Yes, water levels are low this summer, but Shasta is a huge lake—and it’s also the houseboat capital of California. Rentals are available from several marinas, and the lake's 360 miles of jagged shoreline are indented with cove after cove where boaters can anchor out in solitude or bob in the company of others. Whether you rent a fancy rig with a rooftop hot tub or a stripped-down, bare-basics model, you’ll float your cares away.
Shasta isn’t the only California lake with houseboat rentals. Forever Resorts, a major player in the houseboating world, also operates concessions on Lake Oroville, Trinity Lake, Lake Berryessa, Whiskeytown Lake and Lake Don Pedro in Northern California, with other locations in Arizona, Nevada and beyond.
Seven Crown Resorts offers additional opportunities out of Paradise Point Marina in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and at Lake Mojave on the California-Arizona border. Prices vary seasonally, with autumn a great time to try out a floating vacation with family, friends and four-legged companions.
Photo Credit: Danny Wischenbarth (CC)
