In this video we are sharing five lakes that are within a reasonable driving distance from Sacramento for day use. Yes, there is camping at all these lakes and yes you can fish or boat but the emphasis is where you can take your family for the day. This is not a top five list of lakes because that's all a matter of opinion. We will start with Bullards Bar in the town of Dobbins, California in Yuba County, an hour and twenty minute drive from Sacramento. The scenery is incredible and the water is as blue as it gets. Bullards Bar is a shallow lake which means the water is warm yet still very refreshing. Bullards Bar may be the most scenic of the five lakes we will talk about but Bullards Bar lacks day use facilities because of the steepness of its short line. The only day use area is right here, a dark day campground in picnic area which is free to use for day use. Now it can be tough to access the water you can see how steep it is but right down here there is a boat launch area and that could be a little bit more flat and it of course depends on the water levels. Despite its lack of day use facilities I have Bullards Bar on this list because it's a great lake for renting a boat for the day which we have done twice. The pricing is very reasonable and it's easy to do. For complete description of how to rent a boat of Bullards Bar watch this video. The Scott's flat reservoir like Bullards Bar is an hour and twenty minutes from Sacramento in Nevada city. Another gorgeous lake where you can launch your boat paddle board swim or fish. The cost is 15 for the day and the day use area is located right here. You're going to take Scott's flat dam road to the day use area where they also rent kayaks and stand up paddle boards. There's a nice beach there. We like to walk around the corner to this point where we are a bit more private. For more information on Scott's flat watch this video. Located just 50 miles up I-80 in Colfax is Rollins Reservoir 53 minutes away from Sacramento. There are two main day use areas. The first is that long ravine where you can rent a boat for the day. There is a snack shack there and as you can see here there are some picnic tables. There's a beach which is small but it depends on how much beach there is. Watch this video here for more information on this particular area of Rollins Lake because it can be tricky as to where to park the video details. We recently visited the Greenhorn Recreational Area where there is a camping and day use. The cost was $10 to get in. There's a little beach there with a swimming area. Beautiful lake. This may be the most beautiful of all the lakes. Just an hour away from Sacramento. At Jenkinson Lake in Pollock Pines in El Dorado County there are a number of day use areas. We're concentrating on just one as it's the only one that we've been to but the day use area here is stunning. Of the lakes we've mentioned this picnic area at Jenkinson Lake has the most shade. Because of that we reserve our day trips to Jenkinson Lake when the forecast is for hot weather. We can enjoy a river with a lot of water and water. We can enjoy the water and the water. Of the lakes we've mentioned this picnic area at Jenkinson Lake has the most shade. Because of that we reserve our day trips to Jenkinson Lake when the forecast is for hot weather. We can enjoy a refreshing day in the water while being covered by the forest canopy when we have lunch. There are a number of picnic tables to choose from along with a number of vault toilets. For more information on day use areas at Slipark at Jenkinson Lake watch this video. Our final lake is two lakes, Folsom Lake and Lake Natoma. Because both Folsom Lake and Lake Natoma are part of the Folsom Lake State Recreation Area. Just 35 miles away from Sacramento. Folsom Lake is number one in our heart because well it's only 15 minutes away from us and I know all the nook and crannies here. If I were ranking these lakes I would rank Folsom and Natoma number one because it's the shortest drive from Sacramento. And there are a number of day use facilities at Folsom Lake. Simply put it's the easiest lake to access from Sacramento. We have a number of videos on the different areas of Folsom Lake and I will put the links down in the description below for you to browse. Granite Bay main beach is the most used. There's a large beach there and the water levels really dictate the size of the beach but it's a great area for the families. Beale's point may be the easiest day use area for families with young kids. There's plenty of parking and it has the easiest access to the water along with a number of restrooms that are easily accessible. Folsom Point Day use is more scenic as it provides a great vista point but probably not for the little ones as access to the water is more challenging. Browns or Bean is another day use area. There are picnic tables and there's a arena there. There really isn't an established day use area so to say but there are many places you can set up your picnic and get in the water. And another advantage of Folsom is that there's always plenty of parking in all of these day use areas and finally the water is warm. So it's easy to get in on a hot day and still feel refreshed. The cost for day use is $12 and at Lake Natoma there's a huge day use area with a number of picnic tables and easy access to the water. And Lake Natoma is located next door to the Sacramento State Aquatic Center where you can rent paddle boards, paddle boats, kayaks and canoes. And we have plenty of videos on Folsom Lake if you'd like to hear more detailed information. You