Faucherie Lake California
Lake Faucherie is set in spectacular scenery of granite mountains, with peaks and waterfalls all around. Many believe that you could only reach this kinda high elevation beauty by foot, with a backpack, but here it is – accessible by a very long, rough & rocky backroad.
No motorhomes, no camper trailers, no motorboats, no engine noises on the lake, no big families. Just well-deserved solitude, finally. Peace and quiet!
Perfect alpine lake for car-top boaters – those who carry their boats on top of a vehicle. But be warned very few ‘passenger cars’ make it back this far, due to the challenging roads.
BACKPACKING, CAMPING, CANOEING, FISHING, FLOATING, HIKING, KAYAKING, OFF-ROADING, SOAKING, STARGAZING, SWIMMING
No motorized boats or watercraft allowed. One public boat ramp; gravel parking area, vault toilets, gated entry for group campground. No more driving across dam (it is now gated).
Faucherie Lake Road – a spur road, off of the ‘843 Road’ leads up to both Sawmill & Faucherie Lakes, as well as the Canyon Creek Campground.
This primitive road forks off at Jackson Creek Campground, Tahoe NF, way, way back behind Bowman Lake. The rugged route is also known as Nevada County Rd #843-037. Conflicting numbers appear on USDA web site for this route, so don’t get confused.
The brown Forest Service signage is decent at Jackson Creek Campground – so if you get that far, you’re almost there. Sorta. Did I mention how crazy the road is? Any wet weather or snow will make this route “4×4 required”. This place is closed off about half the year, due to deep snow (NOV-MAY). Although on summer weekends, this area is busy for a remote high Sierra lakes region.
To reach this rugged Canyon Creek takes hours of driving with a good backcountry map and a reliable, high clearance rig. AWD Subies and mini SUVs beware, you’ll need a spotter on the bad sections of this road (or risk serious oil pan damage). Or perhaps maybe, we “shouldn’t be back on these kinda roads in that ‘lil sportwagon’ missy.”
See more details on driving directions for Canyon Creek Campground.
Faucherie Lake Group Campground
(25 people maximum per site)
• Elevation: 6135′
• Number of Sites: 2
• Vehicle Access: High Clearance Vehicle, no trailers
• Campsites Reservation: Yes
• Camp Fee: Yes
• Season: June – October
• Trailheads: Faucherie Lake Falls, Five Lakes Basin, French Lake, Haystack Mountain
Faucherie Group Camping
Campground Reservations:
Nevada Irrigation District
530-265-5302
Faucherie Falls – Six waterfalls above lake:
Upper Faucherie Lake Falls #1: 39.4257 N, 120.5616 W
Upper Faucherie Lake Falls #2: 39.4257 N, 120.5606 W
Upper Faucherie Lake Falls #3: 39.4262 N, 120.5568 W
Upper Faucherie Lake Falls #4: 39.4268 N, 120.5550 W
Upper Faucherie Lake Falls #5: 39.4270 N, 120.5544 W
Upper Faucherie Lake Falls #6: 39.4272 N, 120.5538 W
USGS Topo: English Mountain
