Beardsley Lake water level
▼ 7.8 points from 68.4% a year ago
Source: waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/USGS-11292800, accessed October 1, 2026. Updated every 6 hours.
Beardsley Lake is at 60.6% of full pool (3348.65 ft) as of September 29, 2026. Beardsley Lake was last full on June 27, 2026 (95.2% of normal storage). Beardsley Lake is near Strawberry, California. It has restrooms, drinking water, picnic area, and boat launch, managed by Tri-Dam Project / USDA Forest Service - Stanislaus National Forest (Summit Ranger District). Check current swimming advisories at Stanislaus National Forest alerts (USDA Forest Service) before you go.
Beardsley Lake level history
This site counts a reservoir as full on a day its storage is at or above 95% of the dam's normal storage (National Inventory of Dams). Many reservoirs rarely reach 100%, even in wet years, because operators release water for irrigation, power or flood control before they fill, so this site treats 95% as full. Highs and lows are daily readings in the published data, not official records. Source: USGS daily data.
Storage, % of full pool, since 1957
Beardsley Lake is falling: 60.9% full, down 0.3 percentage points since September 27, 2026.
On this same date last year (September 28, 2025), Beardsley Lake was 68.4% full, 7.5 percentage points higher than today's 60.9%.
Weekly averages of the source's daily readings; older years may be monthly or sparser where that is all the source published. Download the charted data (JSON).
Beardsley Lake map
Beardsley Lake is at 38.2046, -120.0763. Open in OpenStreetMap.
The dam
- Flood control
- Hydropower
- Recreation
Sources: nid.sec.usace.army.mil, accessed September 29, 2026
Visiting Beardsley Reservoir
- Restrooms
- Drinking water
- Picnic area
- Boat launch
Black Oak Flat Campground (~5 miles from Highway 108 on Beardsley Rd) has 18 campsites with water and restrooms. Additional developed campsites at Beardsley Reservoir at the end of paved Beardsley Road. Beardsley and China Flat day-use areas have accessible restrooms for picnicking, fishing, and swimming.
Good to know:
- Upper Works of Tri-Dam (with Donnells) on the Middle Fork Stanislaus River. Confirm Forest Service campground fees on Recreation.gov / Stanislaus pages before travel - Tri-Dam page does not list a single fee table.
Swimming
Water-quality and swimming advisories change without notice. Always check Stanislaus National Forest alerts (USDA Forest Service) before you go.
Sources: fs.usda.gov/r05/stanislaus/alerts, accessed September 28, 2026
On the water
No campgrounds, boat ramps, or swim spots linked to Beardsley Lake yet.
Common questions
- Beardsley Lake is at 60.6% of full pool (3348.65 ft) as of September 29, 2026.
- Beardsley Lake was last full on June 27, 2026, when it held 95.2% of its normal storage. This site counts a reservoir as full on a day its storage is at or above 95% of the dam's normal storage (National Inventory of Dams). Many reservoirs rarely reach 100%, even in wet years, because operators release water for irrigation, power or flood control before they fill, so this site treats 95% as full. Based on USGS daily data since October 1, 1957.
- In USGS daily data since October 1, 1957, Beardsley Lake's highest storage was 101% of normal storage on July 12, 1962. Its lowest after it first filled (May 20, 1958) was 0% of normal storage on September 21, 1976. These are the highest and lowest daily readings in the published data, not official records.
- Beardsley Lake is near Strawberry, California (38.2046, -120.0763).
- Utility operates the dam at Beardsley Lake.
- Beardsley Lake's dam is used for Flood control, Hydropower, Recreation.
- Beardsley Lake has no designated swim area on record. Check current advisories at Stanislaus National Forest alerts (USDA Forest Service) before you go.