Hwy. 70 Side Trip to Davis Lake and Frenchman Lake / South of Susanville: April 2008 Archives

Lightening Tree Campground / Highway 70 Side-Trip

Area: North of the town of Portola on Highway 70

Plumas National Forest

Administered by: Beckwourth Ranger District, (530) 836-2575

Contacts: Dollard’s Sierra Market in Portola (530) 832-5251; Grizzly Store and Camp at Lake Davis (530) 832-02270; Sportsman’s Den in Quincy (530) 28-2733.

Setting:

Elevation: 5,775

Season Length: Subject to weather conditions, May-October

Number of sites: 40

Fee: $16.

RV sites:  Yes   RV’s up to: 50-feet   No Hook-ups   Garbage: Pack-it-out!

Dump station: Nearby

Toilets: Vault    Water: Yes      Picnic tables and fire grills / pits            

Nearest town: Portola

Nearby facilities: Grizzly Store and Camp

Nearby boat launch: Honker Cove

Reservations:  Yes (fee)

Additional information:  Some of the facilities are wheel-chair accessible.  Pets must be kept on a leash.  Please note that the dates and prices below are subject to change and reflect 2007 data.  If listed, the campground opening dates are approximate due to weather conditions.  For reservable campsites, go on line at  www.recreation.gov or phone toll free at 877-444-6777.

Directions: From Highway 395 north of Border Town, drive to Hallelujah Junction with Highway 70. Turn west on Highway 70 and drive ____ miles.  Turn right on Grizzly Road and drive 6 miles to Lake Davis.  Proceed north on Lake Davis Road, which parallels the east shoreline, for five miles to the campground on the left.

Grasshopper Flat Campground / Highway 70 Side-Trip

Area: North of the town of Portola from Highway 70

Plumas National Forest

Administered by: Beckwourth Ranger District, (530) 836-2575

Contacts: Dollard’s Sierra Market in Portola (530) 832-5251; Grizzly Store and Camp at Lake Davis (530) 832-02270; Sportsman’s Den in Quincy (530) 28-2733.

Setting:

Elevation: 5,800

Season Length: Subject to weather conditions, May-September

Number of sites: 70

Fee: $16

RV sites:  Yes   RV’s up to: 35-feet   No Hook-ups:   Garbage: containers

Toilets: Flush    Water: Yes      Picnic tables and fire grills  Showers: coin-operated  

Nearest town: Portola

Nearby facilities: Grizzly Store and Camp

Nearby boat launch: Honker Cove, which is close

Reservations: Yes

Additional information:  Pets must be kept on a leash.  Please note that the dates and prices below are subject to change and reflect 2007 data.  If listed, the campground opening dates are approximate due to weather conditions.  For reservable campsites, go on line at  www.recreation.gov or www.ReserveUSA.com or phone toll free at 877-444-6777.

Directions: From Highway 395 north of Border Town, drive to Hallelujah Junction with Highway 70. Turn west on Highway 70 and drive ____ miles.  Turn right on Grizzly Road and drive 6 miles to Lake Davis.  Proceed north on Lake Davis Road just short for a mile to the campground signed entrance on the left. (Grasshopper Flat Campground is just past Grizzly Campground.)

Grizzly Campground / Highway 70

Area: North of the community of Portola on Highway 70

Plumas National Forest

Administered by: Beckwourth Ranger District, (530) 836-2575

Contacts: Dollard’s Sierra Market in Portola (530) 832-5251; Grizzly Store and Camp at Lake Davis (530) 832-02270; Sportsman’s Den in Quincy (530) 28-2733.

Setting:

Elevation: 5,800

Season Length: Subject to weather conditions, May-October

Number of sites: 55

Fee: $16.

RV sites:  Yes   RV’s up to: 35-feet   No Hook-ups:   Garbage: containers

Dump station: Nearby

Toilets: Flush    Water: Yes      Picnic tables and fire grills                     

Nearest town:

Nearby facilities: It is just a short distance over the dam to Grizzly Store

Nearby boat launch: Honker Bay

Reservations:  Yes (fee)

Additional information:  Some of the facilities are wheel-chair accessible.  Pets must be kept on a leash.  Please note that the dates and prices below are subject to change and reflect 2007 data.  If listed, the campground opening dates are approximate due to weather conditions.  For reservable campsites, go on line at  www.recreation.gov or www.ReserveUSA.com or phone toll free at 877-444-6777.

Directions: From Highway 395 north of Border Town, drive to Hallelujah Junction with Highway 70. Turn west on Highway 70 and drive ____ miles.  Turn right on Grizzly Road and drive 6 miles to Lake Davis.  Proceed north on Lake Davis Road just short of a mile to the campground signed entrance on the left.

Crocker Campground (four miles east of Lake Davis) / Highway 70

Area: Located on Crocker Creek off Genese Road

Plumas National Forest

Administered by: Beckwourth Ranger District, (530) 836-2575

Contacts: Dollard’s Sierra Market in Portola (530) 832-5251; Grizzly Store and Camp at Lake Davis (530) 832-02270; Sportsman’s Den in Quincy (530) 28-2733.

Setting:

Elevation: 5,900

Season Length: Subject to weather conditions, 

Number of sites: 10

Fee: None

RV sites:  ?   RV’s up to: 16-feet  No Hook-ups:   Garbage: Pack-it-out!

Toilets: Vault    Water: No      Picnic tables and fire grills                      

Nearest town: Portola

Nearby facilities: Lake Davis or Portola

Nearby fishing: Lake Davis

Reservations:  No

Additional information:  Pets must be kept on a leash.  Please note that the dates and prices below are subject to change and reflect 2007 data.  If listed, the campground opening dates are approximate due to weather conditions

Directions: From Highway 395 north of Border Town, drive to Hallelujah Junction with Highway 70. Turn west on Highway 70 and drive ____ miles.  Turn right on the County Road 111/Beckwourth-Genese Road and drive six miles to the campground entrance on the left.

Lake Davis

Elevation:  5,775

Road condition:   Paved    

Region: 50 miles north of Reno and 80 miles south of Susanville

Area/description: Davis Lake is a fertile, shallow lake adjacent to the Middle Fork of the Feather River near the small town of Portola.  Located in high desert country, the lake offers one of the best high-growth rates for trout because of the fertile aquatic food chain, which is a result of the lake’s shallow shorelines and weed beds.

Lake size: 4,000 acres with 32 miles of shoreline    Depth: Maximum 108     Species: Stocked Eagle Lake rainbows

Closest town or supplies: Portola

Contacts: Beckwourth Ranger District, (530) 836-2575; Dollard’s Sierra Market in Portola (530) 832-5251; Grizzly Store and Camp at Lake Davis (530) 832-02270; Sportsman’s Den in Quincy (530) 28-2733.

Facilities: Lodge, marina, grocery store, bait and tackle, coin-laundry, coin operated showers, RV campground

Nearest campgrounds: Grizzly Campground, Grasshopper Flat Campground, Lightning Tree Campground.

Boating: Davis Lake offers boat launching facilities around the lake.  The west shore offers a launch at Old Camp Five accessed from a gravel road.  The east shore launches are Honker Cove at the southern end of the lake and Lightning Tree at the campground on the north end of the lake.  In between these two launch sites is Mallard Cove, which provides a launch facility for canoes and car top boats.  Swimming or operating motorized boats are allowed, but waterskiing or operating personal watercraft is prohibited.  CAUTIONARY NOTE: Lake Davis produces high winds mid-day, especially during the spring and early summer.

Fishing season: General Season       Best times: Late spring through the early summer and again in the fall when trout cruise the shallow shoreline.

Fishing Tips:  Allan Bruzza, owner of the Sportsman' Den in Quincy, recommends that shore anglers use inflated nightcrawlers, PowerBait or crickets or meal worms.  His top choice in lures are red Dare Devils, Kastmaster, gold Mepps Aglia, original Rapala and Thomas Buoyant lures.  For trolling he recommends trolling dark colored flies using leadcore line and 30-foot leaders.  He also recommends trolling Rapalas, Needle Fish, Speedy Shiners and Yo Zuri's.  His tip for fly fisherman is to bring a full sink, uniform sink type II line along with a dry line.  Allan publishes a series of Sierra fishing maps that include tips on fly fishing, trolling, jigging and bait fishing.  You may reach Allan Bruzza at his Sportsmen's Den in Quincy at (530) 283-2733.

            Fly Fishing: Fly fishers do best generally in the western and northern shorelines and in the upper portion of the lake around weed beds in the bays and coves, especially Jenkins Cove, Cow Creek, the outlets of Freeman Creek and Grizzly Creek. Lake Davis has prolific hatches of midges, damsel flies and an abundance of scuds.

            Trolling: With thirty miles of shoreline, trolling is a popular and effective method, especially around the island and in the area of Freeman Creek.  Float tube anglers do well trolling fly patterns such as Woolly Buggers or leech patterns.  Popular trolling methods include trolling with Rapalas and Needlefish, as well as trolling lures and flies.

            Bait fishing:  Bait fishing is popular throughout the lake.  Because of the weed beds, anglers typically use inflated night crawlers suspended off the bottom or suspended Power Baits. Mallard Cove is a popular spot for shore anglers, while bait anglers with boats work the coves and inlets during the spring and early summer.

Favorite fly patterns:

Stocking information:  A second lake poisoning and an aggressive stocking program has been re-established to regain Davis Lake’s reputation as a trophy trout lake.   After the first attempt failed to eradicate predatory pike in 1997, the state poisoned the lake and parts of the lake’s watershed again in September, 2007.  The greatest fear for biologists is that these pike could escape and move down to the delta where they could wipe out runs of salmon and other indigenous fish.

Additional information: Ten years later the second program to eradicate the presence of unlawfully introduced pike was deemed successful by DFG September, 2007 with the application of Legumine, a new liquid formulation of rotenone.  Pike devastated this once great trout lake, but Randy Kelly, acting manager of the Lake Davis Project, stated that, “We are aggressively re-establishing the fishery so that anglers can pursue the excellent trout fishing they were accustomed to at Lake Davis.”  In addition to nearly one million trout planted during the spring of 2008, DFG planted 31,000 Eagle Lake trout ranging in size from one-half pound to more than three pounds.

Nearby fishing: Frenchman Lake

Directions: From Highway 395 north of Border Town, drive to Hallelujah Junction with Highway 70. Turn west on Highway 70 and drive ____ miles to Chilcoot and the junction with Frenchman Lake Road.  Turn right on Frenchman Lake Road and continue past Chilcoot Campground

Chilcoot Campground (south of Frenchman Lake) 35 miles north of Reno

Area: Located a few miles form Frenchman Lake along Little Last Chance Creek

Plumas National Forest

Administered by: Beckwourth Ranger District, (530) 836-2575  

Setting:

Elevation: 5,800

Season Length: Subject to weather conditions, May-September

Number of sites: 40 with five walk-in tent sites

Fee: $16

RV sites:  Yes   RV’s up to: 35-feet  No  Hook-ups:   Garbage: containers

Toilets: Flush    Water: Yes      Picnic tables and fire rings                    

Nearest town: Chilcoot

Nearby facilities: The lake and a grocery store is nearby.

Nearby fishing: Frenchman Lake

Reservations:  Yes (fee)

Additional information:  Some of the facilities are wheel-chair accessible.  Pets must be kept on a leash.  Please note that the dates and prices below are subject to change and reflect 2007 data.  If listed, the campground opening dates are approximate due to weather conditions.  For reservable campsites, go on line at  www.recreation.gov or www.ReserveUSA.com or phone toll free at 877-444-6777.

Directions: From Highway 395 north of Border Town, drive to Hallelujah Junction with Highway 70. Turn west on Highway 70 and drive ____ miles to Chilcoot and the junction with Frenchman Lake Road.  Turn right on Frenchman Lake Road and drive six miles to Chilcoot Campground, which is on the left.

Cottonwood Springs (Frenchman Lake) 35 miles north of Reno

Area: One of four campgrounds at the southern end of Frenchman Lake.

Plumas National Forest

Administered by: Beckwourth Ranger District, (530) 836-2575

Setting:

Elevation: 5,800

Season Length: Subject to weather conditions, May-October

Number of sites: 20

Fee: $16

RV sites:  Yes   RV’s up to: 50-feet  No  Hook-ups:   Garbage: containers

Toilets: Flush    Water: Yes      Picnic tables and fire grills                     

Nearest town: Chilcoot

Nearby facilities: RV Sanitation Station nearby

Nearby boat ramp: Yes

Reservations: Yes

Additional information:  Some of the facilities are wheel-chair accessible. Pets must be kept on a leash.  Please note that the dates and prices below are subject to change and reflect 2007 data.  If listed, the campground opening dates are approximate due to weather conditions.  For reservable campsites, go on line at  www.recreation.gov or www.ReserveUSA.com or phone toll free at 877-444-6777.

Directions: From Highway 395 north of Border Town, drive to Hallelujah Junction with Highway 70. Turn west on Highway 70 and drive ____ miles to Chilcoot and the junction with Frenchman Lake Road.  Turn right on Frenchman Lake Road and continue past Chilcoot Campground for almost ten miles to the road fork at the dam.  Turn right at the fork and drive 1.5 miles to the campground.

Frenchman Campground (Frenchman Lake) 35 miles north of Reno

Area: One of four campgrounds at the southern end of Frenchman Lake

Plumas National Forest

Administered by: Beckwourth Ranger District, (530) 836-2575

Setting:

Elevation: 5,800

Season Length: Subject to weather conditions, May-October

Number of sites: 38

Fee: $16.

RV sites:  Yes   RV’s up to: 35   No  Hook-ups:   Garbage: containers 

Toilets: Vault    Water: Yes      Picnic tables and fire grills                     

Nearest town:

Nearby facilities:

Nearby boat launch: Yes

Reservations:  Yes (fee)

Additional information:  Some of the facilities are wheel-chair accessible.  Pets must be kept on a leash.  Please note that the dates and prices below are subject to change and reflect 2007 data.  If listed, the campground opening dates are approximate due to weather conditions.  For reservable campsites, go on line at  www.recreation.gov or www.ReserveUSA.com or phone toll free at 877-444-6777.

Directions: From Highway 395 north of Border Town, drive to Hallelujah Junction with Highway 70. Turn west on Highway 70 and drive ____ miles to Chilcoot and the junction with Frenchman Lake Road.  Turn right on Frenchman Lake Road and continue past Chilcoot Campground for almost ten miles to the road fork at the dam.  Turn right at the fork and drive 1.5 miles to the campground.

Spring Creek Campground (Frenchman Lake) 35 miles north of Reno

Area: One of four campgrounds at the southern end of Frenchman Lake

Plumas National Forest

Administered by: Beckwourth Ranger District, (530) 836-2575

Setting:

Elevation: 5,800

Season Length: Subject to weather conditions, May-October

Number of sites: 35

Fee: $16.

RV sites:  Yes   RV’s up to: 35-feet   No  Hook-ups:   Garbage: containers

Toilets: Vault    Water: Yes      Picnic tables and fire grills                     

Nearest town: Chilcoot

Nearby facilities: Nearby dump station.

Nearby boat ramp: Yes

Reservations: Yes (fee)

Additional information:  Some of the facilities are wheel-chair accessible.  Pets must be kept on a leash.  Hiking trails connect with Frenchman Campground and Big Cove Campground.  Please note that the dates and prices below are subject to change and reflect 2007 data.  If listed, the campground opening dates are approximate due to weather conditions.  For reservable campsites, go on line at  www.recreation.gov or www.ReserveUSA.com or phone toll free at 877-444-6777.

Directions: From Highway 395 north of Border Town, drive to Hallelujah Junction with Highway 70. Turn west on Highway 70 and drive ____ miles to Chilcoot and the junction with Frenchman Lake Road.  Turn right on Frenchman Lake Road and continue past Chilcoot Campground for almost ten miles to the road fork at the dam.  Turn right at the fork and drive two miles to the campground.

Big Cove Campground (Frenchman Lake) 35 miles north of Reno

Area: One of four campgrounds at the southern end of the lake

Plumas National Forest, 159 Lawrence Street, Quincy, CA 95971.  Phone: (530) 283-2050

Administered by: Beckwourth Ranger District, (530) 836-2575

Setting:

Elevation: 5,800

Season Length: Subject to weather conditions,  May-September

Number of sites: 38

Fee: $16 and up

RV sites:  Yes   RV’s up to: 50-feet   No  Hook-ups:   Garbage: containers

Toilets: Vault    Water: Yes      Picnic tables and fire rings                    

Nearest town: Chilcoot

Nearby facilities: A grocery store is located seven miles from the campground, as is a dump station.

Nearby boat ramp: Yes

Reservations:  Yes (fee)

Additional information:  Some of the facilities are wheel-chair accessible.  Pets must be kept on a leash.  Please note that the dates and prices below are subject to change and reflect 2007 data.  If listed, the campground opening dates are approximate due to weather conditions.  For reservable campsites, go on line at  www.recreation.gov or  www.ReserveUSA.com or phone toll free at 877-444-6777.

Directions: From Highway 395 north of Border Town, drive to Hallelujah Junction with Highway 70. Turn west on Highway 70 and drive ____ miles to Chilcoot and the junction with Frenchman Lake Road.  Turn right on Frenchman Lake Road and continue past Chilcoot Campground for almost ten miles to the road fork at the dam.  Turn right at the fork and drive two miles to Forest Road 24N01.  Turn left for the entrance to the campground.

Junction 395 and Highway 70

Frenchman Lake / Highway 70 / 35 Miles North of Reno             

Elevation: 5,588

Road condition:   Paved       

Region: Near Chilcoot in Plumas National Forest        

Area/description: Located in the headwaters of the Feather River eighteen miles northeast of Portola, California, Frenchman Lake provides a wide variety of recreational activities, including fishing, boating, water skiing, hiking and camping.  Winter recreation includes ice-fishing, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling.

Lake size: 1,500 acres 21 miles of shoreline   Depth: Maximum 101 feet; average depth is 35 feet.     Species: Stocked rainbows, cutthroats

Closest town or supplies: Chilcoot on Highway 70

Contacts: Beckwourth Ranger District ( 5330) 836-2575; Plumas County Visitor’s Bureau, (530) 283-6345; Allan Bruzza’s Sportsman’s Den (530) 283-2733

Facilities:

Nearest campgrounds: Chilcoot Campground, Frenchman Campground, Spring Creek Campground, Big Cove Campground, Cottonwood Springs Family and Group Campground.  RV Sanitation Station at Cottonwood Springs Campground.

Boating: Frenchman lake offers two boat launches, but it is not uncommon during low waters years for the boat ramp to be far above the drawn-down water in late summer or fall.  Frenchman boat launch has a four-lane concrete ramp with a floating dock and an accessible boat loading ramp. Lunker Point Boat Launch has a two-lane concrete ramp with a floating boat dock. Both launches have parking areas and accessible toilets.

Fishing season: General season      Best times: Late spring and early summer and again in the fall.

Fishing Tips:

            Fly fishing: Fly anglers in tubes ply their skills on the west side of the lake on Frenchman Creek inlet, which is protected by the wind.

            Trolling: Slow trolling with a nightcrawlers is popular.

            Bait fishing: Bait fishing is popular around the lake, but traditionally the best spots have been around the boat launch, the narrows, and the Frenchman Creek inlet, which is accessed from the Road 176, which encircles the lake.

Favorite lures or bait:

Favorite fly patterns:

Stocking information:

Additional information: Just like neighboring Lake Davis, Frenchman Lake was devastated by pike in the early 1990’s and all fish were poisoned in the lake.  Unlike the sad saga of Davis Lake, the poisoning was successful and through the years DFG made generous yearly stockings.  Today the lake offers great fishing, although the trophy status does not live up to Lake Davis’ reputation for growing really big fish.  .  You have to love a lake with names such as Salmon Egg Shoal Fishing Access, Nightcrawler Bay, Snallygaster Point and Lunker Point.

Nearby fishing: Lake Davis or Little Last Chance Creek, which is the outlet for Frenchman Reservoir.  The creek is small and brushy, which makes casting difficult.  The most popular stretch is below the dam.  DFG plants fingerlings each year, but most of the trout rarely exceed nine or ten inches.

Directions: From Highway 395 north of Border Town, drive to Hallelujah Junction with Highway 70. Turn west on Highway 70 and drive ____ miles to Chilcoot and the junction with Frenchman Lake Road.  Turn right on Frenchman Lake Road and continue past Chilcoot Campground for almost ten miles to the road fork at the dam.