Paddling at Utica Reservoir - who needs a map?

My first time paddling at Utica Reservoir, I wing it. Who needs a map?

A friend and I arrive in the early afternoon on a warm summer day. We’d planned on paddling the more popular Lake Alpine, a larger, more developed lake with paved boat ramps, a lodge, and amenities like restrooms and a store. We switched course on the advice of a local we met over a pint of cider at a nearby watering hole. “Utica is where I paddle,” he shared. Why? “It’s less crowded than Lake Alpine—and you never know what you’re going to find.”

Located in the Stanislaus National Forest near Bear Valley, Utica is a small, non-motorized reservoir tucked up an unpaved forest road off Highway 4. We drive about 22 miles north from Happy Lake Chalet before veering east onto Spicer Reservoir Road, turning left on Forest Road 7975 and then listing left again, following the signs to Utica.

View from an island on Utica Reservoir (Credit: Bill Couch)

We park in the day use parking across from Sandy Flat Campground and make our way down to the shore to a beach, lively with paddlers of all kinds. Paddleboards and kayaks abound. A family loading canoes look like serious campers, neatly arranging plastic boxes full of supplies into their vessels to camp on one of the many small rocky islands that pepper Utica’s roughly 8-mile shoreline. Because Utica is on Forest Service land, camping is allowed almost anywhere outside the first-come, first-served campground, though permits are required for fires. That ends up working to our advantage.

The situation looks straightforward. We can see across the lake (we think), so we don’t worry too much about looking for landmarks or charting a course. The entirety of our plan is to launch and paddle “to the right.” We’ve packed water, sunscreen, sandwiches, and cider. What can go wrong?

As we glide out onto the smooth, clear water, adventure beckons. We find it in the form of watery trails that wind through islands, fingers that end unexpectedly or merge with lily pad ponds, and narrow passages lined with moss and fronds. Time stands still as we paddle on, eager to see what’s around the next corner, enchanted by each new find.

We have a late lunch on an island with a granite slab beach and cool, clear water, perfect for swimming. We chat as the sun makes its way across the sky, watching the shadows grow in the waning light of day. Hmmm…that sun, it’s going down fast, isn’t it? We wonder where we are and how long it will take to get back to Sandy Flat Campground.

Where are we? Neither of us knows. We paddle toward the biggest part of the lake on the theory we’ll see something we recognize—an island, a campground, some piece of shore that seems familiar. But we don’t.

Paddling between rocky outcroppings, we end up in a part of the lake we’re sure we’ve never seen before. We find a low dam dividing two bodies of water—completely new. We didn’t know there was a dam. Because we didn’t bring a map. We later learn the dam divides Utica from her sister reservoir, Union. But all we know in the moment is we’re lost.

We paddle in every direction for a while, looking for a landmark. It’s not getting any lighter. We debate our options—paddle this way, paddle that way, or find help. Help. We need help. Wasn’t there a campground over there? Didn’t we see some people a half hour back? Do you hear voices?

In the end, we find what we are looking for, some campers taking supplies out of their kayaks on an island beach. We get within talking distance, “Hi there!” We confess we have no idea where we are.

The campers are nice. Instead of mocking our plight, they offer dinner. They explain we are still a few miles from our launch pad and car. They tell us they’re a little worried about us. We assure them we are all sorted out now, nothing to see here. “Come back for dinner if you get lost again!” They point us toward home.

Lucky for us, Sandy Flat Campground turns out to be exactly where they promise.

We talk about how fun it would be to bring our families here and camp on one of those islands. Imagine paddling with the kids, showing them the lily pad ponds and rocky shores. Imagine gathering around a campfire, under a starry sky, free from light pollution. Imagine falling asleep to nothing but the gentle whoosh of wind through the pines and the purr of lapping waves.

Imagine knowing beforehand that Utica Reservoir is irregularly shaped with dozens of coves, islands, and fingers, sprawling in every direction.

Next time, we’ll bring a map.

Utica Reservoir (courtesy of Google Maps)

To plan a visit to Happy Lake Chalet, perhaps using it as a launch pad to explore nearby alpine lakes like Utica Reservoir, get in touch.