Hensley Lake Recreation Area
Raymond
Camp, Hike, Kayak, and Swim
Hensley Lake Recreation Area is the public land around Hensley Lake, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoir on the Fresno River in the Madera County foothills. Hidden Dam created the lake, and it opened to public recreation in 1978. The Corps runs two developed areas on the roughly 1,500-acre lake: Hidden View Campground on the west shore and the Buck Ridge Recreation Area on the east shore. The designated swim beach is at Buck Ridge, in a sandy cove just south of the main boat ramp, and that is where this listing is pinned. Raymond is about 7 miles north and Madera about 17 miles southwest.
From Madera, take Yosemite Avenue (State Route 145) east 7.2 miles to Road 33, go 1 mile to Road 400, then turn right and follow Road 400 for 9.7 miles to the Buck Ridge entrance. Inside the park the road splits toward the boat ramp and the picnic grounds. The beach sits below the picnic shelters at the end of the southern branch, a short walk from the parking area. Hidden View Campground is a separate drive by way of Road 603 and Road 407, so set your map for Buck Ridge if you are coming to swim.
The beach is a sand and decomposed granite shore that slopes into a small cove, with picnic tables, barbecue grills, a playground, drinking water and restrooms nearby. The Corps currently lists the Buck Ridge swim beach as open. There is no lifeguard listed, so swimming is at your own risk. Hensley is an irrigation reservoir that feeds the Madera Irrigation System, and the Corps warns that the water is highest in spring and can be quite low by mid-summer. As the lake drops, the waterline pulls away from the sand and the exposed bottom gets muddier and rockier, and granite boulders that sit underwater in spring can end up just below the surface. Boats and water-skiers use the open lake, so stay inside the cove.
This is not a free swim. Every vehicle at Buck Ridge needs a day-use pass, and the Corps charges $10 per vehicle per day at the main entrance. America the Beautiful passes are accepted. Buck Ridge is day use only, with no overnight camping. The Recreation.gov listing does not post gate hours for Buck Ridge, so call the park office at 559-831-7040 or email hensley-info@usace.army.mil if you plan to arrive early or stay late. A group picnic pavilion with three included day-use passes can be reserved on Recreation.gov.
Harmful algal blooms have shown up here in past summers. In June 2018 KMPH reported blooms at Hensley and nearby Eastman Lake, and in August 2021 Madera County health officials warned of high toxin levels after Central Valley Water Board sampling, and the Corps posted signs at the Buck Ridge boat ramp. Before swimming in late summer, read the signs at the ramp and the State Water Board's HAB reports map, and keep kids and dogs out of the water whenever an advisory is posted. Summer afternoons in these foothills are very hot and shade near the water is limited.
Anglers fish the coves for largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill and catfish, and the Corps stocks rainbow trout in winter. Buck Ridge also has a disc golf course and a multi-use trail for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding, plus boat ramps for kayaks and powerboats. Hidden View Campground across the lake has 53 sites, some with electric hookups, and its nightly fees rise to $30 for non-electric and $40 for electric sites on January 1, 2027.
More Information
Be courteous, informed, and prepared. Read trailhead guidelines, stay on the trail, and don't feed the wildlife.
Read More
- Plan Ahead and Prepare
- Travel & camp on durable surfaces
- Dispose of waste properly
- Leave what you find
- Minimize campfire impacts
- Respect wildlife
- Be considerate of other visitors
Directions
- Get directions on Google Maps
Hensley Lake on a calm spring day, looking across the open water from the granite shoreline. courtesy of Mutante↗ (CC BY-SA 3.0↗)
Families fishing from the Hensley Lake shoreline, with the Hidden Dam embankment across the water. courtesy of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District↗ (Public domain↗)
A granite outcrop standing in Hensley Lake, the kind of rock that sits just underwater when levels r courtesy of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District↗ (Public domain↗)
A boy wading off a granite ledge into Hensley Lake. courtesy of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District↗ (Public domain↗)
A volunteer clearing rocks from the Hensley Lake swimming beach during National Public Lands Day. courtesy of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District↗ (Public domain↗)
The Corps of Engineers entrance sign for the Buck Ridge Recreation Area, home of the swim beach. courtesy of Mutante↗ (CC BY-SA 3.0↗)
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