State: Southern California
Address 1: 6800 Lopez Drive
City: Arroyo Grande
Zip: 93420
Phone: 805-788-2381
Open all Year: Yes
Number of Sites: 356
Free: No
About: Located just ten miles east of Arroyo Grande, California, Lopez Lake Recreation Area is one of the top choices for camping and leisure trips. With 22 miles of shoreline and summer lake temperatures around 70°, there is something for everyone; camping, fishing, boating, skiing, sailing, windsurfing, picnicking, hiking and equestrian trails, mountain biking, canoeing, birdwatching and so much more. Many visitors to the Central Coast make Lopez Lake their staging area for visits to wineries, golf courses, historic sites, and Hearst Castle.
The warm climate of the Central Coast makes Lopez Lake the ideal, year-round recreational destination. Once covered by the sea, the surrounding hills of Lopez Lake are rich with relics of ancient days and studded with oak trees. Over 175 species of flowering plants, and more than 150 species of birds have been identified within the park. The naturally beautiful canyons were once hunting and fishing grounds for the Chumash Indians. Later homesteaders and ranchers inhabited the area and harvested grain crops for Mission San Luis Obispo. Lopez Lake was then created in 1969 to provide domestic water for the Five Cities area of the Central Coast.
Directions: The park is 184 miles north from Los Angeles and 254 miles south from San Francisco. Driving north or south on Highway 101 take the Grand Avenue Exit in Arroyo Grande. Turn east towards the mountains and drive through old town Arroyo Grande to Huasna Road. Turn right onto Huasna Road which turns into Lopez Drive. Stay on Lopez Drive for approximately 10 miles. At this point the road ends at the entrance to Lopez Lake. (Signs are posted along the way.)