Backpage: Fun at Lake Oroville

The summer after El Niño was a good one for Lake Oroville.

It started with clearing of tons of debris scattered in the lake by winter and spring storms. Sporting a new look and lots of water, Lake Oroville welcomed about 30,000 to watch a grand display of July 4 fireworks over Oroville Dam.

Over the summer, water levels were held high, with the lake holding 3.5 million acre-feet of water. Lake Oroville’s 15,858-acre surface and 167-mile shoreline offer plenty of fun to choose from, especially for recreationists who are looking to get away from the crowds. However that may soon change. “There have been more visitors this summer than the last,” says Rolland Williams, Chief of DWR’s Oroville Field Division.

Around the lake and two other smaller reservoirs, there are the usual: swimming, boating, sunbathing, picnicking, and fishing. But Oroville has more: one of the world’s tallest earthfill dam, floating campsites, an equestrian campground, two marinas, a 41-mile mountain bike trail, a radio-controlled model airplane runway, a wildlife area, a fish hatchery, and a visitors center with a 47-foot viewing tower.

For more information about Lake Oroville Recreation, click here.