The west's Best Lakes

Sunset, August, 2001

Go ahead-- MAKE A SPLASH.

When summer sizzles, these lakes will cool, refresh, and energize you.

Summer and lakes to together like... well like: paddles and canoes. The sun climbs high in the August sky inviting you to bask, then leading you to think, Oh, if only could cool down. And there it is, shimmering blue before you the like.

The West is blessed in lakes large and small from puddle-size ponds ideal for catching tad-poles to vast bodies of water that generate their own weather systems and can be seen from outer space. In these pages we focus mainly on lesser-known lakes that are perfect for summer vacationing-lakes with great scenery great lodging and camping options and lots of things to do. Or not to do that being one of a lake's other charms: It invites you to do absolutely nothing, bliss fully from now until labor Day and maybe beyond.

Bass Lake

Lora J. Finnegan

Bass Lake has star quality. A classically pretty mountain lake, ringed by tall sugar and ponderosa pines, it served as Technicolor backdrop to the beautiful-if-evil Gene Tierny in the '40s classic, Leave Her to Heaven. In the '80s, less glamorously, it costarred with John Candy in The Great Outdoors.

Today, the biggest lakeside celebrities may be the bald eagles that nest each spring and summer by the shore. But Bass Lake still appeals. Set in the Sierra Nevada foothills, it's an easy detour on the way to Yosemite National Park. On a map it looks like a fat pinkie finger--with a slight crook in the middle. It's 4 miles long, 1/2 mile wide, and fairly shallow, so the water really warms up in summer. That makes it a hot spot for those on water skis and water scooters.

Three good resorts--Ducey's on the Lake, the adjoining Pines Resort and Conference Center, and Bass Lake Lodge--give you a range of places to stay. The lake has several marinas where you can rent ski boats, water scooters, patio boats, and the like. Send up some rooster tails as you zip across the lake on water skis. Find a quiet cove to wet a fishing line, or just spread a shoreside picnic and take a dip. The water's fine.

TRAVEL PLANNER

Bass Lake is 47 miles northeast of Fresno via State 41 (Yosemite Hwy.). From Oakhurst, take State 41 north to the Bass Lake turnoff (County Rd. 222) and drive about 4 miles to the lake.

The lake is at its best between Memorial Day and Labor Day--after that, water levels drop for irrigation use. It's managed by California Land Management; pick up a map or parking pass ($3) at their Bass Lake office (559/642-3212) on County Rd. 222 on the south shore. Parking passes are required for developed picnic areas.

Area code is 559 unless noted.

* LAKE FUN BOAT RENTALS. The Bass Lake Water Sports and Area and Recreation Point; there are no lifeguards.

* DINING Ducey's Dining Room. Restaurant is the best around (in Ducey's on the Lake; see "Lodging"), with favorites like salmon Wellington and rack of lamb, and tables with water views.

* LODGING Bass Lake Lodge. This luxurious lodge was inspired in part by Yosemite's Ahwahnee Hotel. It's right on the shore, with a boat dock offering small boats for guests. Six rooms from $250. 54300 North Shore Rd.; 642-2399. Ducey's on the Lake. Modern and plush, Ducey's has 20 lake-view suites; the lobby is a pinepaneled paean to the mountains, with deer heads and Native American rugs on the walls. From $219. 39255 Marina Dr., Bass Lake; (800) 350-7463 or www.basslake.com. Pines Resort and Conference Center at Bass Lake. Managed with Ducey's, the Pines is the largest resort on the lake; it offers over 100 condolike chalets. From $179. 54432 North Shore Rd. at the Pines Village; (800) 350-7463 or www.basslake.com.

* CAMPING There are 280 sites at four campgrounds around the lake. Spring Cove, close to a great beach, is a favorite. $16; reservations required. (877) 444-6777.

The morning fog hangs like a smoky pillow over Lake Quinault. Along the shores of the lake, tall trees rise to the sky. Set in the rain forest country of Washington's Olympic Peninsula, Quinault is home to gargantuan timber that feasts on the area's abundant moisture--145 to 150 inches of rain annually. Even on this warm, clear morning, the lake is slow to shed its rainy-day ambience.

Along with its lush setting, 5-mile-long Lake Quinault's lure lies in its serenity. The Quinault Indian Nation, which owns the lake, prohibits water scooters, waterskiing, and fast boat travel; you can go hours without hearing the motor of a boat as you quietly paddle your canoe or kayak. Along the shore, cabins and lodges are typically free of telephones. Some accommodations even forgo televisions.

The silence only thickens the deeper you walk among the surrounding trees. Linked Forest Service loop trails lead to stands of near-record size Douglas fir and Western hemlock. The 31-mile Lake Quinault Loop Drive gives you views of the region's ambulatory titans, the barrel-chested Roosevelt elk.

Others of the lake's pleasures are manmade. With its steep roof and weathered cedar-shingle exterior, the Lake Quinault Lodge feels as rooted in the landscape as the trees around it. In the wood-paneled lobby, logs snap in the large fireplace on cool days and in the evenings. Find a place in a club chair and gaze out the floor-to-ceiling windows that frame the lake and the hills to the north. If there's a more serene, more beautiful scene anywhere in the West, we'd like to know about it.