Vaquero Beach is the drive-in swim beach on the east end of Pyramid Lake, a State Water Project reservoir on Piru Creek in the Angeles National Forest of northwestern Los Angeles County. The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) owns the lake, and Rocky Mountain Recreation Company runs the recreation area under a DWR permit. DWR calls Vaquero the most popular spot on the lake. It is a small sandy cove sitting right below the Vista del Lago Visitor Center, about 10 miles south of Gorman and roughly 15 miles north of Castaic along Interstate 5.

From I-5, take exit 191 (Vista del Lago Road) and follow the road down past the visitor center to the beach. Parking is close to the sand, and the day use area has shaded picnic shelters and restrooms. Vaquero is seasonal. The operator opens it on Memorial Day weekend and runs it on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through the summer. Lake hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the entry gates close at 5. Emigrant Landing, off the Smokey Bear Road exit a few miles north, is the lake's other summer beach and has the marina and main launch ramp.

The beach slopes into a cove marked off by a line of buoys, and swimming is only allowed at the designated swim beaches, so stay inside the line. Power boats, water skiers and personal watercraft use the open lake just outside it. Pyramid Lake holds regulated storage for Castaic Powerplant, and DWR notes the water level can change every day, so the width of the beach and the depth at the rope shift through the season. In low years a wide band of bare sand shows below the picnic area. Kayaks, paddleboards and pedal boats are rented by the hour at Vaquero in season. Neither DWR nor the operator lists lifeguard staffing, so ask at the gate rather than assume a guard is on duty.

Vaquero is not free. The operator's posted entry fees are $15 per vehicle, $13 per motorcycle, $10 for a non-motorized watercraft, $16 per trailer or motorized watercraft, and $10 for seniors and disabled visitors on weekdays (not weekends or holidays). An annual vehicle pass is $160. The fee is collected at the lake entrance. The Vista del Lago Visitor Center is free and open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Toxic blue-green algae is the main hazard here, and it is a current problem. DWR posted a Warning advisory for Pyramid Lake on August 27, 2026, and its reservoir status table still showed Warning in early October 2026. At that level DWR has previously closed all swim beaches on the lake and told the public that swimming is not safe, while boating stayed open. Advisories are lowered only after toxin levels test below the level of concern for two weeks, so check DWR's algal bloom page before you drive up, and keep dogs out of the water and away from scum on the shore. Invasive golden mussels have turned up in State Water Project reservoirs, and boats are inspected at the entrance. The Yellowbar boat-in picnic area is closed until summer 2027 for repairs after the Post Fire.

The visitor center above the beach has exhibits on the State Water Project and a view down over the cove. Boaters can reach picnic sites at Spanish Point, Bear Trap and Serrano that have no road access. The lake is stocked and fished for trout, bass, catfish, crappie and bluegill, and Los Alamos Campground, with 93 sites, is less than two miles from the lake.