Whiskeytown LakeAn ideal sailing day in California's Northern Sacramento Valley begins with a pink-orange glow, like a distant campfire silhouetting the Cascades along the horizon. Minutes later rays of sunlight shoot up the canyons of the eastern slope and out over the snow-capped mountains. But, as luck would have it, the day we planned to sail Whiskeytown Lake dawned gray and cool. 
NOAA Radio had predicted a chance of showers by late afternoon. We'd rigged the Potter 14, gassed up the outboard and fed the machine a crisp fin for our day-use permit, all before 8 am. Almost the moment the boat floated free rain began to fall. Deborah and I had planned to sail this beautiful mountain lake for weeks; now we would go regardless of the weather. She huddled against the cabin bulkhead, and I pulled my cap lower against the drizzle blowing in over the starboard bow as we set out for the main body of the lake a mile to the southeast.In the early sixties construction of 4000-foot-long Clair A. Hill-Whiskeytown Dam, on Clear Creek, created Whiskeytown Lake in the foothills of the southern Klamath Mountains. The 281-foot-high earth-fill dam impounds almost a quarter-million acre-feet of clear mountain runoff. Thirty-six miles of shoreline surround more than 3000 surface acres. At 1200-feet, Whiskeytown Lake is some 700-feet above and 9 miles northwest of Redding, on scenic Highway 299. We launched on Whiskey Creek where the "potable" names seem to have gotten their start. In the early days of the Gold Rush, so the legend goes, mules hauling kegs of whiskey to camp lost their footing. The cargo plummeted down a ravine, breaking open and spilling the contents into the creek. Since the site of the accident was just upstream of the new town, it wasn't long before someone hung a "Whiskeytown" moniker on the settlement. The launching area had reopened only weeks before our visit, after an extensive four-month renovation. The parking area was expanded and repaved. Self-leveling courtesy docks were installed. The existing concrete ramps were extended and another was added. Restrooms, a pay phone and bulletin boards are all right next to the parking lot. This is a first-class launch area, as nice as any I've seen. Our third tack brought us to a bend in the creek. As we rounded the tree-covered bluff to starboard, the massive, green steel girders of the Whiskey Creek Bridge came in to view. Morning traffic on 299 was light-occasional cars and a surprising number of log trucks hauling timber to valley mills. From our vantage point, three feet off the surface, clearance under the bridge looked tight. I convinced Deborah there was plenty of room but calculated how quickly I could reach the cleat to drop the gaff. I was surprised the bridge didn't appear to be marked. When we passed under at the high east end, I estimated we had probably twenty feet to spare. A few hundred yards past the bridge, we sailed over what was once the confluence of Clear, Brandy and Whiskey Creeks. At that moment, the remains of the old town were some 200-feet directly below our keel. Free of the wind shadow of the surrounding hills, our sails filled. We made for the marina at Brandy Creek, straight across the lake. The lake has two full-service marinas, one at Brandy Creek and another near the west end at Oak Bottom. RV campsites are available near both marinas year round. A power boat roared by at a respectful distance. Moments later we rocked in his wake. The weather was evidently keeping most mechanized mariners away; it would be the only boat of its type we'd see all day. Whiskeytown allows personal watercraft, but to our delight we saw and heard none. PWC pilots who wish to buzz Whiskeytown Lake had better get it done soon; they'll be banned not long after April 20, 2002. Abruptly, the breeze tapered off to almost nothing, and the drizzle fell straight down. Although the sail was still filled, we felt motionless. By lining up trees in the distance, we could see we were making progress, however slow. Other than a lone fisherman trolling the bank in an aluminum boat a mile or more to the west, we appeared to have the lake to ourselves. After a while the rain stopped, and we sailed in silence for a quarter-hour. Two small islands about a hundred yards off the west coast, covered in the oak, manzanita and digger pine so prevalent in this area, guard the entrance to Brandy Creek. The summit of the smaller one appeared to be an open meadow, so we decided to land and climb up to enjoy the view while having lunch. Most of the island's perimeter is nearly vertical for three or four feet, so we began a circuit until we found a low spot. We tied up to a gnarled root and stepped up onto the steep, red-dirt bank. The clearing was visible no more than a hundred feet away, but the brushy manzanita was so dense and prickly we gave up after only a few minutes and retreated to the boat. After sandwiches aboard, we decided to sail to the extreme southeast end of the lake and explore the dam. We beat into the weather for a half hour, then the wind picked up and the rain started again. By now we were wet and cold, so we decided to leave the dam for another day. We came about and ran back up the middle of the lake toward the Whiskey Creek inlet. The best sailing of the day was when we turned to starboard and reached into the mouth of the creek. A little chop combined with the fresh breeze sent some occasional light spray over the coamings as we sailed along at a good clip. The only problem was it didn't last long enough. Too soon we passed under the bridge and back in the lee of the steep hills surrounding the inlet. A half-mile farther along the right bank sits a little cove with a sandy beach. We saw trails leading up into the woods behind the beach, so we decided to land and check it out. I sailed full-speed right up onto the sand. This is where the littlest Potter really shines. The board touched first, then the rudder. Both raised automatically as we glided onto the shore. We stepped off the foredeck right into the sand. We learned later that this beach is a "day-use picnic area," and can be reserved from April through September for groups of up to fifty persons for fifty dollars a day. Seems like an ideal base of operations for a group of shoal-draft small-boat sailors. They could leave their vehicles at the Whiskey Creek launch area, then sail into the cove and spend the day lazing around the beach and sailing the lake. Plenty of picnic benches sit in the trees behind the beach, and a trail leads back to odor-free, well-maintained composting restrooms on the rise above the picnic area. The beach is clean and sandy, and a wading/swimming area is marked off with buoys for the kids. A prettier spot would be hard to find. Sailors coming to Whiskeytown in the summer should be prepared for hot weather. Temperatures generally range from the mid-eighties to well over 100 degrees. Light clothing and hats are the order of the day. Bring the sunscreen! Spring and fall days are usually mild with highs to the eighties and nighttime temperatures from the mid-thirties to the low fifties. Winter is when the rain falls, averaging more than 55 inches per year. High temperatures range from the forties to the sixties, and nights can be below freezing. The only time Whiskeytown Lake seems at all crowded is during the annual sailing regatta held every Memorial Day weekend. Because of the weather, and probably because it was a Monday, we virtually had the lake to ourselves the day we visited. Had we not been committed to sailing that day, the gray, threatening dawn might have kept us home. I'm glad it didn't. 
FEES/PERMITSEntrance Fee PER VEHICLE $5.00 for Day-Includes launch fee. $20.00 for Annual Permits GOLD PANNING PERMIT $1.00 for Annual A permit required for those over 17 wishing to try their luck panning for gold. Permits are available at the Visitor Center and Park Headquarters. CAMPING Brandy Creek RV Campground is open all year Sites are offered on a first-come first-served basis (no advance reservations accepted), and are paved parking spots along an access road. Summer $14.00 per night / winter $7.00 per night. Permits are only available at the Brandy Creek Marina Pay Station. For More Information on this campground please call 530-242-3400 Dry Creek Group Tent Campground is open all year Make Reservations by Phone at 1-800-365-CAMP. Two group only campsites are available (tents only). Each can hold a maximum of 50 people and must be reserved from April 1st through September 30th. There is a $12.85 fee to change or cancel a reservation. For More Information on this campground please call (530) 242-3400 off seas. Oak Bottom Campground is open All Year Make Reservations by Phone at 1-800-365-CAMP. Lakeside tent sites are $18.00/night with other tent site $16.00/night. RV sites (separate parking lot sites) are $14.00. Reservations are available for the summer season from May 15th through September 15th. During the winter season, sites are available only on a first-come-first-served basis at $8.00/night for tent sites and $7.00/night for RV sites. There is a $12.85 fee to change or cancel a reservation. Primitive Tent Campsites are open All Year. These sites are available only on a first-come-first-served basis at Park Headquarters (no advanced reservations accepted). These sites are located away from the lake and are accessible by dirt road. Summer rate $10.00/night and winter $5.00/night. For More Information on this campground please call 530 242-3400. Whiskey Creek Group Picnic Area Make Reservations by Phone at 1-800-365-CAMP. Open From 04/01/01 To 09/30/01. Three group day use picnic areas are available. Site 1 holds 50 people at $50.00/day, site 2 & 3 hold 40 people each at $40.00/day and may only be reserved April 1st through September 30th. There is a $12.85 fee to change or cancel a reservation. FACILITIES WHISKEYTOWN VISITOR CENTER Open All Year Open From 09/04/00 To 05/25/01 10AM - 4PM Open From 05/26/01 To 09/03/01 9AM - 6PM Open From 09/04/01 To 5/25/02 10AM - 4PM Phone - 530 246-1225 Location - From Interstate 5, take the 299 West exit toward Eureka for approximately 8 miles to reach the Visitor Center. Closed on Christmas, New Years and Thanksgiving Days. Exhibits - The visitor center has 3 small exhibits on the California Gold Rush. A wide selection of books and information are offered at the Visitor Center, including books on California Gold Rush and local Native Americans. | |||||
