castaic lake, ca

My eldest son and I spent the Saturday of the MLK holiday here fishing. This was our first visit to Castaic Lake and I am impressed.We arrived at the recreation area about 9:30 AM. Note that there is an entrance fee of $11. I was surprised to see that there were just a few other folks there - maybe about a dozen to 20 cars total. No cyclists or hikers - just a few of us fishing - maybe half on the lake in boats and half shore fishing (which we did). Consequently, it made for a really nice, quiet, day with my son. This is a beautiful park that, while just ten minutes from the Five Freeway, feels really far away. The lake is surrounded by the mountains and is really quiet. Just a light breeze most of the day and the sound of the occasional boat.The recreation area has hiking trails, bbq and picnic areas, a kids playground, geocaching, boating, and fishing. A little bit of everything for everyone. As other reviewers have mentioned, the California drought has really affected the water level in the lake so you have hike down a bit to find a good place to fish. Nothing difficult but it is a bit surprising to see how low the water level is. Since we arrived late to fish, we didn't catch anything although we also noted that none of the other parties were having any luck either. Fish took the day off as well, I guess.The restrooms were standard public restrooms ... you get the idea. Check in with the guy at the main boat launch store for bait and last minute tackle and to get an idea of what, if anything, is biting.We called it a day at 1:30PM since NOTHING was biting and decided to do some geocaching before getting lunch. For those of you into geocaching there are a number of geocaches in this area. It's a good location for them and my son's "geosense" was working that day - he located three out of three Dad didn't find them.Bring a camera long as well, as the views can be really impressive.I would definitely return here for another day trip.

Castaic Lake is currently 100 ft low from it's usual full capacity. You can bring in your boat, kayak or personal water craft. There is currently no swimming allowed due to the low water level. Cars cost $11 to enter, kayaks cost $7.

We recently visited Castaic and were happy with our choice. A few downsides...the water level is very low this year, some of the people we encountered were not the highest quality of people, and the bathrooms were trashed by the end of the day. (Absolutely disgusting). There were a few times where we were a bit nervous to get in the water as other boats often came way too close for comfort. On the plus side, the day we went, the lake was not very crowded. The water appeared clean and was nice and warm. It was not an exceptionally hot day (90`s) but I don't think anybody even thought of grabbing a towel. The rates are comparable to other lakes we have visited. In order to get to the boat launch, there is a very steep hill. There are lifeguards available to assist if necessary. We would definitely visit again...just not on a crowded weekend.

Lake is low. The main dam is a good fishing spot. We arrived late and did not catch anything but we saw people there with five or six in the basket. West ramp region has some people fishing too but it is not quite accessible. Mosquito could be a problem around sunset time, they are just bombers. One thing that is not great is that fishing places and picnic areas are far away.

Lake is low, but the boat ramps are crowded, a lot of angry inconsiderate people loading boats and unloading. They really do not know Boat etiquette. The Lake could offer so much, if someone was at dock to control boaters. A lot of the big boats are not considerate of the smaller boats. Kind of like the freeway.

It's a blessing and a curse that Castaic Lake is situated a good 40-or-so-minute drive north of Los Angeles.It's a blessing because it's not as hyped as other places, so it's not ridiculously crowded (at least it hasn't been when I've visited).But the distance is also a curse because trips there must be planned.The lagoon is a nice place to kayak and paddleboard. In the summer/early fall the water is tolerable so it's not too painful to get acclimated to the wet temperatures. If you drive up to the lake, it's a fantastic place to barbecue, picnic, and just sit back and relax and take in the view. (And take photos!)I'll definitely be back to chill and someday camp!Note: Parking is $11 per standard vehicle, and it's cash only. There is sooooooooo much parking, so that shouldn't ever be a problem.

This is quite a large body of water with a number of little offshoot bays with some wildlife.Good kayaking area, but watch the faster boat traffic.Some slow entry lines with all sortsa paperwork BS for boats.

great weather, great music, great crowd for a fun raiser for the USO, thanks to everyone that attended

Lindo lago artificial localizado no estado da California. Ideal para quem gosta de pescaria e passeios aos ar livre.