Few people doubt that Lake County is one of the more beautiful spots in California. Clear Lake is the centerpiece of the county and at 2 million years old is one of the oldest lakes in the world. Few other counties have a mountain such as Mount Konocti. The nearby Mendocino National Forest is a perfect place for camping, hiking and hunting. Despite all these treasures the county is ranked as the poorest in the state and is second from the bottom in terms of the health of its residents.
Tourism is a major industry in the county, yet little is done to attract tourists. In fact, many people outside of the county have ever heard of Lake County or Clear Lake. For example, earlier this week I met a couple from Michigan who had never been to Lake County and said it was one of the most beautiful places they had ever visited. A few weeks ago we met a party from Denmark while at Clear Lake State Park. They too thought that the lake and mountain were beautiful and they said they only learned about Lake County by accident.
The answer to bring more tourists to the county is to list all the assets of the county, beginning with Clear Lake. The lake is ranked nationwide as the third best for bass fishing. In fact, no other lake in the country has bass as consistently large as Clear Lake’s. The other gamefish in the lake such as crappie, catfish and bluegill are equal to any other lake. For example, local fishing guides report that a day on the lake produces anywhere from 30-60 bass for their clients. Few other lakes can match that. A lot of local residents aren’t aware that the lake also has a wealth of bird life. In fact, bird watchers from around the world come to the lake just to view the many different species of birds living here.
Clear Lake is one of few major lakes in the country where you don’t pay a launching fee for boats. There are 11 public ramps located around the lake. Clear Lake State Park recently was voted as the fifth best state park in the nation and No. 1 west of the Mississippi.
Mount Konocti overlooks Clear Lake and is a treasure. Five years ago the county purchased the summit of the mountain and turned it into a county park. The view from the summit is nothing short of breathtaking.
The nearby Mendocino National Forest is not only beautiful but it also offers excellent hiking trails, off-road motorcycle use and fantastic hunting for deer, wild turkeys, quail and other wildlife. The best part is it’s all free.
There are other lakes in the county in addition to Clear Lake. Upper Blue Lake has excellent bass and trout fishing and the same applies to Lake Pillsbury and Indian Valley Reservoir.
The main thing lacking is promotion of the county’s assets. I travel out of the county quite often and when I am out of California and mention I am from Lake County and Clear Lake, the response I normally get is “Where is that?” When media outlets outside the county write about Lake County it’s mostly about excessive drug use and other negative things.
The county needs an aggressive marketing program. Years ago I helped the county host an outdoor writer’s day weekend that was attended by some of the top recreational writers in the West, writers such as Tom Stienstra of the San Francisco Chronicle and Bob Simms of KFBK Radio in Sacramento. There were at least 20 other outdoor, wine and travel writers in attendance. The media coverage of the lake and county was unbelievable. Unfortunately the event hasn’t been repeated.
There are also things that could be done locally to improve the image of the county. For example, recently I have been seeing more vagrants in Library Park in Lakeport. This a beautiful park and well maintained but when a tourist visits the park and is asked for money from a vagrant, he/she won’t be back. Another nice park is Lakeside County Park. The park employees do an excellent job of keeping the park clean but there have been instances of vandalism to the vehicles of fishermen. The docks at the boat ramp at the park are falling into disarray and need to be replaced. Surveillance cameras could be installed to monitor the parks and boat ramps
Two years ago there were buses that would transport visitors to the summit of Mount Konocti. The bus trips were so popular that there was a waiting list to get on them. The buses no longer run. Many of the tourists are either too old or are physically incapable of hiking to the summit. The bus trips should be started again to accommodate the tourists.
Lake County has something for everyone and we need to let the public know what a treasure we have.
