Northern California Boating.
For power boating and water skiing, Lake Berryessa in Sonoma County is a favorite location: you can also find places to swim and picnic there. Further north, in Lake County, is the large and deep Clear Lake, where many Northern Californians like to spend their vacation time boating, water skiing and sunning. The marina and harbor at Alameda, just across the bay from San Francisco offer not only excellent water activities but amazing views of the city skyline. Further east, Lake Tahoe is a highly popular location for water activities and boating. At a higher elevation, Tahoe experiences hot, dry summer days and cool nights, making it an ideal summer playground.
One of the best known houseboat marinas is located in Sausalito, just north of San Francisco and an easy commute into the city. For summertime houseboat rentals, you can also visit the Sacramento River area and Clear Lake.
To experience Northern California boating in a big mountain lake, visit Shasta Lake, located inland in northern California, near Redding. Lake Shasta offers swimming, wakeboarding, waterskiing, and all kinds of boating, including houseboat rentals for those who never want to leave sight of the water. Lake Shasta is around 150 miles north of Sacramento, and is a vacation paradise for trout fishing, camping and outdoor fun all within sight of Mount Shasta.
Rowing and crew are also popular Northern California boating activities, and you will often see people rowing in the mornings on the small lakes in East Bay towns. Berkeley has an excellent rowing pond, and crew teams practice on Lake Merritt, in downtown Oakland.
The Bay Area has some of the finest sailing waters, and marinas dot the coastline all along the state. You can keep your boat in the water year round in the excellent climate, and many boat lovers sail nearly every day. Yacht clubs are located in San Francisco, at Fort Mason, in Vallejo, Richmond, Alameda, Walnut Grove and Tiburon, to name but a few of the three dozen yacht clubs existing in the Norcal San Francisco Bay Area alone. There are yacht racing activities, and special courses offered for women and young people interested in sailing.
Fishing is also an important part of Northern California boating activities. From the quiet trout holes in the Eel River to bass fishing on the Sacramento Delta to salmon fishing off the coast, it's a fisherman's paradise. You can get a party boat rental at many of the small towns on the coast, with an experienced captain and crew to help you find, catch, clean and eat your fish. Or you can hike into the woods in any number of places with a fishing pole and your license, and fish quietly in the streams and rivers. Along the Russian River, north of Santa Rosa and on the way to Bodega Bay at the coast, you can go canoeing, kayaking or rafting with one of many certified river guides. The area is known for its fishing: Chinook, Coho salmon and big and small mouthed bass are some of the fish you can find in the Russian River area. For a more secluded NorCal river adventure, check out the Gualala river, which also runs to the beautiful Sonoma coast
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