Lake Mendocino is a large reservoir in Mendocino County, California, northeast of Ukiah. It covers 1922acre and was formed by the construction of Coyote Valley Dam in 1958. The lake and dam provide flood control, water conservation, hydroelectric power, and recreation. The dam also includes a fallout shelter built during the Cold War era to protect against the radiation from nuclear attacks.RecreationLake Mendocino is administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and offers disc golf, boating, water skiing, fishing, camping, and hiking.There are 300+ campsites plus a small number of boat-in only sites. Three groups of campsites are named in the Pomo language of the local native people.There are two boat ramps, at the north and south ends of the lake, and use for watersports is permitted. The lake also has numerous day use and picnic areas. Several hiking trails traverse the length of the lake.Coyote DamCoyote Dam is an earthen dam 164ft high, 3532ft long, and 20ft wide, with a total volume of 6150000cuyd. It was built as a flood control project by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Completed in 1959, it sits across the East Fork of the Russian River, which is the primary source of inflow to the lake. The dam offers public access by foot. The purpose of the dam was to prevent flooding in the Ukiah valley, and provide a water supply for Sonoma county. During the Cold War it served as a fallout shelter in the case of a nuclear attack, which remains today at the dam with a radioactive symbol. There is also an hydroelectric dam controlled by the army corps of engineers including flood supply, which provides energy for the surrounding cities.
