Turlock Lake State Recreation Area is a

regional park A regional park is an area of land preserved on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, recreational use or other reason, and under the administration of a form of local government. Definition A regional park can be a special park distri ...

and

recreation area A recreation area is a type of protected area designated in some jurisdictions. By country Canada In the province of British Columbia, recreation areas are lands set aside for recreational use. These lands are also being evaluated to determine ...

at Turlock Reservoir in Stanislaus County, central

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, United States.California State Parks: Turlock Lake State Recreation Area
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Geography

The park is in the

San Joaquin Valley The San Joaquin Valley ( ; es, Valle de San Joaquín) is the area of the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California that lies south of the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta and is drained by the San Joaquin River. It comprises seven ...

foothills at in elevation, on the south side of the

Tuolumne River The Tuolumne River (Yokutsan: ''Tawalimnu'') flows for through Central California, from the high Sierra Nevada to join the San Joaquin River in the Central Valley. Originating at over above sea level in Yosemite National Park, the Tuolumne ...

and along the north shore of Turlock Lake. It is part of the

California State Park The California Department of Parks and Recreation, more commonly known as California State Parks, manages the California state parks system. The system administers 279 separate park units on 1.4 million acres (570,000 hectares), with over 280 ...

s system. It is located near La Grange, east of the city of

Modesto Modesto () is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County, California, United States. With a population of 218,464 at the 2020 census, it is the 19th largest city in the state of California and forms part of the Sacramento-Stockton ...

, and east of U.S. Route 99 and

Turlock Turlock is a city in Stanislaus County, California, United States. Its estimated 2019 population of 73,631 made it the second-largest city in Stanislaus County after Modesto. History Founded on December 22, 1871, by prominent grain farmer Jo ...

. The recreation area features Turlock Lake with its of shoreline and the surrounding foothill country leased from the Turlock Irrigation District in 1950.

Recreation

Recreation activities in the park include fishing, swimming, boating, and water skiing in Turlock Lake; picnicking;

birdwatching Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, by ...

; bicycling; hiking; and camping. There are also boat launch ramps. The day use areas are open from 8:00 AM to sunset. The park offers visitors an example of the diverse variety of

riparian zone A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the terrestrial biomes of the Earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks a ...

native plant In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often popularised as "with no human intervention") during history. The term is equ ...

s that once flourished alongside the rivers across the San Joaquin Valley. There is a $12 day use fee to enter Turlock Lake State Recreation Area. The campground is spread over , shaded by large trees along the Tuolumne River.Parks.ca.gov: Camping at Turlock Lake State Recreation Area
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References

External links

Parks.ca.gov: official Turlock Lake State Recreation Area websiteParks.ca.gov: Turlock Lake State Recreation Area Brochure
— maps, history, and natural features
The Four Rivers Association
— funds and supports educational and resource projects and programs in San Joaquin Valley state parks California State Recreation Areas Parks in Stanislaus County, California Parks in the San Joaquin Valley Reservoirs in Stanislaus County, California Tuolumne River Campgrounds in California Protected areas established in 1950 1950 establishments in California Reservoirs in California {{StanislausCountyCA-geo-stub

Geography

Recreation

See also

References

External links