Mountain Meadows Reservoir - Lassen County, California

Visited on 6/11/2018 on our way back from Springfield, Oregon to visit family and to attend Jeff’s niece, Hannah’s High School graduation ceremony we stopped on the way back to check out Mountain Meadows Reservoir just 2 miles southeast of town of Westwood, California near Lake Almanor.  Mountain Meadows Reservoir is a 5,800 acre picturesque mountain lake that lies at an elevation of 5,046 feet.  Meadows Reservoir is an artificial lake, located in Lassen County, California. The lake is also known as Walker Lake.  It’s waters are impounded by the Indian Ole Dam, which was completed in 1924.

The lake is fed by Robbers Creek, Goodrich Creek, Duffy Creek, Cottonwood Creek, Mountain Meadows Creek, Greenville Creek, and Deerheart Creek. It discharges into Hamilton Creek, which feeds Lake Almanor.

Indian Ole Dam is a flashboard and buttress dam, it is 264 feet long and 26 feet high, with 8 feet of freeboard. Pacific Gas and Electric Company owns the dam and manages the surrounding lands.
Cultural remnants of both the American pioneers and the Maidu exist near the reservoir and other sites are believed to exist beneath its waters.
 

On September 13, 2015, the reservoir was completely dry, resulting in the death of perhaps thousands of fish.  But on the day we visited it was completely full and overflowing the dam.  Jeff and I strolled across the walkway on the dam and watched the water freely flow through the wooden planks below.  It was very interesting to visit this unique dam and watch it in action.  The dogs had a great time retrieving a stick in the lake.