Every Trail Tells a Story
Clear Lake State Park
To gaze over California’s oldest and largest natural lake, ringed by vineyards, orchards, and the dramatic bulk of Mount Konocti.
To combine a short hike with some of the state’s best fishing or most relaxed lakeside camping.
To discover Lake County-quirky, uncrowded, and proudly different from its Wine Country cousins.
Clear Lake is big. In fact, it’s the biggest lake entirely within California (Tahoe might be larger, but it cheats-half of it’s in Nevada). At 68 square miles, Clear Lake has plenty of room for everyone: anglers chasing bass, kids with inflatable rafts, water skiers carving wakes, and hikers looking for a bit of peace above the shoreline.
Geologists tell us Clear Lake is about 2.5 million years old, which makes it positively ancient. By comparison, “upstart” Lakes Tahoe and Superior are mere toddlers at around 5,000 years. No wonder locals boast it’s the oldest lake in North America. It sits in a volcanic cradle, overlooked by brooding Mount Konocti, and fringed with pear orchards, walnut groves, and rows of vineyards. Lake County proudly claims the title “world’s largest Bartlett pear growing area,” which may not be as flashy as Napa’s wine, but it sure fills the farmers’ markets.
Clear Lake State Park, set on the lake’s south shore, gives the public a slice of this watery giant-two miles of accessible shoreline, several campgrounds, and trails that rise above the water for a different perspective. The park’s Kelsey Creek Campground is a prime spot for lakeside camping, complete with shade trees and easy swimming. Fishermen, meanwhile, declare the lake “wall to wall fish.” Bass tournaments make national headlines, and anglers swear there’s no better place in California for catfish.
For hikers, the park’s marquee path is the Dorn Nature Trail, a 1.5-mile loop that climbs into oak woodland, winds along manzanita-dotted ridges, and looks out over the big blue expanse of Clear Lake. It’s not wilderness by any stretch, but it does offer views of the Mendocino Coast Range, rolling vineyards, and the volcano-shaped profile of Mount Konocti.
It may not be the most rugged state park hike you’ll ever take, but Dorn Trail offers a fine way to stretch your legs before grilling your catch, sipping a glass of Lake County wine, or watching the sunset smolder across California’s biggest backyard lake.
Clear Lake State Park is located at 5300 Soda Bay Road, Kelseyville, CA 95451. Park at the day-use lot near the visitor center.
From the visitor center, walk a short way back up the access road to the main park road and look for the signed Dorn Nature Trail. The trail ascends gently through buckeye and valley oak, with switchbacks that quickly deliver your first wide-angle view of the lake.
About a quarter mile in, the trail reaches a minor ridge. Stay left at the junction (a side path heads off toward Upper Bayview Campground) and continue toward an overlook framed by manzanita. From here, the lake sprawls below you, with vineyards and orchards stitched across the valley floor and the dark silhouette of Mount Konocti looming in the background.
The path dips and contours west, offering one more fine overlook before dropping steadily downhill through ferny slopes. A fork to the right leads to Lower Bayview Campground, but stay left to complete the loop back to the trailhead near the park road.