Cherry Lake
title: "Cherry Lake" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["reservoirs-in-tuolumne-county,-california", "hetch-hetchy-project", "tuolumne-river", "stanislaus-national-forest", "reservoirs-in-northern-california"] topic_path: "technology/web" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry_Lake" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox body of water"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Cherry Lake |
| image | Cherry Lake Stanislaus National Forest.jpg |
| location | Stanislaus National Forest |
| Tuolumne County, California | |
| coords | |
| type | Reservoir |
| inflow | Cherry Creek |
| outflow | Cherry Creek |
| catchment | 114 sqmi |
| basin_countries | United States |
| area | 1535 acre |
| volume | 273500 acre.ft |
| elevation | 1420 m |
| pushpin_map | California#USA |
| pushpin_map_alt | Location of Cherry Lake in California, USA. |
| reference | |
| :: |
| name = Cherry Lake | image = Cherry Lake Stanislaus National Forest.jpg | caption = | location = Stanislaus National Forest Tuolumne County, California | coords = | type = Reservoir | inflow = Cherry Creek | outflow = Cherry Creek | catchment = 114 sqmi | basin_countries = United States | length = | width = | area = 1535 acre | depth = | max-depth = | volume = 273500 acre.ft | residence_time = | shore = | elevation = 1420 m | pushpin_map = California#USA | pushpin_label_position = | pushpin_map_alt = Location of Cherry Lake in California, USA. | pushpin_map_caption = | website = | reference =
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/48/Cherry_Lake_Stanislaus_National_Forest_USGS_TOPO_Map.jpg"] ::
Cherry Lake (also known as Lake Lloyd) is an artificial lake in the Stanislaus National Forest of Tuolumne County, California, U.S.A., about 25 mi east of the city of Sonora. It is at an elevation of 4700 ft on the western side of the Sierra Nevada, and lies just outside the western boundary of Yosemite National Park. The lake has a capacity of 273500 acre.ft and is formed by Cherry Valley Dam on Cherry Creek.
The East and West forks of Cherry Creek combine just a couple of miles before reaching the lake, while the North Fork joins the East Fork about 10 miles (16 km) earlier. All three forks begin in the Emigrant Wilderness and all of them flow roughly southwest. The North Fork's source is Emigrant Lake, which is at an elevation of 8800 ft. The East Fork's source is a couple of miles (~6 – 8 km) southwest of the Mono County line and flows into Huckleberry Lake several miles (~6 – 8 km) later. The East and North forks meet several miles (~6 – 8 km) downstream of the lake. There are no lakes on the West Fork. Eleanor Creek, which forms Lake Eleanor, flows into Cherry Creek several miles (~6 – 8 km) downstream from Cherry Valley Dam. Lake Eleanor is another Hetch Hetchy Project facility. Cherry Creek flows into the Tuolumne River several miles (~6 – 8 km) later.
Cherry Valley Campground
This campground offers sites on both reservation and first come, first served basis. They have food storage containers, picnic tables and fire rings, with grates for cooking. Some sites offer beautiful lake vistas. The roads through the campground are paved. There are bathroom facilities but no showers. Running water is located every few campsites.
Cherry Valley Dam
The dam is composed of earth and rock-fill and has a height of 315 ft above the original streambed. It was built by San Francisco City and County and the Modesto Irrigation District and Turlock Irrigation District. It was completed in . The lake stores water for the Hetch Hetchy Project, which supplies drinking water to the San Francisco Bay Area, Modesto and Turlock districts. Recreation available at the lake includes, boating, skiing, swimming and fishing. Human contact with the water is allowed because the water has to be filtered anyway. Water from the lake powers the Dion R. Holm Power Plant, a 165 MW hydroelectric facility.
Climate
Cherry Lake has a warm-Mediterranean climate featuring warm to sometimes hot dry summers, with rare small thunderstorms, and cool, snowy, and rainy winters that receive above average precipitation for California due to its location on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Its elevation of 4600 feet is high enough for snowfall in the winters but not high enough for significant amounts that are the only form of precipitation during the cooler months.
| width = auto | collapsed = y | single line = yes | location = Cherry Valley Dam (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1955–present)
| Jan record high F = 73 | Feb record high F = 74 | Mar record high F = 80 | Apr record high F = 85 | May record high F = 94 | Jun record high F = 103 | Jul record high F = 105 | Aug record high F = 103 | Sep record high F = 104 | Oct record high F = 94 | Nov record high F = 82 | Dec record high F = 76
| Jan high F = 49.4 | Feb high F = 51.0 | Mar high F = 55.4 | Apr high F = 61.4 | May high F = 70.0 | Jun high F = 80.5 | Jul high F = 89.2 | Aug high F = 88.9 | Sep high F = 82.2 | Oct high F = 70.2 | Nov high F = 57.0 | Dec high F = 48.6 | year high F = 67.0
| Jan mean F = 40.3 | Feb mean F = 41.0 | Mar mean F = 44.4 | Apr mean F = 49.0 | May mean F = 56.9 | Jun mean F = 65.9 | Jul mean F = 73.7 | Aug mean F = 73.2 | Sep mean F = 67.4 | Oct mean F = 57.4 | Nov mean F = 46.6 | Dec mean F = 39.9 | year mean F = 54.6
| Jan low F = 31.3 | Feb low F = 30.9 | Mar low F = 33.3 | Apr low F = 36.7 | May low F = 43.8 | Jun low F = 51.4 | Jul low F = 58.1 | Aug low F = 57.4 | Sep low F = 52.7 | Oct low F = 44.5 | Nov low F = 36.2 | Dec low F = 31.2 | year low F = 42.3
| Jan record low F = 4 | Feb record low F = -2 | Mar record low F = 6 | Apr record low F = 14 | May record low F = 22 | Jun record low F = 29 | Jul record low F = 39 | Aug record low F = 35 | Sep record low F = 28 | Oct record low F = 17 | Nov record low F = 12 | Dec record low F = -3
| precipitation colour = green | Jan precipitation inch = 9.65 | Feb precipitation inch = 8.28 | Mar precipitation inch = 7.36 | Apr precipitation inch = 3.93 | May precipitation inch = 2.57 | Jun precipitation inch = 0.82 | Jul precipitation inch = 0.29 | Aug precipitation inch = 0.08 | Sep precipitation inch = 0.43 | Oct precipitation inch = 2.74 | Nov precipitation inch = 4.61 | Dec precipitation inch = 8.29 | year precipitation inch = 49.05
| Jan snow inch = 21.0 | Feb snow inch = 26.4 | Mar snow inch = 21.1 | Apr snow inch = 10.5 | May snow inch = 1.1 | Jun snow inch = 0.1 | Jul snow inch = 0.0 | Aug snow inch = 0.0 | Sep snow inch = 0.0 | Oct snow inch = 0.5 | Nov snow inch = 5.6 | Dec snow inch = 21.3 | year snow inch = 107.6
| unit precipitation days = 0.01 in | Jan precipitation days = 10.2 | Feb precipitation days = 10.5 | Mar precipitation days = 10.6 | Apr precipitation days = 7.7 | May precipitation days = 6.5 | Jun precipitation days = 2.4 | Jul precipitation days = 1.1 | Aug precipitation days = 1.0 | Sep precipitation days = 2.1 | Oct precipitation days = 4.2 | Nov precipitation days = 7.0 | Dec precipitation days = 9.2 | year precipitation days = 72.5
| unit snow days = 0.1 in | Jan snow days = 5.1 | Feb snow days = 5.6 | Mar snow days = 4.7 | Apr snow days = 2.3 | May snow days = 0.5 | Jun snow days = 0.0 | Jul snow days = 0.0 | Aug snow days = 0.0 | Sep snow days = 0.0 | Oct snow days = 0.2 | Nov snow days = 1.4 | Dec snow days = 4.6 | year snow days = 24.4
| source = NOAA{{cite web |url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=sto |title = NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data |publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |access-date = December 8, 2025}}{{cite web |url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USC00041697&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL |title = Summary of Monthly Normals 1991-2020 |publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |access-date = December 8, 2025}}
References
- {{cite news | author=Paul McHugh | title=Yosemite, Stanislaus forest offer something for everyone | url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/06/09/SPG42D5L7H1.DTL | work=The San Francisco Chronicle | date=9 June 2005 | accessdate=2009-04-01}}
References
- Robert W. Righter, The Battle Over Hetch Hetchy: America's Most Controversial Dam and the Birth of Modern Environmentalism, Oxford University Press, 2005, p. 187.
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