Since I was a young boy, my family and I would routinely take camping trips to the local mountains. Being an avid naturalist as well as a certified, bleeding heart “tree hugger,” I have always valued and treasured my time spent in the outdoors. I was raised in a Los Angeles suburb, surrounded by freeways, concrete, and housing tracts; as a result, any time spent in the “great outdoors” was a monumental treat. Shortly after my parents bought a camping trailer, camping and fishing became my favorite activities. Virtually every weekend camping trip was spent at one of our favorite locations: Lake Hemet. To this day, Lake Hemet holds a special place in my heart as a place where I spent large portions of my childhood doing so many of the things that I loved to do: camping, fishing, boating, hiking, e.t.c. My family, as well as countless others, have enjoyed and do enjoy the special serenity and beauty that this lake has to offer.
Located roughly one-hundred-miles southeast of Los Angeles, Lake Hemet is located in the San Jacinto Mountains of Riverside County. Resting at an elevation of 4,334 feet, the lake sits in a pine-studded meadow surrounded by rolling hills and crystal blue skies. Lake Hemet is part of the San Bernardino National Forest, which encompasses both the San Jacinto and San Bernardino Mountains. Owned and operated by the Lake Hemet Municipal Water District, Lake Hemet is a small lake with a surface area of roughly 420 acres. The lake was created in 1895 when a dam was constructed along a portion of the San Jacinto River to create a reservoir for farming and irrigation in the nearby San Jacinto Valley. As a popular location for year-round camping, Lake Hemet offers a full-service campground complete with electrical hookups, fire pits, bathroom/shower stalls, and picnic tables. For those who either own their own boats or wish to rent them, there is a boat dock complete with boat ramp and both paddle and motor boats. Boat rentals can be rented for either a full or half day.
The fishing at Lake Hemet can be quite good. The lake is routinely stocked with trout, catfish, bass, crappie, and bluegill. There have been many record-breaking catfish that have been caught in the deepest part of the lake near the dam. Weekends can be quite busy, as Lake Hemet is the largest and best-equipped lake in the San Jacinto Mountains. Extremely popular as a day-use facility, it’s common to see picnickers, bird watchers, equestrians, and photographers all enjoying the serene mountain environment surrounding Lake Hemet.
Personally, my favorite thing about the lake is its remoteness. Unlike many other well-known Southern California lakes, such as Big Bear Lake and Lake Arrowhead, that are surrounded by small urban centers, Lake Hemet is truly isolated. Other than a small general store at the front entrance to the lake, there are no other major signs of civilization. The nearest town – Garner Valley – is a few miles south of the lake, and it’s not really a town at all, but a small collection of homes, ranches, and cabins. To find a supermarket or a movie theater, you would have to drive nine miles north to the town of Idyllwild. So, Lake Hemet is truly a “getaway” from civilization; a rustic oasis in a pine meadow far removed from the urban-generated stress and strife!
For those people who truly like to “get away” from it all, Lake Hemet is the perfect destination.
