Clearlake depth map

Set the lake level on the Rumsey gauge. The map shows how deep the water is at that level, where your boat will touch bottom, and how much water sits at the end of each county ramp.

2.52ft Rumsey

Lake level

Typical level by month

Wind on the lake

Loading the National Weather Service hourly forecast.

Sustained wind in mph and the direction it blows from. Arrows point the way the wind is going. The hourly forecast does not include gusts. Forecast point: the Weather Service grid at Lucerne, mid-lake. Full forecast

Your boat

Draft, ft (lowest point with motor or drive down)

Safety margin, ft

Water you need at the ramp end to launch, ft

These are your settings, not recommendations. Use your boat and trailer specs.

Mark water shallower than draft plus margin

Map key

County buoys County ramps Public swim beaches

Show beaches

Water at the ramp end

Ramp-end heights are published by Lake County Water Resources. Sorted by water at the chosen level. Tap a ramp to find it on the map.

* Ramp-end heights: Lake County Water Resources, Aides to Navigation. "Deepest ramp end" and "shortest run to deeper water" compare the ten county-listed ramps only. Distances are straight lines from the ramp to the county 5 ft contours, not the buoyed channel. Ramp width, slope, length, and trailer parking are not published by the county.

Public swim beaches

Listed by Lake County, the City of Clearlake, or California State Parks as having beach or swimming access. Boat access means the same source lists a boat ramp, launch, or dock at the park. Algae advisories change week to week. Check the state HAB reports map and the Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians cyanotoxin results before swimming, and follow posted signs.

Davis Beach in Lucerne is listed by the county but is not pinned. Its position is not verified.

Lake facts

Size: 68 square miles (about 43,000 acres) with more than 100 miles of shoreline. The largest natural freshwater lake entirely within California. Lake County
Volume when full: 1,115,000 acre-feet at 7.56 ft Rumsey. Lake County Vector Control District
Three arms: Upper, Oaks, and Lower, joined by a narrows. Lake County Vector Control District
The Rumsey gauge: Established by Captain Rumsey at Lakeport in 1873. Zero Rumsey is 1,318.256 ft above mean sea level. Lake County Vector Control District
Record levels, daily means since 1913: Low −3.50 ft R on September 24, 1920. High 11.40 ft R on February 24, 1998. USGS 11450000

* Average depth, volume, and deepest mapped water on the map are estimates computed from the county's 5 ft contours at the level you choose. At full lake this method gives 1,108,000 acre-feet, within 1% of the published 1,115,000. The deepest county contour is 55 ft below a 1.5 ft Rumsey surface, so the true deepest point may be deeper than shown.

Not for navigation. Depths come from the county's 5 ft contour map, which the county describes as approximate and for educational use. Shallow water near shore is not contoured. Stumps, rocks, weed beds, silt, and moved buoys are not shown. Watch your depth sounder and posted buoys.

Lake conditions

Loading the latest Weather Service reading.

Official flood levels at the Lakeport gauge

Level	Feet Rumsey

Expected impacts by lake level

Feet Rumsey	National Weather Service impact statement

Source: National Weather Service, Clear Lake at Lakeport (CLKC1). Forecasts are issued by the California Nevada River Forecast Center.

Wind and weather alerts

Checking the National Weather Service for active alerts.

Water quality

Algae (cyanobacteria) bloom reports for Clearlake submitted to the California State Water Resources Control Board in the last 12 months. The state notes that uploads can be delayed. Check the state HAB reports map and posted signs for current advisories.

Date observed	Location	Advisory recommended	Detail
Loading state reports.

The Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians publishes its own cyanotoxin monitoring results for Clearlake: Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians, Clearlake cyanotoxins.

Before you launch

Lake County requires every trailered vessel launched in Lake County water bodies to display a current Lake County mussel sticker, in addition to the State DMV mussel sticker. Visitor stickers expire at the end of each calendar month. Resident stickers are valid for the calendar year. The requirement does not apply to canoes, kayaks, car-top boats, float tubes, rafts, wind surfers and boards, boogie boards, nonmotorized paddle boats, and nonmotorized sailboats 8 feet or less in length. It is enforced under Lake County Ordinance 2936.

Lake County Invasive Mussel Prevention · Visitor screening

County boat ramps

Ramp	Ramp end, ft Rumsey	Water at the ramp end at the level shown on the map	Status

Ramp-end heights: Lake County Water Resources, Aides to Navigation.

Creeks in and out

Weather Service gauges on three creeks that feed the lake and on Cache Creek, the lake's outlet. Readings are the stage at each gauge, not the lake level.

Gauge		Latest reading	Time	Flood status
Loading gauges.

Fishing

Because of mercury, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment publishes safe-eating guidelines for 15 species of fish and shellfish from Clearlake.

OEHHA Clearlake fish advisory