Suddenly the trail ahead turned to mud. We had been enjoying a nice hike in the Anderson Marsh State Historic Park, on a day trip from our campsite at Clear Lake State Park 20 miles away, but now we had a decision to make. Do we turn around, backtrack on the Cache Creek Trail all the way to the parking lot and find another trail, or do we press on and hike the loop as we were intending? Never ones to give up easily, my wife Edie and I decided to press on.
To say the trail was muddy was an understatement. It actually was underwater. But what if the muddy/wet section was short, and we could then enjoy the rest of the trail after that? That would turn out to be an incorrect assumption, by a very wide margin.
California’s largest freshwater lake
I’d been looking forward to this trip to Clear Lake for some time. At just 130 miles from Alameda, it’s that perfect short- to medium-distance getaway that’s just far enough to feel that you’ve really gotten away, but not so far as to be a really long drive. A planned trip in September of 2021 was canceled due to a major wildfire near Clear Lake (the Cache Fire), so this was our second attempt to visit the area.
While many people think of Lake Tahoe as California’s largest freshwater lake, that honor actually belongs to Clear Lake. Although Lake Tahoe is actually larger in terms of area and volume, it does not lie entirely in the state of California, so on that technicality, Clear Lake wins. Comprising 68 square miles—vs 191 square miles for Tahoe—Clear Lake is still a very large lake, and is very old too. According to a research paper by the University of California/Agriculture and Natural Resources, “It is also believed to be the oldest natural lake in North America, with continuous lake sediments dating to the early Pleistocene, yielding age estimates of 1.8–3.0 million years old.”
Wettest trail ever
I don’t know if the sediments we were hiking through were up to 3 million years old or not, but I do know they were wet. As we stepped into the flooded section of the Cache Creek Trail in Anderson Marsh State Historic Park, I was hoping the water was just shallow enough to not reach the tops of our boots, and that we’d get to dry ground again before our feet got very wet. I actually tried to reduce the “time in water” by jumping onto the trail and running through the wet section, as if going fast would keep me drier. In actuality, all that jumping and running only served to drive my boots further into the muck and splash water all over me. And the wet section didn’t seem to be ending.
Occasionally we’d get to a drier, or should I say, less deep section of the trail, and we’d have some hope that the trail was drying out, but then another deep section would come along, dashing those hopes. At this point our boots and feet were completely wet, so it kind of didn’t matter anyway. We were in deep with this adventure, and the cool water actually felt good on a warm day. My only concern was that getting leather hiking boots completely wet and submerged was not necessarily good for them, and I was wearing my almost-new boots from REI. They were supposed to be waterproof, but not under these conditions! Well, sometimes an adventure requires going a little outside your comfort zone, and this was one of those times.
Once we gave in to the wetness, it was actually fun and novel to be hiking through what ended up being a seasonal lake, with the water reaching up past our knees at its deepest. After a while, there wasn’t even a defined trail to follow, and we were just hiking in what looked like a completely flooded meadow. Needless to say, we didn’t have to share this “trail” with any other hikers, and had the pristine and quiet area all to ourselves. Eventually we managed to find our way across the water to connect with the Anderson Marsh Trail where we were finally able to get onto dry ground again, find a big log to sit on, and take off our boots to pour out the water. At times like these I so appreciate having a partner in Edie, who is always up for any adventure or challenge, sometimes even more so than I am.
Sunset paddle on the lake
After changing into dry clothes in our campervan—that’s one of the nice things about having your home on wheels with you—we made our way back north along the west shore of Clear Lake, passing scenic views and towns like Clearlake Riviera, Buckingham Park, Soda Bay, and the Konocti Harbor Resort. At times the scene struck me as a more chill, relaxed, uncrowded, and less expensive version of Lake Tahoe.
Getting back to our camp at Clear Lake State Park, we had time to relax amidst the musical calls of a multitude of birds before having dinner and heading out for a sunset paddle. Because the lake level is so high at this time of year, after a good winter of rain, the shoreline came all the way up to our campsite and we were able to launch our kayaks right from there. In late summer or fall, that might not be possible and you’d have to use the nearby boat ramp and docks. First penetrating a thick stand of tule reeds, we soon found ourselves entering the open lake. When you’re kayaking, the temptation is to just paddle forward and not look back, but it’s important to turn around and try to pick out some landmarks for the return trip. In this case, once we exited the stand of Tule reeds, the shoreline all looked the same and the way back looked like it could be hard to find—especially after sunset. After picking out some landmarks, and making note of some buoys, we were free to enjoy Clear Lake for a nice 7:50 p.m. sunset.
Land of the Pomo and Miwok
The predominant culture surrounding the lake since ancient times was Pomo. Clear Lake State Park, Anderson Marsh State Historic Park and adjoining lands comprise the ancestral territory of the Koi Nation, a Southeastern Pomo tribe. California State Parks interpretive materials state that, “The ancestral Koi were among the first humans to colonize California, arriving at least 14,000 years ago.” When non-Indian immigrants first arrived in the mid-1800s, the main home base for the Koi people was Koi Island—now also known as Indian island—a major village housing up to 300 people.
The Lake Miwok people occupied the southern basin of Clear Lake, and like the Pomo, enjoyed its natural resources that provided for abundant food and trade. Although the Pomo and Miwok were eventually displaced from their land by the settlers, today the fastest growing businesses around Lake County are the casinos, operated by four Pomo Rancherias. There are a total of seven Rancherias in the Lake County area; Rancheria is a term used in California to refer to a Native American settlement recognized by the United States government.
If you go
A visit to Lake County and Clear Lake State Park is an opportunity to see and experience some of the unique natural beauty and wildlife that the Pomo and Miwok people have known for the last 14,000 years. Spring and early summer are particularly good times to go, for higher lake levels and lower temperatures. Summers can be quite warm, with temperatures in the 90s.
There are two main ways to get there from the Bay Area. One is to take Highway 101 north and exit at Hopland to take Highway 175 east over the mountains to Clear Lake. Another option is to take Highway 29 north through the Napa Valley, enjoying a highly scenic route through such towns as Napa, Yountville, St. Helena, and Calistoga before arriving at Clear Lake at the end of an approximately three-hour drive. We chose to take the Highway 101 route for the way there, and enjoyed the Highway 29 route through the Napa Valley on the way home. The mileage and travel time is very similar on these two routes, depending on traffic conditions. Either way, it’s a great California getaway, and not too far from home.
- For information on Clear Lake, visit the California State Parks’ Clear Lake State Park web page.
- For information on Anderson Marsh, visit the California State Parks’ Anderson Marsh State Historic Park web page.
- If camping isn’t your cup of tea, check out Lake County accommodations online.
Contributing writer Steve Gorman has been a resident of Alameda since 2000, when he fell in love with the history and architecture of this unique town. Contact him via [email protected]. His writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Steve-Gorman.
