Folsom Lake State Recreation Area

A large reservoir in the Sierra Nevada foothills 32 kilometres east of Sacramento, created by Folsom Dam on the American River. The State Recreation Area surrounding it offers swimming beaches, boat ramps, fishing, hiking and mountain biking trails, and camping. In summer it is the primary outdoor recreation destination for Sacramento residents fleeing the valley heat — the lake is several degrees cooler than the city.

The drive out on Folsom-Auburn Road through the oak-woodland foothills is pleasant in its own right, especially in spring when the wildflowers are out and the hills are green. The town of Folsom, at the lake's western edge, has a well-preserved Gold Rush downtown and the Folsom Prison museum (Johnny Cash's 1968 concert was recorded here, not the prison in town but at the actual correctional facility a few kilometres away).

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A story
Folsom Dam, completed in 1955, created the reservoir that became Folsom Lake. In drought years the lake drops dramatically, exposing the submerged ghost of Mormon Island — a Gold Rush-era town that was inundated when the dam was built. In the driest years, rooflines and street layouts become visible above the waterline, a reminder that the Central Valley's water infrastructure buried its own history.

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