A Day at Diamond Valley Lake, Hemet, California

I first heard about Diamond Valley Lake about 14 years ago, when construction on the dams was completed and it was filled with water. I thought, “Cool! A new lake!” But it was only recently, on a hosted trip to San Jacinto Valley, that I learned what makes it so important.

Diamond Valley Lake is a man-made lake 85 miles north of San Diego and 90 miles southeast of Los Angeles. It’s also a drinking water reservoir. It actually holds enough water for a six-month supply for 19 million customers in southern California. It was always intended that Diamond Valley Lake provide recreation as well — boating and fishing, plus hiking, horseback riding, running, and cycling on its shoreline trails. But I don’t think anyone expected Max the Mastodon. And that is what really put Diamond Valley Lake in the news!

During excavation for the reservoir, prehistoric bones and skeletons were found. Among these were the remains of mastodons, mammoth, camel, sloth, dire wolf, and long-horned bison. In fact, paleontologists uncovered millions of fossils, and this area is now unofficially referred to as the ‘Valley of the Mastodons’. The fossil finds here rival that of the La Brea Tarpits in Los Angeles. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).