Lake Berryessa

Lake Berryessa is a reservoir located in the Vaca Mountains of Napa County, California. Operated under a cooperative agreement by the Solano County Water Agency/Solano Irrigation District, the lake is fed by the tributaries of Putah Creek, Capell Creek, Pope Creek, and Eticuera Creek and supplies water to Vacaville, Suisun City, Vallejo, Fairfield, and Travis Air Force Base. Under the contract led by The Bureau of Reclamation, the lake and Monticello Dam, which are parts of the Solano Project, provide water for agricultural, municipal, and industrial purposes.

Nestled between Blue Ridge and Cedar Roughs, Lake Berryessa offers year-round recreation opportunities, mostly water sports such as fishing, boating, swimming, waterskiing, jet-skiing, kayaking, and canoeing. The lake harbors a wide range of wildlife presence including varieties of fishes including bass, catfish, carp, crappie, bluegill, rainbow trout, crawfish, and salmon. 

It also entertains tourists with the options of hiking, bicycling, biking, bird-viewing, wildlife observation, and picnicking. The grassy hills dotted with oak, manzanita, sergeant cypress, and white alder provide excellent opportunities to view eagles, hawks, songbirds, wild turkeys, mountain lions, raccoon, skunk, and black-tailed deer. The reservoir is home to the unique spillway called “Gloria Hole”, a modern marvel, which prevents overflow when water levels rise above 440 feet in the lake and Monticello Dam.