Bullard's Bar Reservoir - Yuba County, California

Visited on 6/3/2017 – Picture taken on a Saturday drive with Jeff and our dogs, Summer and Skye, on a day boating trip up to one of our favorite boating spots in Northern California. This was a special day because it was Summer and Skye’s first time on the boat.  They did very well and enjoyed jumping in the lake after the floaty.   This was the first time we have seen this Lake at 100% of capacity.  View from the boat in the middle of the Lake headed east after going up as far as we could up the Yuba river fork on the north side.  We saw a brown bear and a deer on the shoreline during the day.   At an elevation of 2,000 feet above sea level in the Tahoe National Forest, 25 miles east of Marysville, California the lake has a surface area of 969,000 acres, 16 miles in length with over 60 miles of shoreline. The dam is a 635-foot high concrete variable radius arch dam. It was finished in 1970 and is a multipurpose dam, but its most important function is flood control.  The reservoir provides water to power two hydroelectric plants, New Colgate Powerhouse and Fish Release Powerhouse. New Colgate Powerhouse is not located at the base of the dam, like most hydroelectric plants. Instead, the 14-foot  diameter New Colgate Tunnel carries the water about 5 miles southwest of the dam to the powerhouse.   This increases the head, which allows the plant to produce more electricity.  The dam's Pelton wheels are the largest ever built and have a combined capacity of 315 MW. Some water is released at the base of the dam so that the streambed is not completely dewatered upstream of the New Colgate Powerhouse tailrace. This water powers the 150 kW Fish Release Powerhouse. In the event of a power outage, this plant can operate the dam's massive spillway gates.  Bullards Bar Reservoir is also used for outdoor recreation.  Water Ski Magazine rates Bullards Bar Reservoir as one of the best recreational lakes in the United States.

Our two pups, Skye and Summer snoozing on the boat after a fun day on the reservoir at Bullards Bar.  This was their very first time on the boat and they did very well.  They loved jumping in and cooling off and playing on what little shoreline was available to them.  After one of the best rainfall years in California we are happy to report that this reservoir is currently at 100% of capacity.  I have lived in California for 30 years and this is a very special lake for both Jeff and I.  Jeff has been visiting this lake for over 30 years and I have been coming out to this wonderful lake for over 17 years with him.  We have shoreline camped in our boat, waterskied, tossed around on a "floaty" behind the boat, swam, etc.  Our favorite place to be on the water....hands down!