Mendocino Lake

Show on map(707) 462-7581
1160 Lake Mendocino Drive
Ukiah, CA 95482-9404
Lake Mendocino is located in the midst of wine country and near the gateway to the Redwoods. It is two hours north of the Bay area in central Mendocino County, near the city of Ukiah. The lake was created by a dam in 1958.

Lake Mendocino offers many recreational opportunities including over 300 campsites, with boat-in camping and 15 miles of hiking and biking trails. Some of the trails are in the 700-acre wilderness area, where native wildlife can be viewed. There are five large day-use areas with covered picnic shelters and barbeques. For on-the-water fun, there is boating, swimming and water skiing Fishing for large and small mouth bass, strippers, crappie, blue gill and three varieties of catfish is a popular activity.

Directions

From Ukiah, 3 miles north on US 101, then east on Lake Mendocino Drive.

Reviews

Mendocino Lake campgrounds are appreciated for their spacious sites, beautiful lake views, clean bathroom facilities with hot showers, and a generally peaceful atmosphere that is ideal for hiking, fishing, and water activities. Friendly and helpful staff contribute positively to the camping experience. However, recurring concerns include campground maintenance issues such as overgrown grounds and inconsistent cleanliness, noise disturbances from other campers and lake activities, presence of pests like flies and mosquitoes, limited ranger presence and rule enforcement, safety concerns near certain areas, and occasional rude behavior or littering. Some sites face challenges like uneven terrain, limited parking, lack of privacy, and absence of electrical or water hookups. Overall, the natural beauty and recreational opportunities are highly valued, though better upkeep and management would enhance the experience.

Spacious campsites with beautiful lake views
Clean bathrooms and hot showers
Peaceful and quiet atmosphere especially on weekdays
Helpful and friendly staff and camp hosts
Various recreational opportunities such as fishing, kayaking, and hiking
Lack of consistent campground maintenance and overgrown grounds
Noise disturbances from other campers, generators, and motorized lake activities
Limited ranger presence and enforcement of quiet hours
Presence of pests like flies, mosquitoes, and poison oak
Some sites lack privacy, have uneven terrain, or limited parking
201 reviews
5 stars
99
4 stars
34
3 stars
39
2 stars
17
1 stars
12
Catery V
Loop:Kyen
Site:
Reviewed 6 days ago
I love this place! excellent for families <3
Gustavo O
Loop:Kyen
Site:
Reviewed 8 days ago
I like the place. Very relaxing and fun!
Debbie D
Loop:Kyen
Site:
Reviewed 10 days ago
I love camping and the daytime there were great but with no supervision in the campground things ran amok at night 2 out of the three nights domestic dispute in the site next door hours long and no one called for help and the other night on the opposite side people showed up at 930 at night super loud ran their boat into the cement barrier drank and made noise all night long then proceeded to start hammering on the boat before 6 a.m. I then yelled at them and they stopped and went back to just making hella noise in their sight there needs to be supervision in the camp ground .On another note the sites are large pretty clean the bathrooms are clean and the showers are hot the roads are maintained and the price was good the only true nuisance were the bees while trying to prepare and eat food but thats nature for you all in all I had a great time
Edmund L
Loop:Kyen
Site:
Reviewed 13 days ago
Campsites are clean and easy to find. Our campsite was very close to the lake that is also very clean and beautiful. Nice individual shower stalls. We also made fires in the pit. Kayak and SUP were available for rental via self service kiosk. No rangers on site to enforce the quiet hour rules so it was still very noisy past 11pm. Restrooms don’t have good ventilation so they were stuffy and somewhat smelly. No hand soap at the handwashing basin.
RUTH P
Loop:Kyen
Site:
Reviewed 13 days ago
The campground in general is very well situated, easy to find, the utilities for our Rv were great. The beach area is very spacious, there is enough space for everyone who want to seat near the water, we definitely want to come back. Thanks
Olivier F
Loop:Bushay
Site:
Reviewed 16 days ago
Very good camp site.
Popularity: Quiet

Busiest in August, when about 26% of guest capacity is reserved. Based on 7 years of reservations.

Campgrounds

Mendocino Lake has 2 campgrounds, 136 campsites in total.

Nearby Parks