clear lake state park

We stayed here in a tent for 1 night mid September and it was very, very quiet which was nice. Our camping spot had a view of the lake which we loved.Showers were coin operated but hot and powerful.We spent one afternoon here chilling an walking finding some lovely trails and getting a great view of the lake. Very enjoyable.

I just visited Clear Lake National Park today and definitely do not recommend it. We basically went from one disappointment to another in less than 1 hour. We arrived around 1.30pm, the visitor center supposedly opened until 2 was closed, we were told not to park at any campground but 99% of the park is made up of campground so there is pretty nowhere to park outside of 1-2 designated areas. We wanted to get an overlook of the lake but then again, when you drive up the hill, there is nowhere to park outside of RV and camping parking space.I also wonder how you get to the trails which start at the top of the hill since there is no place to park your car up there! This is one of the worse national parks I have ever visited. They should rename it and call it Clear Lake Camping Ground!

The visitor's center provides a good introduction to the park with well-designed wildlife, cultural, and local history displays. We didn't expect to see too much wildlife since we arrived at noon on a very warm day. Within minutes of walking on a trail near the lake, we saw an Osprey nest with two adults and two chicks, a doe and two fawns, a green heron, a black heron, and then a little farther down the trail, a turtle sunning on a log. Along with hiking, other activities for visitors include boating, kayaking, swimming, and just plain old relaxing under the trees, or by the shore line.

Very interesting visitors center with lots of information about the Lake. It is also not to far from many wineries and did have some good camping.

Here is my story. On Friday (October 4 2013) I was working in the Bohart Museum of Davis University until lunch. My plan for the rest of the day was to find a decent campground in Mendocino NF, and on Sunday to visit a few Redwood Parks on the way back to SFO. After 2nd closed campground I realized that I have no chances because everything “national” is closed due to federal shutdown. On the way to Redwoods Parks in the NW corner of California the optimal choice for spending the night seemed the Clear Lake Campground. I’ve arrived there at 9:40pm in total darkness, lady at the entrance was friendly and polite, and in 15 min I settled at the Lower Bayview Cmpgr with 3 more visitors for all campsites. After a brief dinner I decided to make a short walk down to the lakeshore to watch nightlife and enjoy stars. But it turned to be quite the other way. If I knew the following sequence of events I would definitely stay in my tent. I was 100m down from my campground on the asphalt road looking at the nice Jerusalem Cricket illuminated by my headlight, when the ranger appeared behind my back at the road slope. First words of the man were like a thunderstorm: WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? ARE YOU HUNTING? Few seconds I was thinking he was kidding and even tried to joke, that it is not easy to hunt without a gun at hand. But the following phrase ARE YOU TRAPPING HERE? WHAT WERE YOU LOOKING FOR? shocked me; I realized he was absolutely serious. I was trying to explain that I was watching nightlife, like animals, birds, snakes, insects, but it was impossible to stop him. After he examined me with his light he found a knife at my belt and switched his interest to it. I had to explain him that I’ve bought this knife in the regular REI store and just forgot to take it off after my dinner. I’m a foreigner and did not understand much from the next 5-minute of very emotional explanations, I was just trying to say no, no, no, meaning that I did not break any rule. Main theme I could pulled out from his monologue was that it is illegally to wear a knife at this State Park, because it is dangerous for the park visitors, and I can wear it anywhere else outside the Park boundaries. Finally, trying to low down his emotions I gave him my ID from California Academy of Sciences, for which I’ve been working for last two years, but he only crossly yelled: IT’S NOTHING FOR ME!!! WHERE IS YOUR REAL ID??? I would have to go back to the car for my valet, but, happily, found it in my pocket and gave him my American driving license. I’LL CHECK YOU!!! and something else… this unbelievable ranger continued to shout angrily sreaming at me. When he directed his flashlight at my documents I clearly noticed that his hands were shaking. And I realized that I’m staying alone with an armed man who may be lost his self-control in a total darkness…and felt scary. Déjà vu. “First Blood”. I was not ready for the role of John Rambo and decided to keep silence as long as I can. Fortunately, after getting the information that I’m clear it was kindly allowed for me to return back and lock the knife in my car. It took me TWO minutes to do that.What is this long message for? This ranger was dangerous! He was definitely looking for something to accuse me with. Quite illogical was his suspission about “ hunting and trapping” at the paved road around the campsites in a very small (590 acres) park. Why didn’t he at the very beginning just request to lock the knife in the car, which would be reasonable and would take about two minutes? Instead I watched this inadequate wild gentlemen, in his full “beauty” considering himself the Lord of the Park in full power. Now I will remember forever the wild night life in the Clear Lake State Park. This State Park, definitely needs an additional sign to be placed near the entrance: BEWARE OF AGGRESSIVE RANGERS, especially at night time.If you think that I’m too subjective you can read the comments at http://www.yelp.com/biz/clear-lake-state-park-kelseyville and estimate the frequency of negative usage of the word ranger in the text.P.S. Polite words like “Excuse me…”, “Sir...” etc. are obviously foreign for this ranger. My guess, he never heard about “presumption of innocence” also.P.P.S. I don’t know his name for sure, but the next morning the lady at the entrance kindly informed me that his name was, probably, Mr. Darin C.

I just got back from a trip to Clear Lake State Park. My family & I rented a cabin. It was very clean & came with 2 full size bunk beds. Mattresses were included. There is no electricity in the cabin, but there is a table inside the cabin and a table, BBQ and firepit outside. The camp hosts were very friendly. Showers w/hot water & bathrooms were nearby. This is a nice option for people who want to experience the park, but don't want to do tent camping. The only downside is that the cabins are fairly close together.

Okay, to be fair - it isn't the lake's fault! haha - but truly, the algae was so thick and sludgy, we took our inflatable kayak for a quick ride, and it was like being in a thick bowl of green porridge! We pulled the kayak out and it wasn't easy to get the slime off the bottom. And we saw dead fish on the shore - ick! Otherwise, the campground was clean and quiet, with clean showers and a great laundry sink too. We enjoyed riding our bikes on the smooth roads and saw osprey too - perhaps an autumn visit would be pleasant, but we were there last June and it was a bit too hot and buggy to relax outdoors ;(

I live in Lake County and wanted to stay fairly close to home when taking my 2 year old on her first camping trip. I only paid for 1 night expecting to use it as a "dry run" but was very surprised how beautiful this park is. We stayed way up high on the hill in campsite #132. It was during the week in the summer and we were the only ones there in that camp area. A little creepy at times because I was alone with my daughter but was happy the have full cell reception if needed. After putting my daughter to bed, I sat by the campfire and was quickly reminded to take the trash to the dumpster because the raccoons were out in full force. The one I scared away from our trash walked behind me and took off when he discovered I wasn't going to share the goodies with him. I kept the food in the car which is good because after I went to bed, I could hear the little animals hunting through our campsite. The next morning we discovered they love play-doh and ripped into newly sealed container. It was very hot during our visit reaching up to the 100s but our campsite was shaded well and provided a nice cross breeze. The area we put our tent was on a slight hill but nothing that bothered us while sleeping. Hiking trails were great and lots of wildlife for my daughter to see. Wished the visitors center was opened during the week however.

If you've read the other detailed reviews, you know exactly what to expect. What else can I add? We loved all the wildlife. Everything was so clean and well maintained. At first we thought $30 to camp overnight was a bit much but once we explored the park, we think it was definitely worth it. They take great care of this place. The weather was amazing and the park was very empty when we went (thurs/fri end of April). We like it quiet. I imagine it must get busy on the weekends and during the summer. This place is beautiful and peaceful. We would definitely go back. We did experience noisy swarms of mosquitoes in the evening but the next day, don't have any bites to show for it, so, it's all good.

Clear Lake is really nice when the weeds and algae are at bay. The State Park has other things to do in the summer besides swim, but spring is nicest. Visitor center has interesting exhibits. Lovely area. Nice campgrounds too. Used to camp there a lot, til I bought a house nearby.

This is a beautiful place wildlife every where we watched a deer swim across the channel pelicans turkeys ducks squerills. Awesome place the only downside was it is very expensive to camp and a ranger got all mad because we parked in a handicap campsite. There was only a few people in the whole park and i was unware that it was handicap. That guy tryed to rain on our parade but we were having to good of a time.

Clear Lake State Park has numerous raised walkways that pass thru the bushes and by the water, so you can see fish swimming, birds hunting, turtles jumping from logs, and osprey returning to their young in nests at the right season. They have a summer swimming area, great restrooms, and a small museum with docents. Annual Heron Festival offers make-your-own omelets (but they do the work!), docent lead informative events, crafts for sale by vendors, and more. Only issue with RV camping is generators can't be used from 8 p.m. to 10 a.m. I think it should be 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. restriction to accommodate more folks who like some conveniences such as coffee or cooking breakfast in an RV.

the camping spots by the lake are gorgeous! right on the lake! You can use it for day use or overnite, no matter what, its quiet and peaceful, and so stunning in view!

Wow. My husband and I stopped by Clearlake Park in Kelseyville on a whim...not expecting much. It was a gorgeous fall day. Where to begin? So many huge trees...of all varieties-we saw Black Walnut, Soaring cottonwoods, Redbuds which the Pomo Indians used in their basketmaking. Huge valley oaks...some kind of Maple...all set against a backdrop of a mountain? with huge moss-covered rocks left by volcanic upheaval over the centuries. This same volcanic history contributes to the healthiness of all of the trees and vineyards in the entire Clearlake area.We walked to the water's edge, took in a view of the lake-which is also huge. It was so quiet and hardly anyone there on Nov. 3rd.The bird and aquatic life was also amazing. Turtles sunning themselves on every available rock or snag in the water. More herons than I have seen all in one place. An eagle or hawk-not sure what kind. Kingfisher fishing. Large groups of small ducks diving in tandem for the many small fish. Groups of Mallards. There are campgrounds very near to the trails, the lake and all and my husband and I will definitely come back in the spring to camp and enjoy this gorgeous place. There are canoe and Kayak rentals available spring to fall-not Novemnber. This would be a great family adventure!!

The museum the park has is very informative, but with Clear lake continually having issues with algae I can only give this state park an average. They also have a lot of mosquitos, but the wildlife viewing is top notch, so if can see past the two other things make it a point to visit the park.