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Yosemite Lake Recreation Area

3.3 (44 reviews)

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Kimberly G.

I grew up living by this recreation site and always being here as a kid Swimming, bbqing ,I don't live in Merced anymore but my parents still do and every time I visit I always visit the Lake Brings back childhood memories and the bathrooms are clean

The Merced Lake!
Angie R.

Since I have a lot of trainings for work in Merced my co workers and I enjoy coming to this lake to get out of the our enclosed space that we are in for 8 hours. $6 fee to enter per car and it is just around the corner from UC Merced. This lake is so beautiful...the beautiful blue lake is contrast with the yellow burnt grassy hills which just looks abnormal but beautiful at the same time. Surprisingly this area is so much cooler on hot days compared to the inner city. There is ample parking and there are geese and ducks galore. There are basketball courts right off the lake, plethora of bench seating and children's play structure. I thought it was so dangerous to have a play structure right off the edge of a play ground as the lack is a few feet away, if a child goes off the slide too fast he or she will end up in the lake! So dangerous, there should at least be a gate around the children's structure. The times that I went on a week day it was empty as a few families were out BBQ or just swimming in the lake. There is a bridge you can walk over and be in the middle of the lake overseeing the whole lake which is pretty. I will definitely be frequenting this lake as it is easier to access compared to Millerton Lake. If you want something to do with the kids I highly recommend to come to this lake to cool off and have some fun!

Hubert L.

Nice place to sit and stare at the sunset but there are a good amount of insects flying around here. There is a small playground that I saw here. Mainly came to stare at the water as well as throw rocks.

Y K.

My family and I were invited here for a hangout on Sunday 5/28/23 around 11am and as we pull up to the booth entrance to make a payment this young female staff who was wearing a hat and tan camo pants was giving me a bad attitude. No greetings or anything just said, "$6 dollars" I hand her my card and she sigh, roll her eyes and said "I guess" grab my card and gave it to the other female inside the booth to put a charge on it. I thought what the heck maybe because she wants me to pay in cash ‍ anyways Girl in booth pass the pin pad to RUDE LADY and rude lady than hand the pin pad towards me without saying anything and kept staring at me. I thought ok maybe I take the card out since I couldn't see what the screen says, before I could grab the card she quickly pull the pin pad back and said "No what are you doing! Don't take it out, enter your pin!" And hand it back towards me to do so. She than proceeds to ask if I want a receipt and I politely said, "yes please" But she purposely did not print the receipt out for me even after asking. She just told me I can park anywhere. I now know at this point she is just completely RUDE and have No customer service skill whatsoever. Again I tried to ignore it because It's a beautiful Sunday, I'm excited to see my family and I didn't want to deal with her ugly behavior so I just start driving in but what upsets me now that I thought about it was when my 12 year old said, "What's her problem? Why is she being so rude to you mom?" Even my 5 years old know she was being rude to us and on top of all that I found out from sister that THIS RUDE LADY was supposed to give me a day pass to place on my windshield which I never received. Sadly when we exit the lake the rude lady was no longer there. Wish I could've gotten her name and possibly teach her how to be respectful for FREE. I hope no one's get treated like this and beware.

Sunset
Kathryne L.

I was so pleased with the area I reserved! Super perfect for event! Clean relaxing safe fridge running water spacious

Low tide
Maggie N.

The lake is not as clean, and lacks better tables. The overall experience was alright, nothing exciting.

Susan S.

Great place to Come for the summer! It's the only place in Merced to come out to to cool Down and BBQ and have a good time Great place to come with friends and family -you have to go early to try to get a spot or you won't get a spot! -entrance fee is $6.00 -on weekends they have sheriff patrolling to keep everyone safe -boat fee is a little more(I forgot how much they charged us) Make sure you follow the water boating rules to avoid tickets because sheriffs have been on their game!

Christine H.

The only thing that brings my review to 4 stars is because Mark opened up the Padyak with kayak and SUP (stand up paddle board) rentals. Affordable and great way to see the lake

Ka Y.

More water than last year....but the area has gotten more dirty and worn out for example the grass and BBQ areas. A lot of duck poop and feathers (disgusting) so at times trying to find a nice shady place to have lay your mat down is hard. My personal opinion for guest is that PLEASE pick up after yourself!! The lake recreation does have ppl driving around and changing trash but at least respect the area. Leaving empty beer cases lying around and trash--dude they have trash cans there for a reason!! They lake have four areas-dock, first lake, second lake, third lake. They also have a private island or sectioned off area for overnight camping. They have rentals such as outdoor picnic areas and a small building.

American AF
Hector C.

TROUT,BASS,CRAPPIE,CATFISH,CARP YEAR ROUND.cheap 6$ CASH ONLY excluding summer time its free to enter. its not crystal clear water but if feels great when its 100+. the buildings are way overpriced to rent. its not worth going out of your way if you're driving through Merced thought. Heres a pic of a Bald Eagle eating its breakfast and some fish i've caught

Esther Y.

I came here by accident after visiting UC Merced and discovering there was a large lake next to it. I drove in and saw a sign for $6 parking, but nobody was collecting, so I figured it was because it was Columbus Day so it was probably free... Nobody was really at the park, surprisingly (no BBQs on a holiday?!), but I just drove around and enjoyed the view of the lake. There's a little fake beach area with a circular enclosing pier, and there's tons and tons of picnic tables. Definitely would be a nice place to host a picnic!

Gorgeous moving streams
Umar R.

Gorgeous lake in Merced with such a huge body of water and grass land, complete with BBQ pit, lots of picnic tables, plenty of trees for shade, and it also allows fishing, so its perfect getaway for the summer months to catch some breeze and have a good family fun. What makes this place unique is the isolation you get, and the privacy since its quite a long stretch and everyone would have a private space. Also my favorite is the view itself, so serene and picturesque, ultimately contributed by the many bridges and stone work giving this place the rustic look, plus small streams and small river flows with grass and aquatic plants on the side. The lake itself is very breezy and the water is clean -lake style of course (this is not a swimming pool). The park is safe and is guarded. Its only 1 hour from Fresno, so traveling here isn't too bad for a nice lake getaway - definitely a must visit if your in Fresno. Its only going to cost $6 per vehicle- and plenty of parking, and this places come with a complete facility of trash cans, and clean restrooms. Its literally 1/2 a mile to University of Merced -you could see it from the lake area, so its also a great opportunity to see the newest and most modern UC campus and at the same time going to downtown to visit the historical old courthouse museum. Plan to be here for hours, as you can bring plenty of food with you, for an all day picnic, lazing around on the matt and catching a good breeze under the shade of large trees and some sun if you like to suntan. Also great for kids and adults activity with volleyball and football since its so vast in grassland space, enough to run around. Recreational fishing is also a fun activity here, and it allowed. There are also many boat docks but I haven't sienna boats being used. Overall its a really neat and cool place to have a good picnic and family time or friends time in the central valley.

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Beautiful setting! Combination of tree-lined beach/grassy areas. You can bbq on site very nice and very clean.

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Ask the Community - Yosemite Lake Recreation Area

Do they allow dogs?

No. There is a sign at the gate/booth that says no dogs

Are there bbq grills to use here?

Yes.

Do you need a fishing license to fish here? When do they stock the lake with fish

Yes, you need a fishing license. I'm not sure when they plant fish.

Can you fish there on the lake and what kind of fish is stocked there?

Carp lots of carp they are big too , Rainbow trout , catfish , and bass . Good luck

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Review Highlights - Yosemite Lake Recreation Area

Located next door to UC Merced this beautiful lake is ideal for boating, swimming, picnics, fishing.

Mentioned in 7 reviews

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People searched for Lakes 290 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

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McConnell State Recreation Area - River

McConnell State Recreation Area

3.0(37 reviews)
15.9 mi

Great place for camping or day trip! Group camping site has…read morewater clogging issue and park ranger didn't fix that in our 2 night stay.

This was our first time here. We were invitd by friends and met them here because they arrived…read morereally early to get a spot. As we drove in we notice the parking lot was really crouded and full. We circled around a second time and lucky for us we found a parking spot not to far. Traveling with kiddos the first stop was the restrooms. We found an open one and it was ok considering we were at a park and a lot of people use them. Luckaly I have my complementary Yelp bag which I filled with bathroom items I might need, like, toilet paper, Clorox wipes, gloves, taper towels, baby wipes, and hand sanitizer. Yes, I come prepared, lol. They did a good job getting a great spot at a table next to a grill and another spot near the water. They had a canopy and chairs set up right on the water which was great idea. We lounged in the chairs while the kiddos played in the water. It was a nice spot where the water was very shallow and the current was very calm. A perfect place for younger kids to play in the water safely. Spent most of the day at this spot conversating with other parents and watching the kids enjoy the water, rocks, and play. It was a great day well spent with family and friends. I read some of th other review, however, I felt safe spending the day here with my family. I noticed the camping parking spaces with families that seamed to be having a good time.

Photos
McConnell State Recreation Area - Picking tables

Picking tables

McConnell State Recreation Area
McConnell State Recreation Area - Best place ever to come I been coming here sine I was 1 month born n now I'm 17 years old . I love this place

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Best place ever to come I been coming here sine I was 1 month born n now I'm 17 years old . I love this place

Turlock Lake State Recreation Area - Theatre

Turlock Lake State Recreation Area

3.2(46 reviews)
19.9 mi

Love love love this place! Wish they'd open it up again!!!! It's been too long! When will it open…read moreagain???

DECENT CAMPGROUND…read more Growing up I love camping - it's the most American thing to do in the summer. I love nature-sleeping when you sleep on the ground and wake up the next day due to the sun. The last time I went camping was in the summer of 2014 at Lake Oroville. Unfortunately that was the time of the drought. The water at Lake Oroville was so receded you can see where the original shoreline of the lake. I had a good, relaxing time at that campsite. However the water on the surrounding lakes were less than 50% capacity in my estimation. I wasn't thinking about camping again unless the lakes would be full to capacity. During this past winter and spring California experienced record rainfalls that the lakes were starting to get full again. This was the opportune time to go camping again. There were no more spaces at Lake Oroville but my cousin once went camping at this campground. Through my cousin we were able to book 4 campsites where we stayed 2 nights last weekend. The campground is situated between 2 bodies of the water - Tuolumne River and Turlock Lake. The river is located on the campground while the lake is about a mile away from the campground. If you already paid for the campsite you do not need to pay for the admission to the lake as long as you show your car pass from the campground. There are positives and negatives about this campground. The first negative is the grill. There is only half a rack to place your food. In addition the distance between the rack and bottom of the pit is substantial. Unless you have wood the fire from the charcoal won't reach the rack. The grill at this campground is great for smoking meat. I smoked pork ribs on that grill for 2 1/2 hours. I do recommend bringing your own grill if you want to dictate hot fire when you cook. The second negative is the bathroom. Granted most bathrooms at campgrounds aren't clean however the bathrooms at this campground didn't have any paper toilet seats. There are positive things regarding this campground. The shower stalls are cleaner than I expected at a campground. You can get both hot and cold water. I recommend bringing lots of quarters when you take a shower. (Please note you can purchase quarters through the campground manager.) The second positive thing is the river, which cleaner than the lake. In addition since the river is in the confines of the campground you do not need to pay admission for the river. I recommend bringing a specific type of water shoes when you go to the river as there are slippery rocks on the ground. Here are some other observations. The campground isn't very spacious as the campsites are close to each other. The summer weather at this campsite gets hot but surprisingly in the morning this campground is cold. I didn't bring a light summer jacket as I presumed this place would be really hot throughout my time here. This campground isn't perfect but it is a decent place to go camping with the family.

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Turlock Lake State Recreation Area - Turlock Lake Docking

Turlock Lake Docking

Turlock Lake State Recreation Area - BEFORE setting up your camp, I found THESE tent stakes sticking straight upwards; thoroughly rake the campsite before setting up your tents!

BEFORE setting up your camp, I found THESE tent stakes sticking straight upwards; thoroughly rake the campsite before setting up your tents!

Turlock Lake State Recreation Area - Kids in the raft

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Kids in the raft

Superb Watersports

Superb Watersports

4.3(6 reviews)
35.4 mi

Claims he took his site down in April, but in June we were able to rent his jet skis for June…read more27-28, 2025. And he took our money. He even replied to our email on June 9 saying we could keep the jet skis over night since we rented them for two days. On June 27, we called to inquire about where to meet him. He then emailed us saying he took his site down and he would issue a refund. He could have done this weeks ago so that we had time to make other arrangements. We are now at the lake with no other options. He has yet to issue a refund and today, you can go to his site and still rent from him. If zero stars were possible, that's what he'd get.

We rented 2 PWC's for a large group to play at lake New Melones. I bombarded Gabriel with tons of…read morequestions via email and he answered every question I had very quickly. Making the reservation and signing of paperwork was pretty easy and straightforward. He showed up early to deliver the jet ski's to the lake and took his time to explain the safe operation of the ski's. I feel like he really went out of his way to explain everything so we would have a great day. The ski's were amazing! Fast, pretty stable, and easy to ride. We had about 15 ish people riding them all day without any issues. Everyone said the JetSki's were the highlight of the trip. Pickup was also quick and easy. They were very easy going and a pleasure to deal with. I believe customer service is as important as the rental itself and both were great with superb Watersports. I highly recommend them and will rent again next trip.

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Superb Watersports - Enjoying the jet ski's

Enjoying the jet ski's

Superb Watersports
Superb Watersports

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Yosemite Lake Recreation Area - lakes - Updated May 2026

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