Planning the Summer Trips - Need Advice

Trying to figure out a new lake to go try out this year. I've heard Don Pedro is great - but I'm not into camping anymore and the houseboat option is a bit much. Are there any homes to rent in the area? I'm live in the Ventura area - what's the drive like to Oroville, New Melones or ?

I got a house on Bass Lake a few years ago for my bach party. The house was awesome and right on the lake with a dock. It was pretty cheap, but we had quite a few people which obviously helped a lot.

I am not sure if this was typical or not for that lake, but we actually had good water. I think we went the weekend after Labor Day.

I would say if your Not willing to camp or houseboat then your choices of lakes are some what small. Lets see if we can start a List of lakes that have homes for rent or Hotel

Bass Lake, Homes and Hotel
Tulloch, Homes and Hotel
Shasta, Homes and Hotels
Lake Tahoe, Homes and Hotels

Im pretty sure Shaver lake has homes for rent , But maby some one let us know

check out VBRO.com for places that Might have homes for rent.

Example Don Pedro and Melonies and Shasta don't have homes that are water front but it would not suprise me if you could find people on VRBO that rented their home that had a "Lake View" or Very close to the ramp. Some places have strict rules about short term Renting, so I have seen some owners on VBRO sort of on the Down low, Example you wont see some houses with sighn's out front saying "rent me" because its against the HOA rules, but your able to find them on VBRO

From what I have seen water front homes are like 2x the price of homes just off the water. Depending on what your budjet is you might get a Nicer bigger more Quite vacation rental if your willing to pull off the lake for a short tow or leave your boat docked over night.

It seems to me like renting a houseboat wouldn't be that much more than renting a house? Don Pedro is a great lake! We do most of our camping trips there over summer. New Melones is good to but I would lean towards Don P. Oroville is about another 2 hour drive for you. The lake is big and great and I would suggest checking out a floating campsite if you went there. It has all the advantages of houseboating with a portion of the cost. You do still have to bring your own tents, ice etc... so its basically camping but in the middle of the lake. They book out 6 months in advance though so I'm guessing they are already sold out through July...

http://www.lakeoroville.net/index.ph...120&Itemid=106

The other option might be the Delta? Maybe you could find a house in Disco Bay?

houseboat is WAY more than renting a house. We've done a house at shasta the last few years. Moor the boat, stay at the house. For $2500 for a week we get a really nice house (and there are definitely less expensive options on vrbo), five minutes from the marina. Not ideal for the early morning sets because my kids and their friends will all sleep till eleven if we let them even though the sun is up at 5:30. A houseboat would probably get them up and moving sooner. But it's way fun anyway and I'm not complaining!

Lake almanor near susanville also has lots of lakefront rentals with docks and stuff. Not the best watersports lake though because it gets pretty rough. I've only been there on big holiday weekends though, so it might not be bad midweek.

I concur with Grant on his responce. I'm on either Pedro or Hogan exclusively and there are no waterfront on either or Melones, although checking local realtors or property management companies might produce rentals off water. Rented the same house at Shasta three years in a row for $3,000 for a week, 5 bedrooms, huge dining and family plus a one room cottage with large hottub and 5 minutes to the ramp at Antlers. Houseboat to house our group of 25 was $7,000!

What about Lake Nacimiento outside Paso Robles? There are houses and condos for rent there with docks. I have friends who have done it and loved it.

Here is a link to a real estate company with some properties for rent.
http://www.lakenacimientorentals.com/Homepage.htm

Some Lakes I didn't think of have pop'd up

So here is the list so far.

Lake Naciminto, Has rental houses
Lake Almanor Has rental houses
Bass Lake, Homes and Hotel
Tulloch, Homes and Hotel
Shasta, Homes and Hotels
Lake Tahoe, Homes and Hotels

The Houseboat Vs Rental House! On some lakes Like Powell Mabey the Houseboat is the only way your going to fully experiance the whole lake is by touring in a houseboat. But IMO house boats are alot of work compaird to renting a house. Example. With a houseboat it's way more work loading or stocking the houseboat VS a House. If you decide to break up the cost you can invite people without boats to join you at a house with out having to run all over the lake to go pick people up and drop them off like you would if you rented a houseboat. You don't have to DOCK the house each night. You have more than 1 or 2 bathrooms with a house. More space for you to get out of each others hair in a house. I could go on and on how a house works better. A houseboat work GREAT if you have a small crew that "Gets it" ya know people that are smart enough to not take a 30 min shower and Waste water or to not complain about helping out with loading and unloading docking and cleaning. IMO if you get a House and you invite guests you can let people be people and NOT have to try to regulate people the whole time. With a house you pretty much know what your gonna pay by the time your finished. I hate returning to the dock after a long trip only to worry about how much gas you spent if you used more then you told people they were going to have to pay ect. Don't get me wrong Houseboats are awesome you just have to know what your getting yourself into and have a good group.

NOW with that out of the Way. IF you can bend a bit and your willing to try to camp IMO you can have the BEST vacations ever "for cheep" I know the OP'r said you didn't want to camp but "Trust me" if you can get the camping thing down, you can go to some amazing places and see some awesome lakes. I understand for many Family's camping can be a Nightmare with all the stuff you need to bring to keep the kids entertained ect BUT if you can pack small and smart you can have all the comfort and the great things a $5000 dollars a week houseboat or house could give you.
Check out last Years "Lake Tour" thread I posted.
http://www.wakeworld.com/forum/showthread.php?t=789671

In 2010, we did a house on Naci (Oak Shores from that same website^) and loved it.

I agree with Grant if you don't want a working vacation rent a house not a houseboat. We have a timeshare at Powell and we all head down there knowing we will be doing a lot of work. I'm actually hoping to do a lake house rental I the next couple years to try something different. Like also stated renting a house for a week is a heck of a lot cheaper than a houseboat.

just rent my house in Tahoe and be done with it About 2 miles from the closest launch ramp and beautiful blue (ok, hella cold) water...


http://www.vrbo.com/326217

I would be careful with Bass Lake and Tulloch They are very small lakes and are a one directional lake. You can find nice hotels in Angels camp, Sonora, and Jamestown, to name a few. Or you can get a rental at Tulloch and be within 30 minutes of several lake. I tend to go to Don Pedro, it is a big lake with alot of areas to anchor and relax. The boat rentals are very nice. Just my input!

Scott

Why has nobody brought up beautiful Lake Elsinore? They have lots of lake front homes! Is it not worth the drive?????

Come on!

Originally Posted by brett564

Why has nobody brought up beautiful Lake Elsinore? They have lots of lake front homes! Is it not worth the drive?????

Come on!

Hilarious! Lake Elsinore...the new Destination lake in SoCal.

rent a house on the delta.

Pine flat you could rent trailer for 100 per night, Shaver lake for a great house 165 a night. Good luck finding a place that would take someone like you.

If your a hardcore rider and that means a majority of your trip, don't bother with Tulloch or Almanor. Oroville, new Melones and don Pedro are awsome lakes (along with Shasta is obviously the best lake of all of these but 4hrs past most of these north). If your wanting to get the nor cal lakes experience and you don't feel that you HAVE to have water front housing get a house on don Pedro (which is actually a possibility on Pedro for waterfront assuming we get rain) because if yu go to Pedro, new Melones is about half hr or little more away so it's totally easy to hit that too. Tulloch is just small and garbage for riding unfortunately.

Oroville is super sick lake to ride and kick it on, we have a house boat on it and love it. My favorite evening sessions happen on there for sure, but it is a solid 2 hrs past the other two I previously mentioned. Oh and been to all of these lakes a lot but Tulloch being the least, about 6 times

If you go the house boat way (which is my vote) Shasta is a def no brainer.

we rented a house on the lake at Shasta and also have rented a house at Naci. Both are worth the $3K... but if you have more than one boat then Naci is a pain because of their rules.

Ryan - I've been trying to find a rentals for Don Pedro but no luck. Where did you find them.

Tal - if you were a really good friend you would just let me bring my whole family and stay at your place for free and you stay at a motel. I see where I rank.

Here's one listed in the Don Pedro Community; http://www.vacationrentals.com/vacat...promoType=none

Couple more: http://www.villaspy.com/vacation-hom...-villa-rentals

Nacimiento is pretty good for renting a house and shredding your heart away. Houses can be pricey but the lake is pretty awesome mid week. For weekends gotta get up at the crack of dawn and please, please don't powerturn my lake, thank you.

That being said, best vaca I took was a rental house in Discovery Bay. Riding was awesome and the house was super nice.

Same for Don Pedro, virtually nobody there during the week but fisherman and other vacationers. Weekends are nice as well, can be a bit crowded in spots but being the fifth largest artificial lake in California 160 miles of shoreline there's always somehwere to get away from it all. Yosemites not far off if you've never been and there's some cool little towns in the region as well. Nice thing about Pedro is even in a year where theres less water it still has plenty for everyone.

Here's a shameless shot of my grandson riding early morning at Pedro, awesome glass there in the am!