Newest reservoirs in California
The year that a reservoir was first filled to the reservoir’s normal elevation – or the year that a natural lake was first dammed – is the determining factor in the age of the body of water. A large reservoir can take more than a year to fill after its dam is first closed. You can find many of the the world’s newest reservoirs on LakeLubbers in the comparison table below. Many of the world’s oldest reservoirs appear on the last page of that list. Note: For some lakes, the completion year data is unknown, so you may see fewer lakes than the total 75 articles we have published for California lakes.Thinking about booking a California lake vacation home rental, cabin or hotel?
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Below are lakes within USA > US West Region > California > Compared by newest (youngest) reservoirs and the year it was completed. This list does not represent all lakes in California, only the 75 California lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name | Completion year | Lake description |
---|---|---|
Donnells Reservoir (California, High Sierra Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
1957 | Also known as Donnells Lake, Donnell Lake Donnells Reservoir is one of the Central Sierra’s most picturesque lakes. Sometimes called Donnell Lake, it has its own dedicated viewing location and … |
Folsom Lake, CA (California, Gold Country Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
1956 | Folsom Lake lays magnificently nestled along the American River at the base of the Sierra foothills. It is surrounded by an abundance of striking scen … |
Cherry Lake, CA (California, High Sierra Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
1956 | Also known as Cherry Creek Reservoir Creation of Cherry Lake and the Tuolumne River watershed was a cooperative effort among the city and county of San Francisco, the Modesto and Turlock … |
Lake Isabella, CA (California, High Sierra Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
1953 | Also known as Isabella Reservoir Lake Isabella is an 11,200 acre reservoir in Kern County, California, about 35 miles northeast of Bakersfield. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers create … |
Cachuma Lake (California, Central Coast Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
1953 | Also known as Cachuma Reservoir, Lake Cachuma One of the most popular destination lakes along the California Central Coast is 3100-acre Cachuma Lake. In 1953, the federal Bureau of Reclamation con … |
Shasta Lake, CA (California, Shasta Cascade Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
1945 | Shasta Lake, one of the largest lakes in California, is an outdoor paradise of fresh blue water, awe-inspiring caverns, investigative trails, first cl … |
Crowley Lake (California, High Sierra Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
1941 | Also known as Long Valley Reservoir, Lake Crowley Crowley Lake is known for excellent trout fishing in California’s High Sierras region. Before construction of the Long Valley Dam in 1941, few trout e … |
Lake Gregory, CA (California, Inland Empire Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
1938 | Also known as Lake Gregory Regional Park Lake Gregory is a recreational retreat situated almost 5,000 feet above sea level in the San Bernardino Mountains of Southern California. Surrounded b … |
Lake Havasu, AZ/CA (Arizona, California, Desert Region, CA, US Southwest Region, US West Region, USA, West Coast Region, AZ) |
1938 | Lake Havasu’s 20,400 acres, formed behind Parker Dam on the Colorado River, is a boating paradise. Around Lake Havasu City, the most recognizable sigh … |
Topaz Lake, CA/NV (California, High Sierra Region, CA, Nevada, Renoe-Tahoe Territory, NV, US West Region, USA) |
1937 | Also known as Topaz Reservoir Topaz Lake is a man-made reservoir located on the border of Nevada and California, about 75 miles south of Reno, Nevada. The reservoir was built on th … |
Lake Madrone, CA (California, Shasta Cascade Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
1931 | Also known as Madrone Lake Lake Madrone might be small at just 25 acres, but it is anything but scant on looks. The lake is a phenomenal beauty surrounded by a gated mountain co … |
Bucks Lake, CA (California, Shasta Cascade Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
1929 | A peregrine falcon, perched in the top of a silvery, windswept pine, watches a sailboat tack back and forth across the clear cool water of Bucks Lake. … |