Visited in September 2012 during a weekend camping/boating trip with our friends, Scott & Todd and we brought our dogs with us. We camped in the Minersville campground on the west side of the lake in Camping Spot #07 with a great view of the lake and it is tucked back a little farther from other camping sites. We have camped at this lake a couple of times over the years.
Trinity Lake is a artificial lake on the Trinity River formed by Trinity Dam. Trinity Lake is located northwest of Redding, California, off of Highway 299 north of the Gold Rush mining town of Weaverville. The elevation of the lake is 2,370 feet above sea level and the lake is 16,535 acres large, making it one of the largest reservoirs in California. Trinity Lake captures and stores water for the Central Valley Project, which provides the Central Valley with water for irrigation and produces hydroelectric power. This lake is known for its many small arms, glassy inlets, and great water-skiing conditions.
After the death in office of California United States Senator Clair Engle in 1964, the lake was renamed after him; however, the name change never received wide popularity, especially with locals, and the name was eventually returned to its frequently known original name.
The Alpine scenery surrounding the lake makes up the Trinity Alps. The Alps were formed in the late Jurassic Period by volcanic activity in the form of ultramafic and granitic plutons (igneous rock formed from super-heated magma cooling under the surface of the earth), and tectonic activity (the super continent of Pangaea was beginning to pull apart into two separate super-sized continents) and glaciation during frigid climate periods known as ice ages (land surface modified by action of glaciers). The last remaining glaciers are on Thompson’s peak, at more than 9,000 feet. The lake bed was originally a series of deep valleys in the Alps.
The Discovery of Gold in 1848 prompted hundreds of miners to move into the area. Towns like Weaverville were born practically overnight. In 1958, a plan to divert water from Trinity River to California’s Central Valley led to the construction of Trinity Dam and the creation of Trinity Lake. This project was also designed to provide hydroelectric power to the local area. The Trinity River Division of the Central Valley Project came to fruition in 1961 with the completion of Trinity Dam. The lake was renamed Clair Engle Lake from 1964 to 1997. It was eventually renamed Trinity Lake. The lake was completely filled with water from the Trinity River by 1963 and is the third largest lake in California with 145 miles of shoreline. The area is known to have been inhabited by several Native American tribes, most notably the Yurok and Hoopa. Both tribes have reservation lands in the area to this day.
Jeff stoking the campfire at Minerville Campground Site # 07, one of favorite spots on the lake shore.
Jeff, me, Todd and Scott with our two dogs Star and Sadie at Trinity Lake enjoying the weekend camping by the lake.
Fun on Trinity Lake just boating around with Todd and Scott.
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