Huntington Lake
Sierra National Forest (above Fresno) · near Lakeshore / Shaver Lake · Sierra Nevada / Yosemite
Sailing
At a glance
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Best season
- Summer (reliable afternoon thermal; the regatta is a July tradition)
- Water temperature
- Cold (50s–60s°F) — high-altitude snowmelt, dress warm
What is here
- Amenities
- High Sierra Regatta (a storied tradition) · Reliable summer afternoon thermal · Fresno YC & a dinghy-racing mecca · Alpine forest setting
- Best for
- High-country dinghy racing & reliable thermal sailing
- Features
- Home of the historic High Sierra Regatta · Remarkably reliable mountain thermal · A dinghy sailor's hidden gem at 7,000 ft · Pristine alpine forest setting
Worth knowing
- Hazards
- Cold high-altitude water · High elevation (7,000 ft) · Gusty, shifty thermal off the ridges · Short season (accessible summer only)
- Good for a first timer
- No
Guides, rentals and operators
- Lessons
- No
Sailing detail
- Styles
- racing · day-sail
- Breeze
- moderate
- Venue
- lake
- Exposure
- 3
- Sailing
- A legendary mountain dinghy-racing lake at 7,000 feet — a remarkably reliable afternoon thermal (12–22 kt) that draws sailors to one of the West's most storied high-country regattas
- Intl tip
- California sailing's best-kept secret — a legendary high-country dinghy-racing lake at 7,000 ft above Fresno, with a remarkably reliable summer afternoon thermal (12–22 kt) and the historic High Sierra Regatta (a July pilgrimage, run by Fresno YC). Cold high-altitude water (dress warm), thin air, gusty shifty thermal, short summer season. A pristine alpine setting far from the coast crowds. A hidden gem and a rite of passage for CA dinghy sailors.
The guide
Huntington Lake, a narrow reservoir tucked in the Sierra National Forest at 7,000 feet above Fresno, is one of California saili…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Huntington Lake — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 37.24, -119.215