About Lake Mendocino Recreation Area

Lake Mendocino is located just north-east of Ukiah in the heart of Mendocino County's wine country and near the gateway to the redwoods. The lake was created by the Army Corps of Engineers with a dam across the Russian River that flows from Potter Valley. The river was prone to flood the Ukiah Valley most years, and so the dam was created to alleviate that issue. The lake provides many recreational activities including over 300 campsites, 15 miles of hiking and biking trails, some of which are in the native wilderness area. There are five large day-use areas with covered shelters and barbecues. For on-the-water fun there's boating, swimming, water-skiing and fishing for bass, crappie, blue gill and catfish. Kayakers can head up the Russian River toward Potter Valley or explore the lake and its environment.