Lake Morena Flat Water Kayak Canoe Guidebooks California

Book Page Sample

2550 Lake Morena Drive
Campo, CA 91906
858 565-3600

http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/parks
/camping/lake_morena.html

Area Map # 5
Miles of Shoreline: 12
Lake Surface Acres: 1500
Elevation: 3000’

Campground: Lake Morena County Park

Reservations: Advised
Accepted: Yes
Check-in Time: 2:00 p.m.
Check-out Time: 2:00 p.m.
Minimum Stay: 2 nights on weekends
Maximum Stay: 14 days
Reservations #: 858 565-3600
www.co.san-diego.ca.us/parks

Directions: From the city of San Diego, take Interstate 8 east for about forty-eight miles. Exit onto Buckham Springs Road heading south for 6.6 miles. Turn right on Oak Drive and travel one-and-a-half miles. Then turn right on Lake Morena Drive and drive one-and-a-half miles. Lake Morena Drive becomes Morena Reservoir Road once you are inside the park.

Facilities: There are 86 tent or RV sites, (58 with water and electric hookups), with flush toilets, water, shower, a grocery store, a boat launch, boat rentals, hiking, boating, and sailing. Windsurfing, swimming, jet and waterskiing are not permitted. Pets are allowed on a leash.

Wind & Weather Conditions: Calm winds in the morning make for crystal clear waters that reflect the magnificent surrounding landscape onto the still waters of this

enchanting lake. A mild afternoon breeze helps you keep cool from the intense summer heat in this hot climate region. The average daytime high summer air temperature is in the 80s, but it can heat up to 100 degrees. Low water level conditions occur beginning in August, but sometimes as early as the beginning of July.

Kayak Fishing: Lake Morena provides outstanding kayak angling action for trout, bluegill, crappie, redear sunfish and bass. The fishing was so superb, it was almost to the point of being too easy. Even the 4 year olds were reeling them in from along the shoreline, with their Snoopy fishing rods. Rainbow trout also offer good angling opportunities. which 12,000 rainbow trout in the 7 to 8 inch class are stocked annually in the wintertime by the Department of Fish and Game.

Terrain: Lake Morena is located in the Cleveland National Forest, nestled in the

middle of 3260 acres of oak, chaparral and grassland. The lake is surrounded by large granite boulders, rolling hills and low mountains and has a succession of small islands protruding from the water’s surface.A number of campsites are located along the shore overlooking the sparkling water on this Top Twenty List lake. This is a popular location for family camping. Most of the campsites have plenty of shade and privacy in between one another. The campground books up virtually every weekend from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Open: Lake Morena offers limitless year-round paddling opportunities one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset, seven days a week. The boat speed limit is 10 m.p.h.

Fees: There are day use, launch, camping and pet fees. There’s a fee for launching your boat, even if you camp.

Average	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
High	62	64	66	72	78	87	93	94	89	79	79	63
Low	34	34	36	37	41	45	51	52	49	42	35	32

Paddle Notes: Share with others the experience of paddling this exquisite lake which provides dazzling mountain views and a variety of inlets to explore. You can paddle Lake Morena in sections, or you can paddle the entire perimeter, which is about a four-hour paddle when the lake is full. Lake Morena usually has calm waters due to a 10 m.p.h. boat speed limit which prohibits fast powerboats, jet and waterskiing. The only drawback is that swimming is not allowed. Lake Morena is a man-made lake. It is the most remote lake of San Diego’s reservoirs. The only source of water is from rain run-off which causes the lake’s water level to fluctuate from year-to-year. Occasionally, the lake is drained by the city and the water level can drop drastically up to fifty percent less than its capacity. The lake currently has about 8 miles of shoreline.

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