GUNLOCK STATE PARK

About the Park

    The name Gunlock is the same as the small farming community one mile to the north. William Haynes Hamblin (nicknamed Will or Bill), a Mormon pioneer born in Ohio, settled in the present area of the lake in 1857. Gunlock Will was a good hunter and sharpshooter, and was skillful in repairing gunlocks, which are the firing mechanisms for muzzleloaders.

    The county road to the park is the Old Spanish Trail used by horsemen and raiders from Sante Fe, New Mexico to Los Angeles from the 1820 s until the gold fields became the destination after 1849 and a shorter route was taken.

    Gunlock Reservoir dam was constructed in 1970 for irrigation water and flood control.

    Opened to the public as a state park in 1970.
    Park Elevation: 3,600 feet