Millerton Lake State Recreation Area5290 Millerton Road

Friant, CA 93626(559) 822-2332

© 2002 California State Parks (Rev. 2014)

Our MissionThe mission of California State Parks is to provide for the health, inspiration and education of the people of California by helping to preserve the state’s extraordinary biological diversity, protecting its most valued natural and cultural resources, and creating opportunities for high-quality outdoor recreation.

Millerton LakeState Recreation Area

CALIFORNIA STATE PARKSP.O. Box 942896

Sacramento, CA 94296-0001For information call: (800) 777-0369.

(916) 653-6995, outside the U.S. 711, TTY relay service

www.parks.ca.gov

Discover the many states of California.™

California State Parks supports equal access. Prior to arrival, visitors with disabilities who need assistance should contact the park at (559) 822-2332. This publication can be made available in alternate formats. Contact interp@parks.ca.gov or (916) 654-2249.

Millerton Lake State

Recreation Area lies in

the center of California’s

heartland, covering

an area rich in historic

importance.

M illerton Lake State Recreation Area is located in the heart of California, near the southernmost end of the Mother Lode gold region. Here, where the San Joaquin River flows out of the Sierra Nevada foothills and into the Central Valley, the 319-foot-tall Friant Dam was built across the river canyon in 1944 to form Millerton Lake. One of the most popular recreation areas in the San Joaquin Valley, the lake’s 47 miles of shoreline are a magnet for families seeking high-quality recreational opportunities.

PARK HISTORY

For thousands of years, several groups of Northern Foothill Yokuts lived in the rolling grasslands and woodlands of the region. The women crafted beautiful baskets used for both utilitarian and ceremonial purposes. The men harvested acorns and hunted

deer, quail and other game. The Yokuts were especially skilled at fishing for salmon, which they dried and stored for winter use.

The lives of the Yokuts were altered by the intrusion of settlers who brought diseases to which they had no immunity, depleted their food sources, and caused them to be displaced from their villages. Conflicts with the new arrivals ultimately led to the Mariposa Indian War, which ended in 1851 with the signing of a peace treaty at the U.S. military encampment known as Camp Barbour. An envoy had negotiated treaties with several California Indian groups, but Congress failed to ratify the treaties.

Camp Barbour, now beneath the lake’s surface, was built in 1850. A tent city called

Rootville, later changed to Millerton, sprang up and quickly prospered. It served as the Fresno County seat from 1856 to 1874. The

area’s only courthouse was built in 1867. In 1941 the courthouse was dismantled and reconstructed on its present site at Mariner’s Point to protect it from rising floodwaters. The courthouse has been restored to look much as it did more than a century ago.

Today the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation maintains Friant Dam as part of the federal Central

Millerton Courthouse in the spring

Valley Project to manage water for flood control, drinking water and irrigation. California State Parks has an operating agreement with the Bureau of Reclamation for the management of Millerton Lake.

WILDLIFE

Millerton Lake has the largest population of wintering bald eagles in the San Joaquin Valley, most having migrated more than 1,600 miles from summer breeding grounds in Canada. The San Joaquin drainage and other nearby lakes have several year-round nesting bald eagle pairs, sometimes spotted in the summer.

Other wildlife-watching opportunities include resident golden eagles, waterfowl, and both indigenous and migratory bird species that travel to and from the higher portions of the Sierra Nevada. Larger mammals such as deer, bobcats, coyotes and mountain lions inhabit the area. Smaller animals include foxes, badgers, skunks, raccoons, opossums, cottontail rabbits and ground squirrels.

PLANT COMMUNITIES

The first fall rains turn the hills green, and wildflowers reach their peak in April.

During the summer, stately blue oak and live oak trees dot the dry brown hills. Up the river canyon, oaks and gray pine combine with manzanita, ceanothus and other chaparral to form a denser forest. Vernal pools above the upper river canyon provide a vital habitat for the short life cycles of frogs, toads, tiny fairy shrimp, prehistoric-looking tadpole shrimp, and specially adapted plants.

RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIESSummer temperatures can pass 100 degrees, so hikers should always carry drinking water. October brings a pleasant 50 to 80 degrees. In the spring, when

sailing regattas and water skiers start to fill the lake,

temperatures range from 40 to 65 degrees.

Friant Dam

Picnicking – Picnic areas with barbecue grills and restrooms surround the lake. Groups of up to 100 may choose to reserve one of two Grange Grove picnic areas. South Finegold — reachable by car and boat — has tables, wood stoves and a shade ramada that can accommodate 150.Boating – Millerton’s shoreline has three launch ramps with parking nearby. Snacks, beverages, bait and gas are available at Millerton

Lake Marina. Local boating groups stage sailboat races and regattas in June and July.Hiking and Bicycling – Trails range from level hiking areas to challenging mountain bike trails. Markers along a ¼-mile interpretive trail at Fort Miller campground explain the natural and cultural resources. The strenuous, hiking-only Buzzard’s Roost Trail at the north shore offers lake views. On the south shore, Blue Oak Trail provides a level, two-mile hike to Winchell Cove. An 11-mile trail follows the river canyon from South Finegold to the Bureau of Land Management’s rustic Squaw Leap campground.Fishing – The shoreline habitat provides hiding places for an abundance of bass and catfish. Fishing tournaments are

occasionally scheduled through special events permits. A valid California fishing license is required.Camping – The north shore has 148 developed sites among oak and gray pine woodlands, 27 with electricity hookups. Each site has a table, fire ring, and access

to drinking water. Two group campgrounds can accommodate from 45 to 75 people.Boat Camping – Temperance Flat has two dozen first-come, first-served sites reachable by boat. North Finegold can

Lake view campsite

Bass

hold 15 fully-contained boats. Register in advance at the south shore park entrance during park hours. Read the boat camping information sheet for details on shore campsites, registration, marinas, safety requirements, and self-contained sanitation devices. Boaters should complete a boating safety course before operating their boats at Millerton.

INTERPRETIVE PROGRAMS

• Summer campfire programs

• Junior Ranger programs

• School groups can tour the Courthouse. Call (559) 822-2332 for appointments.

• Group boat tours to view the bald and golden eagles around the lake from December to February. Call the park in November for cost and reservations.

Channel boaters

ACCESSIBLE FEATURES

• Family campsites, restrooms and picnic sites

• Level group sites; four picnic tables, restrooms. Terrain around all campsites is not level.

Accessible conditions are continually improving. For updates, visit http://access.parks.ca.gov.

DAM AND LAKE FACTS

Type of structure: concrete gravityDam height: 319 feetLake width: from one to three milesReservoir surface elevation: 471 feet to 578 feet above sea levelReservoir total capacity at 578 feet: 520,500 acre-feet (642,036,750 cubic meters)Water surface: 4,900 acres when lake is fullMain purposes: reclamation, flood control, irrigation, and recreationOutlets: Friant-Kern Canal, Madera Canal, and the San Joaquin RiverMaintained by: U.S. Bureau of ReclamationOperated by: California State Parks

View of Big Bend area and backcountry

PLEASE REMEMBER

• All natural and cultural features are protected by law and may not be disturbed or removed.

• Be alert for rattlesnakes, mountain lions and poison oak.

• Lifeguards are on duty only during summer. Park staff recommend that children wear approved life jackets.

• Alcohol consumption is prohibited on the beaches. Operating a boat under the influence of alcohol or drugs is against the law.

• Vessels with non-conformant two-stroke engines may not launch or use the lake. For details, see http://www.dbw.parks.ca.gov/PDF/MillertonLakeTSNotice.pdf.

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Hulbert Mtn

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Te m p e r a n c e F l a t

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© 2011 California State Parks (Rev. 2014)Map by Eureka Cartography, Berkeley, CA

LegendPaved Road

Unpaved Road

Trail: HikeMulti-Use Trail(Hike/Bike/Horse)Restricted Boating Area

Accessible Feature

Boating

Boat Ramp

Campground

Group Campground

Horse Campground

Primitive Campground

Campsite Numbers

Locked Gate

Marina

Nature Trail

Parking

Picnic Area

Restrooms

RV Sanitation Station

Swimming

Viewpoint

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oating Zone

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ParkEntrance

ParkEntrance Blue Oak

GrangeGrove

BoatRamps#2-5

La PlayaBeach

MillertonCourthouse

FriantDam

NoBoating

Zone

WinchellCove

MillertonCourthouse

Crow’sNest

BoatRamp #1

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Zone

South Bay

MeadowsParkEntrance

RockyPoint

Mono

FortMiller

DumnaStrand

ValleyOak

SouthFinegold

ParkEntrance

RockyPoint1-21

Mono22-37

DumnaStrand75-84

Buzzard’sRoost

Valley Oak85-90

Meadows91-138

BoatRamp#6

SquawLeap(BLM)

Temperance FlatBoat-In

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MarshallStation

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North Fork Rd

Fria

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Millerton Rd

Road 145

Sky Harbor Rd

Smal

ley Rd

Road 2

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Wel

lbar

n R

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Auberry

Rd

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North Shore Trail

North Shore Trail

Millerton Rd

Courthouse Rd

Millerton Rd

Rd

McK

enzi

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Blue Oak Trail

River Trail

San

Joa

quin

Road 145

Buzzard’s Roost Trail

Millerton Rd

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Oak

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Winchell Cove Rd

S O U T H S H O R EA R E A

M I L L E RT O N L A K ES TAT E

R E C R E AT I O NA R E A

N O R T HF I N E G O L D

A R E A

N O R T H S H O R EA R E A

to Fresno

toMadera

Prather

Auberry

Fresno

Fria

nt

Millerton Rd

Rd

Road400

Auberry

Rd

Toll House

Rd

Herndon Ave

Clo

vis

Ave

Kings Canyon Rd

Shaw Ave

Mad

era

Ave

Avenue 12

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ad 3

6

North F

ork

Rd

99145

Clovis

168

168Friant

41Madera

145

HensleyLake

YosemiteLakes

41

O’Neals

Millerton Lake SRA

Millerton LakeState Recreation Area