San Luis Reservoir

Merced County, Diablo Range, Central Valley, California · State Recreation Area

California's fifth-largest reservoir nestled in the Diablo Range foothills near Los Banos. Popular for boating, windsurfing, striped bass fishing, and camping. Strong winds make it a renowned windsurfing destination, with hiking trails and multiple campgrounds on-site.

Current alerts

• Golden mussel (Limnoperna fortunei), an invasive, non-native freshwater bivalve have been identified at O’Neill Forebay in Merced County
• Path of the Padres is canceled for 2026 due to the Los Banos Creek closure and Los Banos Creek Detention Reservoir Storage Project.
• Dam Safety Project to Temporarily Close Basalt Campground and Day Use Area
• California State Parks announces the development of the General Plan to guide long-range management and operations of Great Valley Grasslands State Park.

Campgrounds

• Basalt Campground — Closed (checked 2026-08-03) · 79 sites · Drive-in
• Group Sites — Year-round · 2 tent sites · Group camp · Drive-in · reserve
• Los Banos Creek Campground — Year-round · 14 tent sites · Primitive · Drive-in · reserve
• Medeiros Campground — Closed (checked 2026-08-01) · Year-round · 125 tent sites · Drive-in · reserve
• San Luis Creek Campground — Year-round · 1 tent sites · Drive-in · reserve

Top trails

• San Luis Reservoir Northwest Access Trail — 1.2 mi
• San Luis Creek Accessible Trail — 2.5 mi one way · 47 ft gain · 51m · Point to point
• Lone Oak Trail — 1.8 mi one way · 321 ft gain · 45m · Point to point
• Romero Visitor Center Overlook — 0.4 mi
• Rants Peak — 0.6 mi one way · 569 ft gain · 28m · Point to point

Coordinates: 37.0561, -121.1138.

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