If you want to go

Lake/boat ramp: The lake is 70 percent full. The boat ramp is marginal, and large boats cannot be launched right now. OK for small, light boats. Ideal for kayaks and canoes. Camping: 45 sites for tents or RVs up to 22 feet (no hookups). Picnic tables and fire grills are provided. Drinking water and vault toilets are available. Leashed pets are permitted. Primitive campsites and trailheads are available along a dirt road above the east shore. Reservations, fees: Campsites are $22 per night, $154 per week, first come, first served through May 14. Reservations are available for dates from May 15 into the summer at (877) 444-6777 or www.recreation.gov. Campfires: A fire permit is required from Stanislaus National Forest, available at Groveland District headquarters east of Groveland (signed off Highway 120). How to get there: From Groveland, take Highway 120 east for 14 miles, to Forest Service Road 1N07/Cherry Lake Road on the left. Turn left and drive 22 miles (through the Rim Fire zone) to a fork near the south end of Cherry Lake. Go left and continue 1 mile to the entrance road to the campground on the right. Boat ramp, wilderness trailhead: At the fork near Cherry Lake, turn right and drive a short distance to a boat ramp on the left; large boats not advised. For wilderness trailheads and primitive campsites, turn right at the fork and continue across the dam to another fork. Turn left (the road becomes dirt) and drive along the east side of the lake to primitive campsites on the left, with the wilderness trailhead to Lake Eleanor (short hike, fire damage) in Yosemite on the right. Distances: 37 miles from Groveland, 101 miles from Manteca, 135 miles from Livermore, 152 miles from Sacramento, 161 miles from Walnut Creek, 175 miles from San Jose, 178 miles from San Francisco, 188 miles from San Rafael. Contact: Stanislaus National Forest, Groveland Ranger District, (209) 962-7825, www.fs.usda.gov/stanislaus.