New Melones Lake
Beautiful New Melones Lake, one of the largest man-made lakes in California, remains surprisingly undiscovered. It is amazingly set back in the foothills near the quaint Gold Rush town of Angels Camp. Known for fantastic fishing, camping and houseboating. Situated on the North side of the lake, New Melones Lake Marina at Glory Hole has a world class rental fleet, including ski boats, waverunners, patio boats and 15 passenger houseboats. For more on New Melones Marina, click one of the following: Rentals | Map | Lake Information
New Melones Lake -Northwest View from a boat
Serenity Now!
With nearly 120 miles of shoreline when full, New Melones Lake boasts some incredible scenery. The Sierra foothills and Stanislaus River Canyon cliffs surround the magnificent lake. The Stanislaus River, which feeds New Melones, was originally dammed in 1926 for the purpose of power generation and to supply usable water for agriculture. The project was expanded dramatically in 1980 when the ‘new’ dam was built to both supply hydroelectric power at a much larger rate and prevent downstream flooding. You can learn more at the New Melones Visitor Center.
What’s a Melones?
The naming of New Melones is somewhat of a mystery. Originally a rich placer mining camp established by Mexican miners in early 1948, some think it was named for the gold nuggets the shape and size of melon seeds. The local mining towns were known for extreme violence during the 1840s and 1850s, notably in the diary of Captain Leaonard Noyes, “This place called Melones was built of Brush streets, say 10 feet wide, lined on each side with these Brush houses where Gambling was carried on at an enormous extent….I don’t think there was ever in the Mines so wicked a crowd. Some are killed every night, shooting and cutting all the time. I have always felt when in those narrow streets that I was liable to have a knife shoved into me at any moment….” (article borrowed from ‘The California Gold Country, Highway 49 Revisited, through malakoff.com)
| Don’t tell fish stories where the people know you; but particularly, don’t tell them where they know the fish. ~Mark Twain |
I’m no Jackass!
In 1864, Mark Twain built a cabin on what is known as Jackass Hill just south of the lake, off of 49. It was here where he began writing “The famous Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” amongst other celebrated books and quotes we know today. The book inspired the world renowned Calaveras County Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee, held each year in Angels Camp. This year’s celebration runs from May 19th to the 22nd.
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Our Favorites
We love the lakes we operate on. We enjoy the fabulous fishing, great time with our families on the lake, and as local residents, we know all the secrets to the lake. Here is just a sampling of some great places on New Melones that you might not know about. The Coyote Arm, near the center of the lake, just north and east of the highway 49 bridge, is one of the best places on the lake for water skiing and wakeboarding due its long, narrow features.
Quotes about New Melones
Carson Cove is well protected, close to the marina and feels like “It’s like your own private cove” according to Erik Guy, houseboats.com rental supervisor.
“The best part about New Melones Lake is that it’s not crowded, while most other California lakes are packed!” - Codey Redfield, former Marina Manager
“Shhhh. No one seems to head to this spot. Everyone is heading to McClure or Don Pedro. Let them go.” Tim G. from San Francisco
Houseboating on New Melones Lake
New Melones Lake Marina
New Melones Lake Marina features houseboat and small boat rentals, marine fuel, marina store, marine services, nearby boat launching and campground, and much more! Look at our Rental Fleet here
Special New Melones Lake Houseboat Rental Specials to Blog Commentors ONLY
*leave a polite comment and receive a 25% discount on any houseboat rental through May 5th, 2011*
Watch for 2011 upgrades at New Melones Lake. We just be added 4 new houseboats to the already regal fleet at the Angel’s Camp location at Glory Hole. 2 new Escapades and 2 new Odysseys to go along with another patio boat.
We have rented houseboats often at Lake Mojave. We love the desert in the evening and being able to experience it on a houseboat is the best way. We now know where “purple mountain majesty” came from. I have since moved to Norther California and I have a big Pontoon boat that the family loves. We visited Lake New Melones last fall and loved the lake. We are planning a trip up there on a houseboat later this summer.
Great, Stephen. We look forward to seeing you. When are you planning on going? Let us know if there is any way we can make your vacation more memorable.