East Beach - Whiskeytown Lake

"I'm so tired. I just want to sit here." And it's true. Nine hours on your feet in a pharmacy just makes you tired. I knew we should take the kids to the lake because they had been stuck at home all day while we were at work. But my feet....{sigh} Life doesn't stop just because I'm tired and my feet hurt, so we loaded up the car and headed to a new destination; East Beach at Whiskeytown Lake. Obviously it's not actually new, and I have been there many times, but we had never taken the kids to East Beach before. 

I can't remember the last time I laid on a beach with my eyes closed. I think it's been about 12 years, since the moment my oldest son was born. Mothers don't get to lie on the beach. Remember when #3 almost drowned in THIS post? So yeah...my eyes are wide open while on the beach. 

But I did this day. I think I may have even fallen asleep. Yep that's right friends, I fell asleep on the beach. And it was glorious! Maybe, just maybe, when the kids came up next to me to ask questions I pretended to still be asleep. Thank goodness they have an amazing father who can answer all those burning questions for them when their mom is "asleep".

But before my snooze, I did get a chance to play in the water a bit with the kids and take a turn around the roped swim area on the kayak.  The kids kept remarking on how clear the water was! Brandy Creek is great, but with so many people there, the water gets a bit cloudy for all those feet stirring up the dirt. But at East Beach we could see clearly to the bottom from above the water. It made collecting pretty rocks especially enticing for #3. He collected so many rocks on his boogie board. 

The Stats:

East Beach

Location: Hwy 299W, Turn onto JFK Memorial Road, about 1 mile in look for the sign for East beach and parking lot on your right.
Cost: $5 per vehicle; day use fee (or $10/week, $40/year) or click HERE to find out which days of the year are FREE.

In all honesty, the actual beach is not the best. See in the picture below how it has a drop of behind my son? So it's kinda funky. Where do I lay my blanket? Up top of the step where it's dry, or below where it's wet? But even still, the kids declared it their favorite beach.  And it's just nice swimming in clear water. I know a lot of people don't like to swim in lakes because they can't see the bottom or what is beneath them. Well, that's not the case at East Beach. It's crystal clear.

Pro Tips:

• It's a bit of a hike from the parking lot to the beach. Many stairs. So just beware that going back up is a lot harder carrying a kayak, than going down!
• There are restrooms at this beach. They are the awesome pit toilets, but better than none.
• There are also a couple of picnic tables.
• Evening is our favorite time to go to the lake. It is still warm and everyone else has gone home to eat dinner, so the lake is much less crowded.
• There is a roped swim area for safe swimming without the worry of motored watercraft.

Want to know more about Whiskeytown Lake? Check out my post of BRANDY CREEK BEACH and CRYSTAL CREEK FALLS.

Where is your favorite swimming spot at Whiskeytown Lake?