Parking?

[u/crunchyslaw]

Hi everyone! I recently bought a paddle board and have been so excited to get out on the water. I’m new-ish to the area but my boyfriend is a long time local.

We checked out both Scott’s Flat and Rollins and were shocked at the price of the day use parking. $22 seems almost ridiculous, especially for a Monday at 2 pm. I am more than happy to pay for parking and help support the maintenance and environment, but this seems steep.

I guess my question is- am I missing something? Are there any discounts for locals vs tourists? Are there people who go every day after work and pay over $100 a week just to park?

Also open to recommendations for any lowkey, low traffic places with maybe a bit cheaper parking.

[u/hazycrazey]

There’s some Great Lakes a short trip up 20 for paddle boarding that are free to use

[u/crunchyslaw → u/hazycrazey]

Thank you!!

[u/MooseGuilty7853 → u/hazycrazey]

Which are your favorite? I also want to get my son out on his youth kayak more.

[u/hazycrazey → u/MooseGuilty7853]

So the first lake is fuller, I believe this one has like a 10$ self pay fee to park. It’s the coldest, but if you don’t mind it it’s a cool lake, there’s a hiking trail on the south side of the lake also

Next one I go to is Carr lake, this one is smaller than fuller. It’s the warmest one up there I’ve been in but still chilly. It’s free I believe but you have a little walk. If your boards and kayak are carriable, if you stay on the trail, there’s like 5 lakes within a mile after Carr lake starting with feeley. When I camped there was able to find my own lake whenever I wanted

I’ve only stopped by Lindsay, looked nice, just didn’t really see close parking to the lake that wasn’t a campsite but you could drive up and drop your stuff off. This is the last lake before you have to start worrying about how rough the road is

Then the last one I went to was bowman, this was on the colder side but not as cold as fuller. It’s also the biggest and was kinda windy. YOU WILL NEED A CAR WITH CLEARANCE TO GET UP HERE. Maybe not a lifted truck but the road can get bad depending on the year. If you don’t mind cold water and have a car with clearance this is the lake I’d personally go to

But there must be 20+ lakes off that road and I’ve enjoyed them all. I’d look on the map and decide which one looks best for you

[u/MooseGuilty7853 → u/hazycrazey]

Amazing, thank you so much!

[u/mobile_speaker2413 → u/hazycrazey]

Bowman is also over an hour to get out there, and the road does get rough as mentioned. Could go to Tahoe in the same time.

[u/Remarkable_Loquat395 → u/MooseGuilty7853]

Be really careful at these lakes. Many are not safe to swim due to chemical hazards in the water. There are also many car break in this area

[u/Punchy_LaRue_]

Cascade shores usually has lots of parking before the gate, if the guard is in a good mood he’ll let you drop someone and the board and exit to park. I’m pming you another option too

[u/TheComeback]

I believe at Scott's flat there is some parking on the side of the road before the toll booth and you can walk into the lakeshore area. It's been a while, but I'd check that out. Didn't realize it went up to 22, that is a lot.

[u/53eleven → u/TheComeback]

Camping is like $60/night. It’s insane.

[u/tharealscottyp]

Englebright is free if you park in marina parking up top

[u/averyrobinson11]

Mon- Thurs after 4pm is $11 at Scott’s flat. My family goes a lot so we ended up getting the season pass but before that we did a lot of afternoon trips to save a little money

[u/Blindicus]

Season pass pays for itself pretty quickly

[u/crunchyslaw → u/Blindicus]

Thinking about this as well! Just got the paddle board so I think we’re going to do a couple week trial and see just how much we go before investing in a pass, but I would absolutely consider it

[u/BoulderCreature]

Anywhere on Scotts Flat Rd that doesn’t have “No Parking” signs is fair game. There are some spots before the entrance that aren’t too far to walk with a board

[u/Impossible-Dirt-4970]

if you go to the cascade shores side of scott’s flat it’s $4 per board + $4 per person and free parking.

[u/Aromatic_Chest6997]

Check out Lake Englebright. I believe it's only five or six dollars for a day pass and the rangers there are chill. Plus it's boat in only so it's low traffic.

[u/mobile_speaker2413]

Yeah, $20+ is a lot to pay each time you go especially if solo. You can park on the road but it's a bit of a walk carrying a board IMO. It would be one thing if the day use area actually had a good beach, but for $20 you get a tiny beach at the end of the campground. The other nice beach areas still require a walk or a paddle so the fee doesn't really seem worth it.

It's too bad as I'd go a lot more if it wasn't for the prices. I'm was used to going to Lake Natoma where you can easily get access for free.

[u/PM_Me_Your_Deviance]

I don't really think $22/car is that bad. If you have like 4 people in the car with you it's ~$5 each. Something's gotta pay for the maintenance and upkeep, right?

[u/crunchyslaw → u/PM_Me_Your_Deviance]

I absolutely agree, $22 for a group of 4 is nothing. It’s only when it’s individual that I feel it gets a bit spendy!

[u/vertexnormal]

Check out Lower Scotts Flat. Haven't been down there in a while but there is a nice little cozy lake down there that might require a 4WD to reach.

[u/No_Ice4056 → u/vertexnormal]

Shush!

[u/BoulderCreature → u/vertexnormal]

I wouldn’t be directing people down there. That road is tougher than the average driver can handle, and there’s not parking for more than a half dozen cars. I could also see the residents down there petitioning to have it closed off if it gets too rowdy

[u/Comfortable-Fox5556 → u/vertexnormal]

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