A collection of travel and adventure stories

Sly Park - Jenkinson Lake Kayaking

Description and Directions >>

Description:
Jenkinson Lake is a 650 acre lake located in the Northern Sierra Mountains. The lake is part of the Sly Park Recreation Area of El Dorado County near Pollock Pines, California. The lake has boat launch facilities, hiking, picnicking and camping facilities.

Activities:
camping, hiking, boating, kayaking, fishing

Directions:
From Sacramento, CA - take Hwy 50 East for about 50 miles. Exit on Sly Park Road and continue South for approx. 5 miles to the entrance to the Recreation Area.

Story Date 3/12/2005
Publish Date 12/27/2005

Story Perspectives >>

According to Mikala: When I was younger, we lived in Placerville, CA and often went to Sly Park to swim and explore the lake. I did not recall the name of the lake until I was older...Jenkinson Lake. This is a pretty, mountain lake. However, for kayaking, it can be a bit rough with the windy afternoons. The lake is often quite busy with motor boats in the summer. It's a great place to camp, since the camp sites are very close to the water (a few choice sites are right on the water's edge).

On the day that we kayaked, the weather was sunny and warm. Since it was March, there were very few boaters on the water. We had a late start, so we only kayaked in the smaller arm of the lake near the South Shore. Here it was a little protected by the wind and smoother. We kayaked up toward Hazel Creek, where there is a wooden foot bridge as part of the South Shore Trail.

This isn't one of my favortie lakes to kayak, but since it is fairly close to Sacramento and offers good camping, it is one we will probably visit again.