Folsom Lake

Folsom Lake is a reservoir on the American River in the Sierra Nevada foothills of California.It is located within Placer, El Dorado, and Sacramento Counties. It is about 25mi northeast of Sacramento. The lake contains 11,500 acres of water. The lake has a surface elevation of 466 feet. The highest point of the SRA is over 800 feet. There are 75 miles of undulated shoreline surrounding the lake. Folsom lake and the Folsom SRA is one of the most visited parks in the California Park system.The largest and most natural part of the lake area is the Peninsula which is approximately 1,465 acres.HistoryThe Folsom Lake reservoir is formed by Folsom Dam, built in 1955 to control and retain the American River. The dam and reservoir are part of the Folsom Project, which also includes the Nimbus afterbay reservoir and dam facilities. The Folsom Project, operated by the United States Bureau of Reclamation, is part of the Central Valley Project, a multipurpose project that provides flood control, hydroelectricity, drinking water, and water for irrigation.