Lake Nacimiento

Lake Nacimiento, nicknamed the 'Dragon Lake' for its long, branching arms, is a massive reservoir sprawling across the oak-studded hills northwest of Paso Robles, with an astonishing 165 miles of shoreline at full pool. It's the county's premier big-water destination for power boating, water-skiing, wakeboarding, and personal watercraft, and a renowned fishery famous for white bass, largemouth bass, catfish, and crappie. The Lake Nacimiento Resort provides a marina, boat rentals and launching, a large campground, lodging, a swimming pool, and lakeside picnic and recreation areas. Surrounded by rolling oak woodland and wine-country hills, 'Naci' is a warm-weather playground where families and boaters spend long summer weekends exploring the lake's countless coves. It's the inland counterpart to the county's coastline — big, sunny, and built for water fun.