Cherry Lake, reservoir in California

Cherry Lake is a reservoir in the Stanislaus National Forest, formed by the 315-foot (96 m) earth-and-rock-fill Cherry Valley Dam on Cherry Creek. It lies at 4,700 feet (1,433 m) just outside Yosemite National Park and holds 273,500 acre-feet of water. The lake is fed by the East and West forks of Cherry Creek, which join a couple of miles upstream, while the North Fork meets the East Fork about 10 miles earlier.

The lake was created in the middle of the 20th century when the Cherry Valley Dam was built to hold water for cities including San Francisco. Earlier uses of the forest by logging and mining workers were later replaced by water management and recreation purposes.

The lake's alternate name, Lake Lloyd, and the Cherry Valley Campground on its shore show how the reservoir doubles as a recreation site. Human contact with the water is permitted because it is filtered before drinking, so swimming, boating, water skiing and fishing are all practised here. The campground has paved roads, food storage containers, picnic tables and fire rings with cooking grates.

The lake is accessible by paved forest roads from late April through October, after which roads often close due to snow. The west side has a boat ramp and swimming area, while the southwest shore offers a campground with space for over forty tents and RVs.

Cherry Creek below the lake offers one of the most challenging whitewater experiences in California with Class V rapids and steep drops. These extremely difficult rapids are accessible only through a few outfitters and are typically run from June to August when snowmelt makes the river safe.