Places to Row in Central California

[SuperCool468]

I'm going to be moving out to an area called Inyokern Valley in California. I've been living in Hawaii for a while and I'm excited to get back to the mainland and start rowing again after a few years out of the boat. The problem is that I've checked out the area online and there doesn't seem to be any good flat water out there. The closest place to row seems to be a place called Lake Isabella. Has anybody ever been there/know if its a good spot?

Thanks in advance.

[Bob S.]

I'm going to be moving out to an area called Inyokern Valley in California. I've been living in Hawaii for a while and I'm excited to get back to the mainland and start rowing again after a few years out of the boat. The problem is that I've checked out the area online and there doesn't seem to be any good flat water out there. The closest place to row seems to be a place called Lake Isabella. Has anybody ever been there/know if its a good spot?

Thanks in advance.

Inyokern is essentially desert. Lake Isabella is 30miles to the west, over 6000' Walker Pass on Rte. 178, a slow. twisty mountain road, sometimes closed in winter. In the summer, the lake probably has a lot of water skiing traffic.

Bob S., Inyo County resident, about 110 miles north of Inyokern, on Rte. 395.

[SuperCool468]

So, would you say its completely unrowable? I was hoping maybe they had some areas sectioned off for non-motorized boats (i.e. kayaks, canoeing, etc..)

If lake Isabella isn't an option, what else is there out there? I've been through the area several times and I know not to expect any sort of oasis out there.... but where do you row?

[Bob S.]

So, would you say its completely unrowable? I was hoping maybe they had some areas sectioned off for non-motorized boats (i.e. kayaks, canoeing, etc..)

They might. I don't really know. I have driven by it a number of times and picnicked on the shore once, but have never looked to see if there are protected areas. It is a good-sized lake which would allow long rows - at least 5 miles in each of a couple of different directions - from what I see in a Google Earth map of it. It is surrounded by hills which give it a fair amount of wind protection. You can probably locate information sources from local businesses there by checking on the net.

If lake Isabella isn't an option, what else is there out there? I've been through the area several times and I know not to expect any sort of oasis out there.... but where do you row?

We were down in the Inyokern area just this afternoon, returning to Big Pine from San Luis Obispo by way of Bakersfield. We took the 58 rather than the 178 so we did not go by Lake Isabella on this trip. As we drove up the 395, we passed the Haiwee Reservoirs at the south end of Owens Valley. These are long, narrow, straight lakes that look like they would make an ideal rowing venue, but I don’t remember seeing boats of any kind on them. I checked them out on the net and ran across a site that had a lot of messages from fishermen complaining that they have been banned access to the lakes by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP, the owner of most of the water rights in the Owens Valley). The reason given for the ban was to protect them from terrorists! I guess that the trout and/or bass felt that they were being terrorized. In any case, they appear to be hopeless for rowing. Further up the valley the Tinemaha reservoir is apparently open for fishing and presumably boating, but it is a full hundred miles from Inyokern and nowhere near as good a rowing venue as the others. Big Pine, where I live is another 10 miles further north. Klondike Lake is a small, shallow lake about 2 miles from my house and I considered getting a boat to row on it when we first moved here 8 1/2 years ago. It is not a very good venue –less than a mile for the longest straight stretch and no facilities. It would have been possible to have used a rowing boat there but I don’t really have any place to store one at the house. I was also recovering from open-heart surgery and would not have been able to get a shell on and off my vehicle. A small trailer might have been an option, but that would only make the storage more of a problem. The upshot was that I had to give up rowing on the water and stick to working out on my Concept 2.

I have a friend in Bishop who just bought a recreational shell, which is currently stored on the coast where she often goes to visit relatives. She plans to bring it up to Bishop after the ice melts and use it on South Lake and Lake Sabrina, which are at around 9,000 feet of altitude. These, of course, are much too far from Inyokern to be of much use to you. Lake Crowley (7,000’ of altitude) might not be too bad, but it is too far from Inyokern for your consideration.

Bob S.

P.S. Klondike Lake and Big Pine are at about 4,000' and, when we got home late this afternoon, my neighbor told me that there were folks walking out on the ice on Klondike Lake today.

[SuperCool468]

Thanks for your thorough response!

I've done some research on those areas you suggested and most of them seem to be fairly promising. I'll have to look into the Haiwee Reservoir some more and see if what exactly they've banned in regards to watercraft. I'm hoping Lake Isabella is doable because it is the closest to me. If not, I'm not afraid to drive 4 hours to go row. Although, it might only be a once or twice a month thing...

[Bob S.]

Thanks for your thorough response!

I've done some research on those areas you suggested and most of them seem to be fairly promising. I'll have to look into the Haiwee Reservoir some more and see if what exactly they've banned in regards to watercraft. I'm hoping Lake Isabella is doable because it is the closest to me. If not, I'm not afraid to drive 4 hours to go row. Although, it might only be a once or twice a month thing...

Based on a Google Earth directions search it is only 23 miles from Inyokern to Little Lake, so the Haiwee reservoirs would be ideal - if they were accessible. And it is high speed road for most of the way - practically a straight shot.

Bob S.

[Nosmo]

The lakes in the Eastern Sierras while not very close are really stunning. You could drive north on a Friday, camp and spend the weekend rowing and hiking in spectacular scenery. The drive is lovely so it would even be worth going as far north as Mono Lake. If I lived there, I think I would get an open water boat (somehting like a Maas 24 or Maas Flyweight) just to tolerate the winds and wakes you are likely to get in the desert and eastern Sierras. It can be quite calm when you set out and the winds can get really strong fairly quickly. So you want something stable and something that can tolerate being filled with water.
Not the ideal place to row every day but if you are willing to drive you will have some great rows. Last summer when I was there, I did wish I had a boat.

[SuperCool468]

Yea I've seen pictures of some of those lakes and they look amazing. Mono lake looks particularly amazing. I was considering a Maas because of how much fun they are to row, but I would like something a bit more on the flatwater side. When I was really light I rowed a Maas Flyweight out in the Puget Sound area and loved it, but I don't know if I'll ever have the money to buy one just for fun. I'm probably going to go with a Kaschper or Pocock.

Whenever I finally get out to Lake Isabella to check it out and/or row I'll be sure to post about it and let everyone know how it is up there.