Visited on 3/3/2018 Jeff and I loaded up the dogs and took a nice spring afternoon drive to the sierra foothills north of our ranch to this wonderful lake. Camp Far West Reservoir also called Camp Far West Lake, it is a small reservoir in the foothills of Northern California located approximately 8 miles east of Wheatland, California and 45 miles northeast of Sacramento. The lake also forms the meeting point of three California counties, Placer, Nevada and Yuba at what was formerly the confluence of the two streams, Bear River and Rock Creek. Both Beale Air Force Base and the Spenceville Wildlife Area lay directly to the north of the lake.
The 185 foot high earth
and rock dam on the west side of the lake was constructed in 1963 as part of
the California State Water Project to control flooding in the Central Valley
(California), and to provide hydroelectric power to the surrounding area. The
facility is owned and operated by the South Sutter Water District.
Camp Far West is
situated at an elevation of 280 feet above sea level. It is a fairly large
lake, impounding 104,500 acre feet of water when at full capacity with a
surface area of 2,000 acres and 29 miles of shoreline. The lake got its name
from a gold rush era immigrant camp that was located just downstream from the
present day dam site. Since it was the last camp on the immigrant trail before
the 49ers coming from the east reached the Sacramento Valley, it was dubbed,
Camp Far West.
In the spring when the
lake is full, the hills are green and the oak trees lining the shoreline are
covered with budding leaves, the lake is quite beautiful. In the fall when the
water level is drawn down 60 feet or more, the grass is parched and the leaves
have fallen, the visual impact isn’t quite as awe inspiring, but the camping
and recreation can be just as good as the springtime.
This picture was taken from the bridge over the spillway from the Lake to the Bear River below. This was right after a couple of heavy rains in the area, so the lake was full and water was being released over the spillway and thru the hydro plant which is a few hundred yards to the south.
Taken from the North Shore Recreation Area Campground. Camping spot #7 and #14 were the favorite spots for future camping in our truck camper, when it warms up a little we plan to come back and stay over night.
Historical site of the old Graham Hotel is located at Camp Far West Lake and Johnson's Ranch is to the southwest of the Lake. Jeff's ancestors and thousands of Emigrants and pioneers made this their first stop here when they arrived in California.
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