Location: County: Merced. Nearest City: Gustine. See map 3.

Campsites, facilities: Basalt: There are 79 sites for tents or RVs. Piped water, fire grills, and picnic tables are provided. Flush toilets, showers, a dump station, and a boat ramp are available. A grocery store, laundry facilities, and propane gas are nearby (about 1.5 miles away). The facilities are wheelchair accessible. Leashed pets are permitted. Madeiros: There are 350 primitive sites for tents or RVs. Some shaded ramadas with fire grills and picnic tables are available. Piped water and chemical toilets are available. A boat ramp is nearby. Leashed pets are permitted. San Luis: There are 53 sites for tents or RVs with electrical and water hookups. Fire pits, picnic tables, and pit toilets are provided. A dump station is nearby at Basalt Camp. Leashed pets are permitted.

Reservations, fees: Basalt: Phone 1-800-444-PARK/7275 ($7.50 reservation fee); $12-$16 per night, $1 pet fee. Madeiros: No reservations; $7-$10 per night, $1 pet fee. San Luis: Reservations are required; $15 per night, $1 pet fee.

Contact: Phone the San Luis Reservoir SRA at 1-209-826-1196 or fax 1-209-826-0284.

San Luis Reservoir SRA
31426 Gonzaga Road
Gustine CA 95322-9737

Operating hours, seasons: Day use hours 1/2 hour before sunrise to 10:00 pm. Boating 1/2 hour before sunrise to sunset. Camping, check-in 2:00 pm, check-out noon; open all year round.

Directions: Basalt: From Los Banos, drive 12 miles west on Highway 152 to the entrance road. Turn left and drive 2.5 miles to the campground. Madeiros: From Los Banos, drive 12 miles west on Highway 152 to the intersection of Highway 33. Turn north on Highway 33 and drive a short distance to the campground entrance. San Luis: From Los Banos, drive 15 miles west on Highway 152 to the signed entrance on the right.

Weather, clothing: Summer temperatures here average in the mid-90s and occasionally exceed 100 but evenings are usually cool. Rainfall averages 8 to 9 inches a year, mostly between November and April. In winter, temperatures seldom go below freezing, and tule fogs are frequent.

Trip notes: Basalt: San Luis Reservoir is a huge, man-made lake, covering 13,800 acres with 65 miles of shoreline. It fills by late winter and is used primarily by anglers, water-skiers, and windsurfers. When the Delta water pumps take the water, they also take the fish, filling this lake up with both. Striped bass fishing is best in the fall when the stripers chase schools of bait fish on the lake surface. Spring and early summer can be quite windy, but that makes for good windsurfing. The adjacent O'Neill Forebay is the best recreation bet because of the developed marina and often good fishing. Madeiros: This is a vast, primitive campground set on the stark expanse of foothill country near San Luis Reservoir. It is best known for wind in the spring, hot weather in the summer, and low water levels in the fall. Striped bass fishing is best in the fall when the wind is down and stripers will corral schools of bait fish near the lake surface. San Luis Campground: is located on Los Banos Creek near San Luis Reservoir. It is adjacent to the reservoir and O'Neill Forebay, home of the biggest striped bass in California, including the world record for landlocked stripers.

Where to go Camping

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Miwok Lodge 439