Black Rock Reservoir (2010)

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I decided to celebrate the completion of my first year of college with a solo overnighter up to Black Rock Reservoir. And better yet, during finals week!

The reservoir itself is used almost solely for the purpose of generating hydroelectricity. It begins all the way up above 8,000 feet with Courtright and Wishon reservoirs, with the Helm's hydroelectric plant between the two. The water then falls down through the Haas underground power-plant to Black Rock Reservoir at around 4,000 ft. The water continues down to Balch powerhouse, and then finally down to the Kings River power plant at the head of Pine Flat Lake slightly above 1,000 ft.

I left my truck about halfway between Kirch Flat and Balch Camp, which took about 1hr 45min to drive from Clovis. From here, it would be about 15 miles and 3,000 ft elevation gain to Black Rock Reservoir. Despite the fact that this was all road travel, it was far better than what I had expected. First off, it can hardly be classified as a road. One lane, exposed cliff-faces, gorgeous views of the valley from the North Fork of the Kings River, Patterson Falls, and...only ONE car went by in my two days of travel!

It took me a little over 4 hrs to reach the reservoir, where I found the campground virtually empty, with the exception of Curtis and Johnny, who introduced themselves when I stumbled upon them fishing. More on them later. I took the Angler's Trail up to the head of the lake, which is an additional 1/2 mile, but was more than worth it for the great fishing opportunities. The rest of the day I spent lounging around near the lake, exploring the dam, setting up camp, building a fire, etc. After a cup of hot tea and a KitKat bar for dessert, I crawled into bed, but before I could doze off, Curtis and Johnny came over with some bad news. Their car battery had died, and with no reception or other cars nearby, they were stranded. I told them I would get an early start in the morning and see if I could get them some help.

By 7:00AM I was packed up and headed back down the hill. I forewent hot coffee and oatmeal and instead just had a Clif bar on the move in order to save time. Within twenty minutes I managed to nearly step on a snake (I think it was a Kingsnake), as well as spotted a coyote and a deer! Around 10:30 I made it back to Balch Camp, where I flagged down a car headed up to Black Rock...so hopefully Curtis and Johnny got the jump they needed. Shortly after I was back to the truck and headed home. Once I got service I gave their dad Rich a call, just in case they never did get their battery started.

Overall, a great 30+ mile round trip. I had intended to take a trail down Rodger's Ridge instead of back down the road, but due to the circumstances and the snow up above the lake, I opted to just stay on the road. When the rest of the Sierras are under snow, this is certainly a great alternative without sacrificing scenery.