Cachuma Lake - Santa Barbara County, California

Visited on 4/12/2018 while traveling to Southern California for a work assignment, Cachuma Lake is a reservoir located at 753 feet above sea level in the Santa Ynez Valley of central Santa Barbara County, California on the Santa Ynez River adjoining the north side of California State Route 154. Solvang, California is approximately 10.5 miles to the west of Lake Cachuma. The town of Santa Ynez, California is approximately 7.25 miles to the west of Bradbury Dam.  The artificial lake was created by the construction of Bradbury Dam, a 201 foot earth-fill structure built by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in 1953. Its surface area covers 3,100 acre, but the Bureau is currently limiting the capacity to 50.5% due to sediment accumulation and as of April 5, 2017.

Built by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in 1953, the name "Cachuma" comes from a Chumash village that the Spanish spelled "Aquitsumu", from the Barbareno Chumash word aqitsu'm, meaning "sign". Body contact activities such as swimming, wading, or water skiing in Lake Cachuma have been restricted since the park opened in the 1950s, reasoning that the lake was a reservoir people depend upon for drinking water. In May 2011, the no body contact regulation was revised to allow human-powered recreational watercraft such as kayaks and canoes on the lake as well as allow dogs on boats and eliminate "incidental body contact" with the water as a punishable offense.

In September, 2016, the lake approached low levels not seen since the construction of the Bradbury Dam. The actual water level sank to 647 feet, more than 100 feet below spillway level.  Actual water content fell to approximately an alarming 7.5% of capacity.

Santa Barbara County Parks has cabin and yurt rentals, as well as RV, tent, and group camping. Gasoline and groceries are available at the general store. There is a full boat and kayak rental facility with a bait and tackle shop where fishing licenses can be purchased. The lake is stocked with rainbow trout throughout the winter season, and fishing is open all year from shore or boat. There are five miles of hiking trails within the park, and Los Padres National Forest trails close by.

A large campsite on the south shore of Cachuma Lake is administered by the Santa Barbara County Park's division of the Community Services Department.
The University of California, Santa Barbara rowing team regularly practices and races at Lake Cachuma and erected a permanent boathouse there just prior to the 1982-1983 school year. The lake is also a popular destination for viewing bald eagles from seasonal tour boats.