Clear Lake

Location & fast facts

Good for & watch for

Built only from the data on this page: official access lists, OpenStreetMap beaches and trails, campground listings, state and USGS invasive-species records. We don't rate crowds or water quality.

Lake map

Clear Lake shoreline, boat launches & beaches

Open interactive map

Shoreline: USGS National Hydrography Dataset (NHD Waterbody, Permanent ID 120027698), public domain. State outline: U.S. Census Bureau TIGERweb. Points: OpenStreetMap boat ramps (no statewide agency ramp layer used) and OpenStreetMap boat ramps (ODbL). Interactive map: Leaflet with © OpenStreetMap contributors. Not for navigation.

Campgrounds near Clear Lake

We found 37 campgrounds and RV parks within 15 miles of Clear Lake, 10 of them within 5 miles. 7 are right on the shore. Distances are straight-line from the nearest point on the shoreline, so driving distance is longer.

• Hike Bike Campground
  CampgroundState park

  On the shore · Lake County

  Wheelchair accessible

  Get directions
• Kelsey Creek Campground
  CampgroundState park

  On the shore · Lake County

  Wheelchair accessible

  Get directions
• Lower Bayview Campground
  CampgroundState park

  On the shore · Lake County

  Get directions
• Upper Bayview Campground
  CampgroundState park

  On the shore · Lake County

  Wheelchair accessible

  Get directions
• Cole Creek Camprgound
  CampgroundState park

  On the shore · Lake County

  Showers

  Get directions
• Aurora RV Park
  RV park

  On the shore · Lake County

  RVs welcome

  Get directions

All campgrounds & RV parks in California

Green tent icons on the lake map mark campgrounds near the shore, and the interactive map shows the closest 12. Amenities are listed only where a source records them; call or check the campground's website before you go, since seasons and rates change every year.

Campground data: Recreation.gov (RIDB) · OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Pulled Oct 12, 2026.

Nearest airports

The closest airport with scheduled passenger flights to Clear Lake, plus larger airports within about 150 miles:

• Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport (STS), Santa Rosa, CA: about 35 miles (straight line) · Rent a car at STS
• Sacramento International Airport (SMF), Sacramento, CA: about 68 miles (straight line) · Rent a car at SMF
• Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport (OAK), Oakland, CA: about 95 miles (straight line) · Rent a car at OAK
• San Francisco International Airport (SFO), San Francisco, CA (major airport): about 99 miles (straight line) · Rent a car at SFO

Car rental links go to our partner Discover Cars; LakeRipple may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Affiliate disclosure.

Airports with scheduled airline service from OurAirports (large and medium airports); larger airports are FAA large, medium and small hubs by FAA CY2025 enplanements ("major airport" = FAA large hub). Distances are straight-line from the lake's center, not driving distance; road routes are longer.

Conditions right now

Live from the National Weather Service API for the lake's coordinates (39.0217, -122.7865). The nearest station may be several miles away. NWS forecast for Clear Lake. No live water-temperature sensor is shown because we haven't found a public one for this lake.

Sun, moon & best fishing times

Based on solunar theory, an estimate. Major periods (about 2 hours) center on when the moon is directly overhead or underfoot; minor periods (about 1 hour) center on moonrise and moonset. The 0–100 activity score rises during those periods and gets a boost near sunrise and sunset and around the new and full moon. Weather, water temperature and pressure often matter more. Sun and moon times are calculated in your browser from the lake's coordinates with standard astronomy formulas, shown in PT (America/Los_Angeles), and accurate to within a few minutes.

Boat launches & access sites

33 public access sites listed, 33 with a boat ramp or trailer launch.

OpenStreetMap boat ramps (no statewide agency ramp layer used) and OpenStreetMap boat ramps (ODbL)

Fees, hours and rules change; confirm with the site owner before you go.

Public beaches

On OpenStreetMap: 2 beaches and swimming spots on the shore of Clear Lake not marked private, residents-only or members-only.

Beaches: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), within about 150 m (500 ft) of the lake outline. A mapped beach is not a guarantee that swimming is allowed, supervised or safe; some town beaches need a resident sticker even when the map doesn't say so. Check posted rules and water-quality advisories before you swim.

Non-native/invasive species

Reported on or near Clear Lake

• Wandering hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata): 53 USGS records, first reported 1994, latest 2019 · status: established (fact sheet).
• Common water-hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes): 1 USGS record, first reported 2000 · status: established (fact sheet).

USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database

USGS records matched to this water by location (within about 150 m of the outline) or by the place name in the record. A record shows a sighting was reported; it doesn't prove the species is still there. As of Oct 10, 2026.

Contact & official info

• California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW): fishing rules, licenses and stocking.

Questions about Clear Lake

Share a tip or fishing report

Know Clear Lake? Tell us about the launch, parking, where they're biting or anything a first-time visitor should know. Tips go privately to the LakeRipple editor; nothing is posted automatically. Helpful tips may be featured on this page (we'll use your first name only if you give one).

Lakes & ponds nearby

• Borax Lake · Clearlake · 200 acres · 6.6 mi
• Highland Springs Reservoir · Lakeport · 50 acres · 8.4 mi
• Thurston Lake · Clearlake · 210 acres · 8.9 mi
• Boggs Lake · Clearlake · 34 acres · 9.4 mi
• Lower Blue Lake · Lakeport · 52 acres · 14.9 mi
• Indian Valley Reservoir · Clearlake · 3,271 acres · 14.9 mi

Straight-line distance between lake centers. All California lakes & ponds · All waters in Clearlake