Kent Lake is a reservoir in western
Marin County, California formed by the construction of Peters Dam across
Lagunitas Creek
Lagunitas Creek is a -longU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed December 27, 2017 northward-flowing stream in Marin County, California. It is critically important to the large ...
.
[ Built in 1954,][ the lake is the most recent lake of the ]Marin Municipal Water District
The Marin Municipal Water District (or MMWD) is the government agency that provides drinking water to southern and central Marin County, California. Chartered in 1912, it became California's first municipal water district. It serves 191,000 custom ...
, as well as the largest. It lies to the west of Alpine Lake
Alpine lakes are classified as lakes at high altitudes in mountainous zones, usually near or above the tree line, with extended periods of ice cover. These lakes are commonly formed from glacial activity (either current or in the past) but can al ...
; among the five major lakes in the area it is the only one to the west of Fairfax-Bolinas Road.
Geography
Of the four reservoirs on the Lagunitas Creek mainstem, Kent Lake is the lowest and northernmost.[U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data]
The National Map
, accessed December 28, 2017 Its named tributaries are Lagunitas Creek, then Little Carson Creek and Big Carson Creek, the latter two wrapping around Pine Mountain to the east.
Access
Unlike the other lakes in the area, Kent Lake has almost no hiking trails around it.
By automobile, major access points to the area include parking to the southeast off the Bolinas Fairfax road, or from the northwest, with seasonal parking off Sir Francis Drake Blvd or in one of the pullouts along the road. Minor access points include the dam at the southwestern point of Alpine Lake
Alpine lakes are classified as lakes at high altitudes in mountainous zones, usually near or above the tree line, with extended periods of ice cover. These lakes are commonly formed from glacial activity (either current or in the past) but can al ...
on the Bolinas Fairfax road. Despite the lack of trails, Kent Lake can be traversed or accessed by foot, bike, or horse from unpaved roads such as Pine Mountain road, which runs to the highest elevation, Kent Pump road which runs from the Alpine Lake dam down to the lake at low elevation, or Continental Cove road at the north. Visitors should be prepared for the size of the area and the mountainous terrain surrounding the lake.[http://www.marinwater.org/documents/2008.08.29_VstrMap_color.pdf, MMWD, retrieved August 6, 2010]
See also
*List of lakes in California
There are more than 3,000 named lakes, reservoirs, and dry lakes in the U.S. state of California.
Largest lakes
In terms of area covered, the largest lake in California is the Salton Sea, a lake formed in 1905 which is now saline. It occupie ...
* List of lakes in the San Francisco Bay Area
* William Kent (U.S. Congressman)
References
Reservoirs in Marin County, California
Mount Tamalpais
Reservoirs in California
Reservoirs in Northern California
{{MarinCountyCA-geo-stub