SUNDAY DRIVE
Lake Pillsbury
Why now: A special opportunity at gorgeous Lake Pillsbury awaits those who are willing to go the extra mile. Slides have closed the main route to the lake on Potter Valley Road. But by taking Elk Mountain Road out of Upper Lake instead, you get the payoff provided only to adventurous souls.
Filling up: After being troubled for years by low water levels and jarring overnight drawdowns, Lake Pillsbury was near capacity last week. With midweek warm days and blue skies, Pillsbury reclaimed its crown as the jewel of Mendocino National Forest. What’s more, with so much water in the Eel River watershed, the need to release water downstream will likely be lessened, so the lake will stay high into summer.
What you’ll see/location: Lake Pillsbury is big; 65 miles of shoreline nestled in a Mendocino National Forest basin. It is northeast of Ukiah, northwest of Upper Lake at Clear Lake. There are PG&E Campgrounds on the north end, boat ramps for access to fishing and water sports, and a pretty resort with cabins, both with lake views and tucked in forest, and boat rentals.
Fishing: The lake has trout fishing in spring and fall, when the water is cool and the Department of Fish and Wildlife occasionally plants fish; there are enough holdovers that there is a chance for a big one. In summer, when hot days turn the surface of the lake warm, the morning bite for bass is good. Most fishermen get off the lake when hot temperatures take over and the fast boats (and water sports) hit the water.
Boat ramps: $8 launch fee at Lake Pillsbury Resort, another ramp available near campgrounds at northern shore.
Boat rentals: Kayaks, canoes and SUP rentals start at $15 per hour; fishing boats start at $27 per hour. There are discounts for all-day rentals.
Resort cabins: There are 10 cabins, some on bluffs with lake views and two secluded in forest. The high end is a park model log cabin that sleeps up to six; $695 to $1,265 per week.
Resort camping: Campsites for self-contained RVs or tents, water spigots at every campsite, $30 per night or $165 per week; one RV site is available this spring with full hookup (30 amp), $40 per night. $250 weekly rate.
Forest camping: Three Forest Service-style campgrounds, operated by PG&E, opened in mid-April at Pillsbury’s northern shore: Pogie Point and Navy campgrounds have drinking water, vault toilets, and cost $16 per night; Oak Flat has vault toilets, no drinking water, and is $10 per night. It’s first-come, first-served for both. Two others, Fuller Grove and Sunset, will open this month. Register with camp hosts on site. Boat ramps nearby.
Campfires: No wood or charcoal fires outside of fire rings at designated campgrounds.
Map/brochure: Mendocino National Forest, $10, National Forest Store, www.national forestmapstore.com.
Off-highway vehicles: Allowed in the Pillsbury Basin on forest roads.
Contacts: Lake Pillsbury Resort, (707) 743-9935, www.lake pillsburyresort.com; Camping, PG&E Recreation, (916) 3865164; Mendocino National Forest, Upper Lake Ranger District, (707) 275-2361, www.fs.usda. gov/mendocino.
HOW TO GET THERE
From San Francisco: From the Golden Gate Bridge, drive north on U.S. 101 for 114 miles (past Ukiah) to the exit for Highway 20 East. Drive 26 miles (you’ll pass Lake Mendocino on the right) to the town of Upper Lake and Mendenhall Avenue. Turn left on Mendenhall and drive 0.7 of a mile and bear right at a curve (the road then becomes Elk Mountain Road) and continue 29 miles (it enters Mendocino National Forest, includes 8 miles of dirt road in middle section) to the Eel River Bridge. Continue a short distance over the bridge to the signed turnoff on the right for Lake Pillsbury Resort.
PG&E campgrounds: After crossing the Eel River Bridge, continue on Elk Mountain Road (past the Soda Creek Store) and continue straight on Simmons Road/Forest Service Road 20N01 to the north end of the lake and campground access.
GPS: Use 2756 Kapronos Road, Potter Valley (via Upper Lake and then Elk Mountain Road).
Note: Do not use GPS or other advised routes on Potter Valley Road to Lake Pillsbury. Landslides have closed Potter Valley Road in multiple places and there is no date for reopening.
Distances with new route: 30 miles from Upper Lake, 132 miles from Novato, 127 miles from Vallejo, 154 miles from Golden Gate Bridge, 147 miles from Concord, 178 miles from San Mateo, 166 miles from Dublin.