[media-credit name=”Photo by: Ben Graham  | Mountain Valley Living Magazine” align=”alignleft” width=”300″][/media-credit]

Your road trip to the Lake Almanor Basin could take some real time, if you have it. There are several lakeside inns and RV parks all around the lake. As you venture in from the Quincy area on Highway 89, if you keep going straight you will find the west shore resort area with two resorts with cabins, lakeside restaurants, RV spots, boat slips and Majors’ Outpost Boat & SeaDoo Rentals where Joe, John and the crew will be ready to show you a good time.

Jared Johnson of Majors Outpost gives country star Chuck Wicks and his friends the low down on riding Sea Doos before they headed out to the Dorado Inn on the east shore.

The rental outfit is located under a giant green tent on the beach at Plumas Pines Resort, where it has been for over two decades. There you are going to find all kinds of boats for rent and a ton more fun available on their SeaDoo watercraft. These guys will make you feel right at home while they educate you with the skills needed to master the watercraft of your choice. Choices include everything from aluminum fishing boats to competition ski boats with wakeboard booms. Plush and comfy pontoon boats offer shade and the luxury of swimming and relaxing on board. Some have barbecues.  Contact Majors Outpost Boat & SeaDoo Rentals at 530-259-2727 (They are open through September.) or call the resorts: Plumas Pines Resort at 530-259-4343 or Camp Pratville can be reached at (530) 259-2267. Both are located on Almanor Drive West, lakeside, with the official addresses in Canyon Dam, CA.

The west shore is located just 10 minutes from Chester or 10 minutes from the east shore. Each of those is just another 10 minutes or so from the Lake Almanor Peninsula. Among the area are dozens of great places to stay and eat as well as several campgrounds.  Our travels took us down the Lake Almanor Peninsula where Gamboni’s Peninsula Grill will dazzle you with fabulous cuisine, elegant ambiance and their casual, lakeside ways.

On a stop in at Big Cove Resort, we found happy campers in their beautiful RV park with a giant marina and 187 boat slips and state of the art docking facilities available for a day or a season. There are beautiful RV sites available for regular, seasonal visitors who will make the spot their ‘home away from home’. Other sites are available for short term stays. Beautiful lawns, rock walls and paved roads make for a very nice park. It is also a short walk to dining and shopping from Big Cove Resort.

We ventured out on a dock at Big Cove Resort to check out their boat rentals too. Among the rental fleet of fishing boats, pontoon boats, kayaks, paddle boats, canoes and water bikes, we ran into these kids with a catch of crawdads!

Beyond the resort area on the peninsula lies the Lake Almanor Country Club with golf course and restaurant as well as Bailey Creek Golf Course just up the road. Lake Almanor West Golf Course offers a scenic nine hole course  on the west shore. A pass through the Hamilton Branch and back to Highway 147 towards Susanville will take you through the historic logging town of Westwood. A small but challenging ski hill and Goodrich Creek are found on Highway 36 between Westwood and Susanville, where more fun awaits.