Visitors to Auburn's Upper Clementine Lake will need reservations for weekends, holidays

AUBURN — A popular place to cool off in Auburn will require reservations for weekends and holidays.

A quiet place along the river isn't so quiet anymore. The word has gotten out about Upper Clementine Lake this summer and it's causing some problems.

"Tent to tent to tent, like you can barely get in," Auburn resident Katherin Znakovsky said. "So if you get here late, you're done."

The Auburn State Recreation Area was forced to close last week due to unsafe traffic conditions. Cars illegally parked on the road, people crossed on a blind turn and drivers made illegal u-turns into oncoming traffic.

In response, Upper Lake Clementine will transition to day-use reservations only on weekends and holidays—and they must be made at least one day in advance.

Auburn State Recreation Area officials said that they had been relying on local agencies and the California Highway Patrol to help make the area safer, but the increase in visitors is too much.

Locals who frequent the lake to cool down are frustrated.

"So if you can't get a reservation, it's a bummer," Znakovsky said. "So we're definitely not happy about it."

If you'd like to make a reservation , you have to do it over the phone at (530) 885-4527.