Pinecrest lake is a very popular destination in the western Sierras! Located just a bit off of Highway 108, at an elevation of 5600 feet, it offers a refreshing change of scenery to many visitors from the Central Valley and Bay Area. Unlike Lake Alpine on Highway 4, Pinecrest Lake has a relatively highly developed resort sort of feel to it.
There’s a lot offered at Pinecrest Lake including swimming, boating, fishing, camping, picnic areas, restaurants, etc.
The lake has a surface area of about 300 acres. There are designated, buoyed, swimming areas where no boats and no fishing is allowed. The swimming area is near the main parking area, right off the day use beach.
One thing to note about Pinecrest Lake… it is NOT dog friendly. Dogs are not allowed in the Day Use Area between May 15 and September 15.
Another thing to note is the reason given for the restriction on dogs… “because of the very high visitor use”… This is a VERY popular place. If you’re planning on going up on a weekend or holiday, get there early or you may not find a parking place.
There is a very nice picnic area with a beach and the swimming area near the main parking lot. There are 50 picnic sites with grills and plenty of extra space if you don’t need to use their tables or grills. There is also piped water and flush toilets in the day use area.
Just to the north of the Day Use Area you’ll find the Marina, Snack Bar and Boat Ramp.
The Marina offers rentals of Canoes, Kayaks, Paddle Boats, and even small motor boats.
Motor Boats are allowed on the lake, but there is a speed limit of 20 MPH, and 5 MPH in designated areas like near the swimming area, dock, etc. So don’t plan on doing any water skiing at Pinecrest.
For those of you planning on bringing your own boat, or RV, there is a designated parking area specifically set aside for vehicles with trailers or RVs. However, when things get busy, some of the parking spots are bound to get filled by other visitors desperate to find parking so plan ahead and come early.
Near both the Day Use Area, and the Marina you’ll find a variety of shops including a General Store, A nice restaurant, a bike shop where you can rent a bike for the day, and the Pinecrest Resort.
The General Store sells everything from Groceries for campers to fishing gear, to floaty toys for the kids.
Speaking of campers, camping is one of the biggest attractions at Pinecrest. There are 3oo campsites in two separate campgrounds. The campgrounds have flush toilets and running water. There are also 3 different group campsites.
One of the campsites, Pinecrest Campground, has quite a few sites located just across the street from the lake. Many, if not all the sites in this campground are within easy walking distance of the beach, general store, etc.
The other campground, Meadowview Campground, is located over half a mile further to the west so often times campers at these sites will ferry kids and gear over to the Day Use Area.
The town of Strawberry, just up the road (North) on 108 from the Pinecrest Lake turnoff, has a larger general store as well as another nice restaurant. They also have cabins for rent in the area.
In case you want to “get away” in the area but don’t want the beach and crowds, there’s plenty of other things to do in the area. From the turnoff for Pinecrest Lake, if you take the road up toward the Dodge Ridge Ski area, you’ll come across signs directing you to several popular hiking trails in the area. There’s also a driving tour called the Sierra Grandstand Tour located in the same region.
If you plan on hiking in the area I’d suggest checking with the ranger at the Pinecrest Lake turnoff regarding permits, trail conditions, etc. If you don’t already have a good topo map of the area, pick one up while you’re there. And, if you came 
completely unprepared, I’m sure you can get a compass either at the Pinecrest or Strawberry general stores.
Another activity we stumbled across in the area is provided by the Aspen Meadow Pack Station. They’ll take you on a horseback ride for anywhere from an hour to a whole day in the beautiful western Sierras. They provide animals and services for longer pack trips.
We ran into a group of new riders just getting started and it looked like they were having a blast!
Take a look at the map at the beginning of the article to see where things are located. The downloadable KML file can be used in Google earth, and the gpx file, once unzipped, can be used in a lot of GPS devices
As always, use at your own risk! This is an outdoor activity. You should rely on your own experience, knowledge and judgment when deciding where to go or what to do.
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