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 [email protected] 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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seeNorth Shoredetail map
above
seeSouth Shoredetail map
right
Fort Miller38-74
San J
oaqu
in Rive
r M
adera
Canal
Friant-K
ern C
anal
Creek
Sa
n Jao
quin River
Creek
Finegold
Creek
Winchell
Cre
ek
Dum
na
Millerton Lake578ft176m
SouthBay
WillowCove
578ft176m
Millerton Lake
WinchellBay 578ft
176m
Millerton Lake
SouthBay
WillowCove
EastBay
HillisCove
DumnaCove
FinegoldBay
DumnaCove
AU
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EY
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YT
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T A C T O E H I L L
M c K E N Z I E T A B L E
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McKenziePoint
RattlesnakeIsland
RattlesnakeIsland
McKenziePoint
Marshall Hill1566ft476m
Pincushion Mtn1582ft481m
Berry Hill922ft280m
Hulbert Mtn
Squaw Leap2334ft710m
Te m p e r a n c e F l a t
San Joaqui
n
Riv
er
Trai
l
Trail
San JoaquinR
iver
© 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
No Bicycles on Trail
No Horses on Trail
P
P
No B
oating Zone
No Ski Area
No Ski
Are
a
No Ski A
rea
No Ski Area
No
Ski A
rea
ParkEntrance
ParkEntrance Blue Oak
GrangeGrove
BoatRamps#2-5
La PlayaBeach
MillertonCourthouse
FriantDam
NoBoating
Zone
WinchellCove
MillertonCourthouse
Crow’sNest
BoatRamp #1
NoBoating
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
Friant
MarshallStation
Roa
d 21
1
Ro
ad
14
5
North Fork Rd
Fria
nt R
d
Millerton Rd
Road 145
Sky Harbor Rd
Smal
ley Rd
Road 2
10
Wel
lbar
n R
d
Auberry
Rd
Aub
erry
Rd
Roa
d 14
5
North Shore Trail
North Shore Trail
Millerton Rd
Courthouse Rd
Millerton Rd
Rd
McK
enzi
e
Blue Oak Trail
River Trail
San
Joa
quin
Road 145
Buzzard’s Roost Trail
Millerton Rd
Blue
Oak
Tra
il
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
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Millerton Rd
Rd
Road400
Auberry
Rd
Toll House
Rd
Herndon Ave
Clo
vis
Ave
Kings Canyon Rd
Shaw Ave
Mad
era
Ave
Avenue 12
Ro
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
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