way up. and we brought our dogs with us. Located at an elevation of 1,214 feet above sea level is located 8 miles west of Redding, California heading into the Trinity National Forest area.
Whiskeytown Lake is a reservoir is 3,220 acres and is formed by Whiskeytown Dam on Clear Creek. Additional water comes from Lewiston Reservoir, supplied by the Trinity River, via the Clear Creek Tunnel, which comes from the bottom of Lewiston Lake. Whiskeytown is favored by locals because of the 30 ft visibility of its waters, and wildlife that surround the lake. There are numerous breeding pairs of bald eagles that nest on the lake's shores. Sharing the habitat are black bears, mountain lions, blacktail deer, turtles and raccoons, among other wildlife. It is mandated that the lake be at full capacity by Memorial Day, and remain full until Labor Day. Whiskeytown Dam, an earth-fill embankment dam, is 263 feet, and was completed in 1963. It is owned and operated by the United States Bureau of Reclamation. Its purpose is to provide flood control, water for irrigation, and electricity generation.
Before entering the lake, the water generates hydroelectricity at the 154 MW Judge Francis Carr Powerhouse. Whiskey Creek also empties into the lake. A large portion of the lake's water leaves through the Spring Creek Tunnel, which delivers the water to the 180-MW Spring Creek Powerhouse, whose tailrace empties into Keswick Reservoir. The 117-MW Keswick Powerhouse at Keswick Dam empties into the Sacramento River.
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