Lake Almanor History
From Big Meadows to a California Mountain Reservoir
Lake Almanor sits at about 4,500 feet in the Sierra-Cascade transition, on the western slope of Lassen country. The lake you see today only became a lake in the early 1900s — before that, it was a high mountain meadow.
Before the lake
Big Meadows and the Mountain Maidu
For thousands of years, the broad volcanic valley now under Lake Almanor was known as Big Meadows. The Mountain Maidu — particularly the Yamani Maidu band — used the meadow as summer hunting and gathering grounds, fed by the North Fork of the Feather River. Camps, fishing weirs, and seasonal villages sat along the river channels that braided through the grasslands.
Spanish, Mexican, and later American expeditions reached the area in the 1800s, and by mid-century settlers were running cattle on the meadow. By the late 1800s, Big Meadows was already on maps as one of the largest natural meadows in northern California — a rare flat, water-rich basin tucked between the volcanic peaks of Lassen and the granite ridges of the northern Sierra.
1910s
A dam, a reservoir, a new lake
In 1910 the Great Western Power Company began work on a dam across the North Fork Feather River at the south end of Big Meadows. The project was part of a wave of California hydroelectric development feeding fast-growing cities to the south.
The first dam was completed in 1914, flooding the meadow and creating Lake Almanor. The reservoir was raised in stages over the following decades, including a major increase in 1927, before the property eventually passed to Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), which operates the dam and reservoir today.
- Surface: ~28,000 acres
- Shoreline: ~52 miles
- Elevation: ~4,500 ft
- Source: North Fork Feather River
How the lake got its name
Alice + Martha + Eleanor = Almanor
"Almanor" is a portmanteau. Guy C. Earl, a vice president of Great Western Power, named the new reservoir for his three daughters: Alice, Martha, and Eleanor. The name stuck — the post office, the road signs, the maps, and a hundred years of fishing reports all read "Lake Almanor."
The lake's original Maidu name for the meadow it covers, Big Meadows, survives in road names, ranches, and a few stubborn locals who still call the basin by what it was before the dam.
The lake today
A working reservoir and a year-round destination
Lake Almanor is still a working hydroelectric reservoir, but it's also one of northern California's most popular high-mountain lakes. Stocked fisheries, sailing, paddleboarding, and quiet pine-shaded shoreline keep the lake busy from late spring through fall, and snow keeps it quiet through the winter.
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Fishing
Kokanee salmon, rainbow and brown trout, smallmouth bass. Cold-water fishery managed by California Department of Fish & Wildlife.
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Boating
One of the largest boating lakes in northern California — quieter and less crowded than Tahoe, with multiple public ramps.
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Lassen views
Mount Lassen rises across the water on the north shore — the southernmost active volcano in the Cascade Range.
The Kokanee Lodge story
Nearly a century on the peninsula
The Kokanee Lodge at Lake Almanor has been welcoming guests for nearly a century. Dating back to the 1920s, it was once a five-acre lakeside resort complete with charming A-frame cabins, tent camping, a marina, and a restaurant — what is now the current Kokanee Lodge.
Over the decades, the Kokanee Lodge witnessed generations of lake memories. By the late 1990s, time had taken its toll, and both the lodge and A-frames had fallen into severe disrepair. In 2000, a full renovation breathed new life into the property — honoring its original character while giving it a fresh start. The A-frames were elevated atop newly built garages, blending classic A-frame charm with chalet-style design.
In the early 2000s, we purchased the lodge and chalets, continuing their story with care and intention. For the past ten years they served as long-term rentals — and now we’re opening them once again for short-term stays.
We can’t wait to welcome you back to Kokanee Lodge & Carson Chalets, where more unforgettable memories are waiting to be made.
Why this matters here
Our chalets sit on the same peninsula that watches the lake change with every season.
Kokanee Lodge & Chalets is on the Lake Almanor peninsula, about 300 feet from the water. The driveway has been here through Carson Chalets, through the long quiet years, and now through the relaunch as Kokanee Lodge — and the lake outside the front door is the same one Guy Earl flooded in 1914.
Stay where the history meets the lake
Three A-frame chalets on the peninsula. Boat slips included. Family-run.