Bethany Reservoir
East of Livermore (near the Delta) · near Livermore / Byron · SF Bay Area
Wind Sports
At a glance
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Best season
- May–September (afternoons)
- Water temperature
- Mild (60s–70s°F) — warmest of the Bay Area spots in summer
What is here
- Amenities
- Flatwater + strong thermal · No powerboats (sailing only) · Warm summer water · Uncrowded
- Best for
- Strong-wind flatwater without the current
- Features
- Strong thermal, flatwater · No powerboats — sailors only · Warmest Bay Area water · Uncrowded reservoir
Worth knowing
- Hazards
- No powerboats (windsurf/sail only — a plus) · Remote, minimal facilities · Strong gusts · Limited launch
- Good for a first timer
- No
Guides, rentals and operators
- Lessons
- No
Wind Sports detail
- Discipline
- windsurf · kite · wing
- Conditions
- flat
- Venue
- lake
- Wind kt
- 22
- Wind
- W/SW, 15–28 kt summer afternoons — delta-fed thermal on a flatwater reservoir
- Intl tip
- A hidden flatwater gem — strong 15–28 kt delta thermal on a glassy, current-free reservoir, with the WARMEST Bay Area water in summer. No powerboats (sailing/riding only — a big plus). Remote, minimal facilities, modest launch. Gusty off the hills (intermediate+). Uncrowded. The delta's power without the river current — rare and great for freeride/foil.
The guide
Bethany Reservoir, tucked in the hills east of Livermore near the delta's edge, is a hidden gem for Bay Area wind riders — a fl…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Bethany Reservoir — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 37.783, -121.618