You can plan your Lake County day trip or weekend getaway in a jiffy using the resources below.
Why Should You Go? Will You Like It?
- Lake County is especially popular with fishermen and boaters.
- The Lake County wine industry is growing but still small, and you're likely to find the winemaker pouring for you in the tasting room. Properties in the area are beginning to be revitalized, but it's still a friendly place to visit, where shopkeepers and innkeepers are clearly glad to see you and not jaded like their counterparts elsewhere.
Best Time to Go
The most popular time with visitors is July and August (best for water play on the lake), but it's less crowded and especially pretty in spring, when the wildflowers are blooming. Clear Lake is at about 1,300 feet elevation, so it may be a little colder than at your home. Otherwise, its weather pattern is the same as the rest of California, with warm summers and rainy winters.Don't Miss
If you've only got a day, book a tour at Eleven Roses Ranch for a rare look at some beautiful countryside and one of the most relaxing outings you can find anywhere.5 More Great Things to Do in Lake County
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Summer Saturday concerts at the Konocti Harbor Resort lakeside amphitheatre feature performers such as the Doobie Brothers, the Charlie Daniels Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd and "Weird Al" Yankovic.
- Wine Tasting: You'll find about 20 wineries scattered around the county, and some are open for tasting. We especially like Ceago. It's between the villages of Nice and Lucerne on the north shore and its setting could easily make you think you're traveling between the two towns' European namesakes. However, one of the nicest way to enjoy several at one sitting is to visit the Lake County Wine Studio on Main Street in Upper Lake, which serves as the tasting room for wineries too small to have their own. Kelseyille is also home to several winery tasting rooms and has some nice little shops to browse in.
- Take Flight: If the bald eagles you saw soaring over the lake got you inspired, Solo Flight School in Lakeport offers rides in their biplane or glider.
- Robinson Rancheria is the nicest Lake County casino, offering bingo, slots and table games, as well as some good entertainment.
- Water Play: Clear Lake serves up some of the state's best bass fishing, and you can hire a guide to improve your chances. For a more active time on the lake rent a jet ski or boat or rent a kayak at Konocti Harbor and you provide the power.
Annual Events You Should Know About
Held the last weekend of July, the Lake County Wine Adventure gets you into 20+ wineries over two days, including some not normally open to the public, and all for less than the cost of wine tasting at one winery in Napa Valley. Lake County Wine Tours offers a transportation package so you and your friends don't have to draw straws to designate a driver.Tips for Visiting Lake County
- July and August are the busiest months and the nicest places fill up early. Plan ahead or go off-season.
- Some of the roads around Clear Lake are narrow and nausea-inducingly winding. If motion sickness is a problem for you, take precautions.
- If you want to take a drive along the lake shore, California Hwy 20 is the place to go. It runs close the water between Upper Lake and Clearlake Oaks on the northwest side.
