Hensley Lake Recreation Area — Attraction in Madera

This place was wonderful! The campsites and bathrooms are clean and kept up and the views are amazing! I would strongly suggest picking your campsite once you're there though and not from the website. Some of them have steep walks from where you park to where you camp. Some even have stairs from parking to the campsite! Also, the distance to the restroom can be deceiving. 200 feet as the crow flies can be two hills that are 40 feet high at a 45 degree angle! Also, not all the sites have shade. Seeing them first is a great help for getting the right spot for you. All that aside, I really enjoyed my time there. The Ranger who came by was very nice, explained everything I needed to know, and answered all my questions. I will definitely be going back and I suggest this place to everyone. It has good lake access for picnics, boating or whatever, and fishing. You can have a fire and use the barbecue, make sure you get your permit from the Rangers. Also, please clean up after yourself. There are not a lot of people there to...

Lovely view of green hills & the lake during the cooler months. Pics are from 1-1-19 & it was the perfect time to go. No crowds; just a handful of people savoring the outdoors. It was clean- no trash other than the occasional horse & dog droppings. Saw lots of birds of prey (mainly hawks) and ground squirrels. There's some trails through the hills for walking, hiking, mountain biking & horseback riding. Parking & bathrooms are available (outhouse style not flushable). Saw a swiming area with loaner lifejackets available at no charge too. Cost for day use of Lake Hensley area is $5. Bring exact change as there isn't an attendant (honors system) but a locked pay box. They have added an electronic pay station but I can't comment on its reliability since I haven't used it yet. (Side note: In warm weather the area wont be green anymore but very hot & dry with "amber waves" of hills instead. Warm weather also brings crowds of people which causes the cleanliness of the area to decrease...

Have boated and fished several times this year. Its always nice to be on the water when in or near the valley this time of year, 10° cooler. The water is dropping but still real good right now. The fish are plenty but their bite is finicky. The ground are always clean and the bathrooms are sanitary and well kept. I got a ticket, had it pasted to my truck window when i got back to the dock yesterday. I ran off in a huff to find that ranger and when i did i started in with my bullshit and my excuses. He stood there quietly while i ranted. When i was finish, he motioned to the ticket in my hand and said, "sir, perhaps we may have labeled the form incorrectly, that is only a warning. I like to give every body a fair shake because we are all out here for a good time". As i walked back to the truck i had a second look at my ticket, and there it was, in bold red lettering, THIS IS A WARNING ONLY have a nice day. My apologies to you, mr. ranger, sir. Sometimes i can be such an...