Lake County, Northern California county in North Coast region, US
Lake County is an administrative district in the North Coast region of Northern California and contains Clear Lake, the largest natural freshwater body entirely within state boundaries. The landscape includes rolling hills, volcanic cones, and forested coastal ranges rising west of the lake basin.
The territory was carved from portions of Napa and Mendocino counties in 1861 after prospectors and settlers arrived in the 1850s. Development proceeded slowly through farming and mercury mining in the surrounding mountains until lake-based recreation grew in the 20th century.
The county takes its name from the lake that has shaped local life for thousands of years, now drawing anglers and boaters to its shores. Small communities around the water offer farm stands and tasting rooms where visitors can sample products grown in the surrounding valleys.
Visitors can explore the area most comfortably in spring and fall when temperatures are mild and the hills glow green or golden brown. Roads around the lake are mostly two lanes and winding, so allow extra time when driving between communities.
Geothermal springs along the southeastern shores feed power plants that have generated electricity from underground heat since the 1960s. Some of these facilities sit close enough to hiking trails that visitors can see steam plumes and hear the low hum of turbines.
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