Lake Hodges reopens to public for recreation

LAKE HODGES, Calif. — Lake Hodges reopened to the public Wednesday for fishing and boating, the City of San Diego said.

Visitors can go kayaking, canoeing, shore fishing, rental boat fishing and flat tubing, officials said. However, boat launching, stand up paddleboarding, windsurfing, winging and all water contact activities are not permitted.

Lake Hodges will be open from sunrise to sunset on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays through October. It is closed during the months of November, December and January.

The announcement comes after the closing of the reservoir since May 2022 due to deteriorating concrete on the upstream face of its dam, according to the San Diego-Union Tribune . The newly found cracks prompted officials to reduce the condition of the dam from “poor” to “unsatisfactory,” the paper reported.

“It is envisioned a new dam could be built by 2034 following the required environmental review, design and permitting processes,” Arian Collins, San Diego’s supervising public information officer, told the San Diego-Union Tribune. “The preliminary cost estimate is $275 million.”

Lake Hodges and its dam were created on San Dieguito Creek in 1918. The reservoir, which has 1,234 surface acres, a maximum water depth of 115 feet and 27 shoreline miles, serves the San Dieguito Water District, Santa Fe Irrigation District and the city.

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