5 hidden lakes in Southern California
Water you can reach without a boat, a permit, or a four hour drive.
Lindsey Marino
Orange County native, and a licensed California real estate agent. What I do
CA DRE 02055819
August 11, 2026
Southern California is not short of water. It is short of water you can sit next to without a reservation, a crowd, and a parking situation.
These five are the quiet ones. Worth knowing before you go: only two of them allow swimming, and one prohibits any contact with the water at all, because it is where the drinking water comes from.
05
Lake Fulmor
San Jacinto Mountains, near Idyllwild
A small mountain lake off the Banning Idyllwild Panoramic Highway, with a wheelchair accessible fishing pier.
It is genuinely small, closer to a pond than a lake, and that is the appeal. Pines right down to the water, picnic tables, and enough quiet that the chipmunks get bold. Stocked with rainbow trout, with bass and catfish in there too.
Open 6am to 10pm. Swimming is not recommended. Parking requires an Adventure Pass or equivalent forest pass.
04
Green Valley Lake
San Bernardino Mountains
Nine acres at 6,800 feet, in the highest resort town in Southern California. One of the few on this list where you can actually swim.
Created in 1926 by damming Green Valley Creek. There is a sand beach with swimming, non-motorized boat rentals, and trout stocked weekly through the warm months. It freezes over in winter, which tells you something about the elevation.
Fishing is paid, around twenty dollars for adults and ten for children under sixteen, plus a California fishing licence. Fishing hours are 5:30am to 8pm.
03
Lake Hemet
Garner Valley, near Idyllwild
A larger reservoir at 4,300 feet, surrounded by meadow and mountain rather than desert.
Bigger than the others in the San Jacintos, with camping right on the water and a long stocking history. It sits in Garner Valley, so the surroundings are open grassland with the peaks behind, which is not the landscape people expect an hour from Palm Springs.
Day use and camping fees apply. Confirm current fishing regulations and any seasonal restrictions before going.
02
Diamond Valley Lake
Hemet
One of the largest reservoirs in Southern California, 4,500 surface acres, and famous for bass fishing.
Built as a drinking water reservoir, and enormous: 800,000 acre feet, 260 feet deep. The trail around it is the underrated part, popular for hiking and mountain biking, and in a good year the wildflower bloom on the surrounding hills draws people from across the region.
Swimming is prohibited. It is a protected drinking water source, so no body contact with the water at all. Boating and fishing are allowed with the relevant fees.
01
Lake Gregory
Crestline, San Bernardino Mountains
The closest thing to a proper lake day within a two hour drive, and swimming is the whole point.
Crestline sits at about 4,600 feet and the lake is the centre of it. Swim beaches, a walking loop around the water, and pines the whole way round. It is the one on this list built for spending a day at rather than fishing quietly beside.
Swim areas and water features are seasonal, so check what is open before driving up. Day use fees apply.
Lindsey Marino
Orange County native, and a licensed California real estate agent. What I do
CA DRE 02055819