Click on photo for more information.Visiting Success Lake, and More!
by Laurie Schwaller
Success Lake, in the scenic Sierra Nevada foothills just 8 miles east of Porterville, formed in 1961 after its huge earth-filled dam was completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide flood risk and water supply management, wildlife habitat, and extensive recreation opportunities including biking, birdwatching, boating, camping, learning at campfire programs and Ranger talks, fishing, hiking, hunting, photography, picnicking, stargazing, swimming, and wildflower and wildlife viewing. Open year-round, the 2,450-acre reservoir and its neighboring 1500-acre wildlife refuge promise visitors of all ages and abilities a great day out in nature.
January, 2026
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From Visalia, take Hwy 198 east to exit south (right) onto Hwy 65 toward Exeter and Porterville. At Porterville, take Hwy 190 east toward Success Lake and follow signs to the lake (on your left). This road gives you access to the office, the campground, the marina, and the lake at the well-developed Tule Recreation Area.
To access the west side of the lake, you will turn off Hwy 190 BEFORE you get to the lake: driving east from Porterville, you will turn left (north) onto Rd. 284 via the roundabout and at the T intersection turn right (east) onto Worth Dr. Continue past the entrance to Bartlett Park and go uphill to the lake and Rocky Hill Recreation Area.
To access the beautiful Big Sycamore Loop Trail, continue east on Hwy 190 after the roundabout and watch for the sign for the road exiting left to the Army Corps of Engineers headquarters (BEFORE you get to the dam) where the signed trailhead is near the parking lot.
To access the Kincade Cove Wildlife Management Area (wildlife refuge) bordering the lake’s northwest shoreline, come south on Hwy 65 to Strathmore (well north of Porterville) and exit east onto county road J28 /Ave. 196, which will eventually curve right (south) as Rd. 276/J28 and then curve left (east) as M-176/J28. You’ll soon glimpse the lake on your right (unless it’s getting too low) and see a road on your right that goes south and southwest to the wildlife refuge and the northwest arm of the lake.
NOTE: If you continue east on J28, you’ll come to a T intersection with Hwy 190. If you turn right (west), you’ll soon come to the Tule Recreation Area and you can continue on from there to Porterville and Hwy 65, making a nice loop trip.
Nearby Treasures: Bartlett Park, Tule River Parkway, Zalud House Museum, First Congregational Church of Porterville, Porterville Main Post Office, Springville Historical Museum, Elster Building
