Whiskeytown Lake, Recreational reservoir in Shasta County, California.

Whiskeytown Lake is a reservoir in Shasta County, about 8 miles west of Redding, held back by the 263 ft earth-fill Whiskeytown Dam completed in 1963 on Clear Creek. From the shore, a broad sheet of pale grey water fills the view between dark, rounded hills that rise straight from the waterline. A narrow, straight line of evenly spaced posts crosses the surface in the lower middle distance.

Whiskeytown Dam, an earth-fill embankment 263 ft (80 m) high, was completed in 1963 by the United States Bureau of Reclamation to provide flood control, irrigation water and electricity. Its reservoir, fed by Clear Creek and by Trinity River water through the Clear Creek Tunnel, submerged the old mining settlement of Whiskeytown. Water released through the Spring Creek Tunnel drives the 180-MW Spring Creek Powerhouse.

Whiskeytown Lake lies in the Whiskeytown Unit of the Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area, established in 1965. The unit is named for the Gold Rush mining town of Whiskeytown, whose site the reservoir now covers. Visitors can see the name carried on trail and campground signs throughout the unit.

The Visitor Center at the lake provides information and passes needed to access recreational facilities and areas. Arriving early, especially on weekends, helps secure better parking and find quieter spots along the water.

Whiskeytown Lake holds 241,100 acre-feet of water behind a 263-foot earth-fill dam completed in 1963. Most of its water arrives not from Clear Creek but through the Clear Creek Tunnel from Lewiston Reservoir, fed by the Trinity River. The lake must be full by Memorial Day and stay full until Labor Day.