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 ft high, with a length of 720 ft at its crest. Normal water storage in the reservoir is 55,477 acre.ft.

Geography

The Frenchman Lake's elevation when full is 5588 ft above sea level. The surface area of Frenchman Lake is 1580 acre. The shoreline length is 21 mi, the maximum depth reaches 101 ft, averaging 35 ft. The nearest community is Chilcoot-Vinton, California which is approximately 8 mi 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.