Red Lake
Alpine County, California85 acresView mapDirections
SWRCB publishes the water-quality measurements for Red Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Limited data
Red Lake in Alpine County, California has water-quality measurements published by SWRCB, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 61.5 µg/L. Surface area: 85 acres.
Red Lake is a 85-acre lake in Alpine County, California.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, your state environmental agency, last sampled 2021-09-21. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Red Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Camping1 public campground nearby
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Red Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the California State Water Resources Control Board and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Red Lake
These are the measurements SWRCB publishes for Red Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
No clarity data. Phosphorus 61.5 µg/L. TSI 64.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | No reading How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. | |
| Total phosphorus | 61.5µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 64 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Red Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
85 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Red Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
Public campgrounds near Red Lake
- Hope Valley Campground4.8 km
Nearest public campgrounds in the USGS National Map inventory, within about 3 miles. An empty list means USGS records no campground that close, which is not the same as camping being unavailable. Where the source gives an official reservation link, it is used; the cabin and hotel search does not cover campsites. More camping lakes
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Red Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Red Lake in Alpine County, California — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Red Lake
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Fishing Red Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Red Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Red Lake (completed 1924), built primarily for water supply on the Red Lake Creek; earth-type dam, 35 ft tall and 1,920 ft long.
- Surface area
- 85 ac
- Max storage
- 1,410 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 2 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- California Department of Fish and Wildlife
All listed purposes: Water Supply;Irrigation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID CA00631 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Alpine County
Frequently asked questions about Red Lake
Where is Red Lake?
- Red Lake is a lake in Alpine County, California. Its water-quality measurements are published by SWRCB and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Red Lake?
- Red Lake in Alpine County, California has water-quality measurements published by SWRCB, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 61.5 µg/L. Surface area: 85 acres.
Is Red Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there campgrounds on Red Lake?
- Red Lake has 1 public campground from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Hope Valley Campground. This is a location join, not a booking. Cabins and hotels are listed separately; campsite reservations use the official link when the source provides one.
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Where this data comes from
4 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-21.
Collected and reported by
- California State Water Resources Control Board
CEDEN4 samples · 2020–2021
Analytical methods
- EPA 365.3
- SM 4500-P BE
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles