A wrong exit leads to an interesting visit at the Vista del Lago visitor center

by Donna Gambol

LW contributor

I’ve never been lost. Well, not in the sense that it mattered. I’ve always considered myself just on a bit of an adventure. Like on a recent Saturday, when I embarked to Santa Clarita to attend its Cowboy Festival. I had never been to Santa Clarita, and cruising along on I-5 I realized about 20 miles north of the city that I had overshot my destination. No problem, just turn around at the next exit and go back. What a delightful mishap.

The exit ramp indicated that a visitor’s center was just across the freeway at Pyramid Lake. The center was an incredible surprise. This was no ordinary visitor center. Rather it was the location of a California Department of Water Resources visitor center: Vista del Lago. It’s really a wonderful museum.

It’s a gateway to understanding one of California’s greatest engineering feats: the state water project. The center overlooks Pyramid Lake, a reservoir formed by the Pyramid Dam, which plays a critical role in managing water as it flows south through the west branch of the California aqueduct.

What many visitors don’t realize is that directly beneath their feet, enormous tunnels have been bored through the mountains. These tunnels carry water lifted nearly 2,000 vertical feet by the Edmonston Pumping Plant—the highest single-lift pumping station in the world. This incredible ascent allows Northern California water to reach millions of people and farms in Southern California. The center’s exhibits explain the history, politics and development of the project.

Here’s what visitors can see: Interactive Exhibits: The California State Water Project, its history, and how water is stored, moved and delivered across hundreds of miles from the Sierra Nevada to one’s tap.

Educational Displays:

Touchscreens, models and realtime maps making this a perfect learning stop for students, families and curious travelers. A walk-in room displays animal life, photography and threedimensional exhibits of flora and fauna, dioramas of ancient water access from throughout the world, and hands-on puzzles as well as numerous exhibits that engage visitors.

Theater and multimedia:

Short films that explain how water flows from the Feather River, through canals and tunnels, and over the mountains right to where one stands; conservation and monitoring systems for California’s agriculture; and the employment of helicopters and airborne monitors to measure groundwater presence.

Observation Deck: Enjoy panoramic views of Pyramid Lake, surrounded by rugged hills—and reflect on the massive aqueduct system operating just below.

And it’s all free. The center is open daily except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. So, the next time you are travelling up the I-5 corridor, plan on this little stop. It’s one of the finest museums I’ve seen in California. It’s pristine, with clean restrooms, and you can refill your water bottle from the fountains inside. No vending machines here, no soft-drinks or juice. Just water.

The California Department of Water Resources Visitor Center Vista del Lago

View of Pyramid Lake from the observation deck that surrounds the center.

Visitors will fi nd this plaque commemorating the engineering of the Ridge Route, the fi rst highway connecting Northern and Southern California, constructed between 1914 and 1915, with a speed limit of 15 mph and 697 curves. Over the years the roadway has become the I-5 that is known today.

Midge Bash of Mutual 14 takes in one of the exhibits.