Frenchman Lake
Frenchman Lake with the Beckwourth Complex Fire in the background in 2021
Frenchman Lake Show map of California Frenchman Lake Show map of the United States
Location	Plumas County, California
Coordinates	39°53′38″N 120°11′24″W / 39.89389°N 120.19000°W / 39.89389; -120.19000
Type	Reservoir
Primary inflows	Little Last Chance Creek
Primary outflows	Little Last Chance Creek
Basin countries	United States
Managing agency	California Department of Water Resources
Surface area	1,580 acres (6 km2)
Average depth	35 ft (11 m)
Max. depth	101 ft (31 m)
Surface elevation	5,588 ft (1,703 m)
Website	www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/plumas/recreation/recarea/?recid=83085&actid=33

Frenchman Lake is a reservoir located in southeastern Plumas County, California. It was created by the damming of Little Last Chance Creek in 1961, as part of the California State Water Project. It was named after its tributary Frenchman Creek, which in turn was named after Claude Francois Seltier, a French immigrant who settled in the area in 1858.

Frenchman Dam

Frenchman Dam was completed in 1961 as part of the California State Water Project, under the authority of the California Department of Water Resources. It is a rock-fill and earthen dam 129 feet (39 m) high, with a length of 720 feet (220 m) at its crest. Normal water storage in the reservoir is 55,477 acre-feet (68,430,000 m³).

Geography

The Frenchman Lake's elevation when full is 5,588 feet (1,703 m) above sea level. The surface area of Frenchman Lake is 1,580 acres (6 km²). The shoreline length is 21 miles (34 km), the maximum depth reaches 101 feet (31 m), averaging 35 feet (11 m). The nearest community is Chilcoot-Vinton, California which is approximately 8 miles (13 km) south.

National Forest Recreation Area

The United States Forest Service administers the Plumas National Forest land surrounding the lake as a National Forest Recreation Area, locally managed as part of the Beckwourth Ranger District. The Frenchman Lake Recreation Area offers a wide variety of summer outdoor experiences including: camping, picnicking, fishing, hunting, boating, jet skiing, mountain biking, swimming and water-skiing. In the winter, ice fishing, snowmobiling and cross-country skiing are favored activities.

Public campgrounds are located on the south shore at Cottonwood Springs, Frenchman, Spring Creek and Big Cove. Additionally there is another campground located below the dam along Little Last Chance Creek.