In this story from today’s Bee the wonders of Folsom Lake, created by Folsom Dam, are extolled along with mention of its growing popularity to the point it may becoming over-used; which will be solved, hopefully, when the 140 shoreline miles of Auburn Lake, created by Auburn Dam, come into the picture in the next decade or so, adding to the existing 75 miles of shoreline at Folsom.
Reading this story of Folsom Lake’s wonders really whets the recreational, and growing population’s, appetite for an even larger lake a bit east.
Here is an excerpt.
Our big backyard
Folsom Lake State Recreation Area offers plenty to do -- but it isn't easy to please the ever-growing crowds
By Bob Ehlert -- Assistant Features Editor Published 12:01 am PDT Thursday, June 8, 2006
It was not a pretty sight to see debris overwhelm the shores and inlets of Folsom Lake this spring. Sticks, stumps and gangly logs collected like a giant bathtub ring on the 75 miles of shoreline, sometimes forcing swimmers and boaters at Granite Bay to dodge them as though they were the killer shark of "Jaws."
Would-be sailors and wakeboarders who usually put in at Brown's Ravine, picnickers at Folsom Point and anglers up at Rattlesnake Bar also had to adjust or navigate the inflow of mostly natural junk.
Yet, even at this low point in the ebb and flow of Folsom Lake State Recreation Area, loyal crowds and devotees couldn't resist its charms. That's because Folsom Lake SRA, which is mostly owned by the Bureau of Reclamation and managed by California State Parks, is one of the most accessible and diverse chunks of outdoor recreation space anywhere.
Located between Interstate 80 and Highway 50, the park's 18,000 acres welcome up to 2.7 million visitors each year, as well as plenty of wildlife -- from the often-seen to the phantom, nocturnal visitors such as mountain lions.
"We have sightings all throughout the park, but especially near the bike trail between Folsom Dam Road and Historic Folsom," says Michael Gross, park superintendent. "Usually in the spring you get the most sightings. We have signs posted: 'Beware of mountain lions.' "
Gross, who has worked in many of California's state parks, says Folsom Lake SRA "has a unique intensity level and a much higher than average urban interface." Which is to say park users range from those awed by its natural attractions to adjacent property owners who nurture its resources -- and others who have been caught cutting down trees to "improve" the view.
Though Folsom Lake SRA is in the middle of the pack in state-park size, it's among the leaders in visitation.
Near-urban wonderland
And it's no wonder. Where else is there such a big-city backyard playground -- the park footprint touches three densely populated counties: Sacramento, El Dorado and Placer -- where not one but two campgrounds can deliver evening-by-the-fire coziness as well as early morning birdsong awakenings? And where else does merely living by a park offer such other rewards?
"The whole waterway is amazing, and then there's the biking, hiking, equestrian, running and bird-watching," says Folsom resident Crystal Barber, who essentially has adopted the park. Her solo walks along the American River Parkway "to get my thinking done" are shared with butterflies floating near wildflowers and birds of prey soaring above the stands of oak.
But it's not all butterflies and wildflowers for Barber. Several times a year, she rolls up her sleeves and leads organized cleanups of the park, sometimes in the company of another Folsom resident, Dan Winkelman, a retired state park ranger.
Though he's fond of all the natural wonders and opportunities above the dam on Folsom Lake, Winkelman speaks of the below-the-dam area around Lake Natoma as if it were an Eden for paddlers.
"Here's a five-mile-long lake, a quarter-mile wide … very quiet, low-impact; it's world-class paddling," he enthuses. "There are islands to paddle around, there are channeling spots, and the canyon upriver. Three bridges for shade on hot days. It is just unbelievable what it offers."
A park based on water
The Sierra foothills and the lake views make it easy to forget that a river runs through it, so to speak.
Follow the water up the western shore and you'll end up at the narrows of the north fork of the American River, steadily inching up in elevation to nearly 500 feet near the park border with Auburn State Recreation Area.
Follow the shore on the eastern side and you'll soon be heading upstream on the south fork of the American River near Salmon Falls, roughly the park's eastern boundary (and a common takeout point for whitewater rafters).
