Diamond Valley Lake

 Southern California's largest freshwater lake is four and a half miles long and two miles wide, 4500 acres.  The 260 billion gallons of water that fill this lake came from the Colorado River and Northern California through elaborate aqueducts.  The reservoir and distribution systems meet the water needs of 18 million Southern Californians.

Diamond Valley Lake is open to boating and fishing, along
with hiking and other recreational activities around the lake.

Dedicated March 19, 2000

Diamond Valley Lake offers fishing and light boating on the lake.

Stocked game fish include Bass both large and small mouth.

Rainbow Trout, Bluegill, Sunfish, Channel and Blue Catfish.

Some other species have been introduced with water.

Mount San Jaacinto in the back ground, on the other side
is Palm Springs.

The west dam, 110,000,000 cubic yards of sand, clay, and rock.

Three dams were required for the lake, East, West, and Saddle.

Much of the materials needed were obtained from the project area.

Clay and sand from the floor of the reservoir and the rock fill came  

from the bedrock highlands of  the reservoir's south rim.

The Saddle Dam was built to increase the storage capacity of the lake.

I/O tower in foreground above.

Filling of the lake began in 1999 and finished in 2003.

The unique idea here is there are no streams that flow in to the

reservoir.  Water from the fore-bay is pumped up into the lake.

The fore-bay is filled by canals and the lake, from there distributed

through out Southern California.

The fore-bay and pumping station.

Birds of Wilderness Lakes

          Moving from Soledad Canyon to Wilderness Lakes we found not only a change in weather but a welcome difference in Thousand Trails management.  We were pleased to find the parks maintenance in good order.  There were also activity personnel on duty to help guests and have activities posted in a timely fashion.

           We arrived at Wilderness Lakes late in January.  With warmer day time temperatures we were able to take long walks around the preserve and adjoining properties.  There were many days in our three week stay that we were able to use the swimming pool.

            Walking the trails and roads in the preserve were always a joy.  There are these great birds to watch.  From the Great Blue Heron to the Snowy Egret, ducks and geese.   Educational to, somehow I always thought long legged bird would nest on the ground. (I have know idea were I got that idea).  We watched Great Blue Herons feed there young in there nest high in a tall tree.

Black-crowned Night-Heron, a medium sized heron

Night Herons are found throughout a large part of the world, except in the coldest regions.

Great Egret a member of the heron family slightly smaller than a  Great Blue Heron

Snowy Egret, American counterpart to the similar Old World Little Egret.

Mallard, thought to be the most abundant and wide ranging duck on Earth.

Chinese Goose, a domesticated goose descended from the wild Swan Goose.

One of the canals at Wilderness Lakes, a Thousand Trails preserve near Menifee, CA.