Santa Rosa Lakes

Lakes Near Santa Rosa

It’s summertime so it’s time to plan your next summer adventure. There aren’t many better options than a lake near Santa Rosa. As it turns out, when you come to Santa Rosa there are quite a few great spots for spending time on the lake.

Whether you’re seeking to paddleboard, buzz around doing watersports, swim, or just lounge at the beach, the lakes near Santa Rosa provide you with numerous options for outdoor activities. Take a look at the data directly beneath this paragraph and have a look the options including small lakes with beaches to larger lakes for you to visit.

Lakes Near Santa Rosa

A Day at the Lake: An Itinerary

A day trip to the lake, or a more lengthy trip offers an almost limitless list of activities for couples or families.

Every getaway on or in the water offers you a full range of activities from thrilling to chilling.

Start paddling. If you like to paddle around, strap your favorite kayak or paddleboard to the top of your vehicle and chart your course to a lake that has a public launch and start paddling around to soak up the scenery on the waterfront.

Pack a picnic basket. The lakes near Santa Rosa offer a wealth of great picnic areas where you can enjoy tasty treats, or something as simple as crackers and cheese and a cold beverage by the water. If you’re with that special someone, good food and a view should put a smile on their face.

Get a little crazy with the water sports. Should you be able to get access to a ski boat, you might want to have some fun and make a day of kicking up a wake showing off your water sports talents? Enjoy a day of tubing or skiing as the all sports lakes offer you all kinds of choices.

Lake Getaway Prep

Your plan for a lake getaway can be drastically different depending on which lake you’re going to, when you decide to go, and what you want to do while you’re there. However, we’ve put together a list of popular go-to necessities for you to use as a checklist prior to locking up the house and heading out.

General items

When the plan is to be outdoors for the majority of the weekend, the following list of items should be a good place to start when it comes to the necessities to have on hand.

  • Towels and dry clothes
  • Reserve clothing
  • Something to eat
  • Portable phone charger
  • Travel dinnerware and cups
  • Proper footwear
  • A beach blanket and umbrella
  • Plastic grocery bags (for trash and/or wet clothes)
  • Sunscreen
  • Sunglasses

Specialty lake items

The list of items below can make your life easier for getaways to the lake considering your itinerary. You may want to double check for some of these prior to hitting the road.

  • Life jackets
  • Goggles or masks
  • Licenses and registration for boating and fishing
  • Fishing poles
  • Toys for the beach
  • Worms or other bait
  • Inflatable pool toys
  • Your favorite magazine or book
  • Tackle box
  • Corkscrew

Lake Safety

Of course spending a weekend on the lake should be tons of fun, you always have to keep safety in mind. If you’re going to be out on the water these are some extremely important tips for keeping everyone safe.

  • Don’t swim alone
  • Always wear a life jacket when boating, kayaking or paddle boarding
  • Have an emergency plan if you run into trouble on your watercraft
  • Don’t mix alcohol with swimming
  • Regularly apply sunblock throughout the day – following the product’s instructions
  • Avoid swimming near rocks or shallow water areas that may not be deep enough to dive underneath and escape from waves
  • Make sure children have swimmies or other approved flotation devices

More Tips for a Lake Getaway in Santa Rosa

When you make a trip to the one of a kind lakes around Santa Rosa, you’ll want to remember a couple critical items that might make your itinerary much more successful. Case in point, each individual lake near Santa Rosa has unique features which makes it important to think about what will make for an enjoyable adventure when planning yours.

  1. Make the most of unique assets in the area. If there’s time for a longer stay, find local state campgrounds and parks which give you the ability to stay near or even on the water at an affordable price.
  2. Pay attention to the beaches. Early, mid, or late season, sometimes the beaches near Santa Rosa might be swarmed with tourists. If you want some space to yourself, do some digging on multiple nearby beaches and lakes to see if you can find one that’s less crowded if you want a more relaxing vibe. If you want to be where the party’s at, search out the busiest, most popular sandy party scene!
  3. Find a marina. If you’re near the water you’ll often find nearby marinas that offer boat rentals of all sizes. Boats are expensive to own, but a rental will still allow you to enjoy fishing with family and friends or a wild day of wakeboarding. Doing a quick Google search will typically help you find a marina that has what you need.