State Parks and National Parks

The San Luis Reservoir State Recreation Area contains three lakes: the large San Luis Reservoir and two smaller lakes, the O’Neil Forebay, and the Los Banos Creek Reservoir.

Nestled in the grassy hills of the western San Joaquin Valley near historic Pacheco Pass, the area is noted for boating, boardsailing, camping, and picnicking.

But fishing is the major attraction at the park. World-record striped bass have been caught in the O'Neill Forebay and Los Banas Creek Reservoir features black largemouth bass.

Summer temperatures here average in the mid 90s degrees F and may exceed 100. Evenings are usually cool and pleasant. Rainfall is usually between November and April. During winter, the temperature rarely falls below freezing. In spring, the gold-brown hills are coated with vibrant green and beautiful wildflowers.

There are picnic areas and several boat launches available for day use.

There are four campgrounds in the park, including a large group camp. The family camping facilities range from primitive to developed, and include hookups for RVs. Reservations are available.

Several sites are wheelchair-accessible.

The Romero Overlook provides telescopes for viewing the area and its interactive displays detail the history of the reservoirs and the water project.

There are mountain biking trails at Los Banos Creek.

Photo credits in order: Courtesy of California