Frenchman Lake (California)

Frenchman Lake is located in Southeastern Plumas County, California and was created by the damming of Little Last Chance Creek. Named after Claude Francois Seltier, a French immigrant who settled in the area in 1858.Frenchman DamFrenchman Dam was completed in 1961 as an irrigation project of the California Department of Water Resources, a rock-fill and earthen dam 129 feet high, with a length of 720 feet at its crest. Normal water storage in the reservoir is 55,477 acre-feet.GeographyThe Frenchman Lake's elevation when full is 5588ft above sea level. The surface area of Frenchman Lake is 1580acre. The shoreline length is 21mi, the maximum depth reaches 101ft, averaging 35ft. The nearest community is Chilcoot-Vinton, California which is approximately 8mi south.National Forest Recreation AreaThe Plumas National Forest administers Frenchman Lake as a National Forest Recreation Area for United States Forest Service. It is locally managed by the Beckwourth Ranger District. The Frenchman Lake Recreation Area offers a wide variety of summer outdoor experiences including: camping, picnicking, fishing, hunting, boating, jet skiing, mountain biking, swimming and water-skiing. In the winter, ice fishing, snowmobiling and cross-country skiing are favored activities.Public campgrounds are located on the south shore at Cottonwood Springs, Frenchman, Spring Creek and Big Cove. Additionally there is another campground located below the dam along Little Last Chance Creek.