State Parks and National Parks

Benbow Lake State Recreation Area

Garberville, CA U.S.A.

1600 Hwy. 101
Garberville, CA 95542
U.S.A.

707-923-3238 Summer
707-247-3318 Winter

Open Year-Round

Entry Fee Charged

State Park Information

Benbow Lake State Recreation Area is popular with beginning paddlers, since motorboats are forbidden on the half-mile-long reservoir.

But don't plan on putting in after the summer is over: This seasonal lake disappears. Located on the South Fork of the Eel River in northwestern California, the lake is created by a dam constructed June 15 of each year and removed in September.

A 77-site developed campground is located along the river, with some sites submerged in early spring. Arts festivals and concerts are held at the day-use area near the lake. A three-mile hiking trail through the redwoods skirts an old logging trail and mill.

Fishing (catch and release, with a barbless hook) is best in the fall, when steelhead and salmon swim upstream after the dam comes down.

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