Lake Solano County Park

View from a canoe, and Lake Solano too; looking west towards the bridge.

Location

8685 Pleasants Valley Road

Winters, CA 95694

Hours

8:00 AM - 4:30 PM daily

Phone

530-795-2990

Website

Official Site

Lake Solano is in the coastal foothills west of Winters and sees more than 200,000 visitors per year. It is good for activities on or off the water. Some popular activities include:

• Angling
  

• Bicycling
  

• Bird watching
  

• Boating (no motors allowed)
  

• Camping (RV and tent)
  

• Hiking
  

• Picnicking and Barbecuing (enormous barbecue pits)
  

• Sunbathing
  

• Swimming
  

• Wildlife photography

They rent boats paddle, canoes, sit on kayaks for $10/hour. Weekend parking is $5 for the day. If you have your own boat there is no launch fee.

If you get out on the water you can either go upstream under the bridge which will let you go up to the island, or downstream to the diversion dam. The water tends to be very calm and can be surprisingly clear at times.

There is a surprising amount of wildlife around the lake; mostly waterfowl and other birds, but also legions of squirrels and even some deer (no hunting!). Of course, the most common wildlife is the type that likes to feed off the crumbs and handouts of fat picnickers.

Peacocks thrive at Lake Solano. Lots of squirrels too. The proverbial ducks in a row. There is a nice wooded path along the creek with stunning views.

Features

Under the southern end of the bridge is a mural.

The bridge is located on the road that divides the park between the sides picnic and campings. People fish from the bridge, and even when they are not there the array of fishing lures caught up in the high voltage wires that also cross the water testifies to their having been there.

The camp grounds are a decent place to spend the night with friends. You can bring up to two cars per campsite. The place is a little family oriented, so try to not be too loud after lights out.

Rules and General Info Campgrounds Map.

Diversion Dam

The diversion dam.

At the lower end of the lake is the diversion dam that controls the water, splitting it between agricultural usage in Solano County and the waters that flow down Putah Creek.

click to view full size

An infestation of New Zealand Mudsnails was discovered on October 30th, 2003.