Bass-Lake-1917, 1917
Bass Lake’s story
114 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1917 and 3 maps from 1953 on.
- 1912Bass Lake is settled
Bass LakeCA
Settled in 1912, this town now has 499 residents.
Population
499
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$598K
+0.7% in a year
Household income
$134K
median
Median age
52.3
years
Jobs based here
262
Balanced
Is Bass Lake a good place to live?
Bass Lake’s age of the median resident is 52.3 years, where California’s towns sit at 39 years and U.S. towns at 40.5 years. No town among the 848 in California we compare has a higher owner-occupancy rate than Bass Lake. 42% of the land in Bass Lake is conserved, above both the California town median (4.3%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). Bass Lake has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
499 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
OakhurstBass Lake
Getting set up
Moving to Bass Lake: who provides what
Bass Lake is unincorporated, so Madera County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPG&E37.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCal Am - Bass Lake water system1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers95% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesMadera CountyMadera County provides services here
SchoolsBass Lake Joint Union Elementary School DistrictYosemite Unified School District (9-12)2 districts serve Bass Lake; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn California you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereMadera County Elections DivisionMadera County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2025
ZIP code9360493604 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Bass Lake.
Outdoors
Nearly a third of Bass Lake is conserved land
3.2 miles of trail. The trail density for Bass Lake comes to 1.3 miles per square mile.
41.9%conserved
41.9%
conserved · 665 of 1,586 acres
3.2 mi
of trails · 1.3 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazards
The biggest natural risk in Bass Lake is wildfire, at a very high overall level
Federal disaster aid has reached households in Bass Lake after 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2023. Bass Lake’s FEMA risk score is 92 of 100. Expected losses in Bass Lake break down as 43% from wildfires and 43% from inland flooding.
92risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
WildfireInland floodingEarthquakes
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
$598KZillow home value
Typical home value
Bass Lake$598K
California$762K
+0.7%
value change, 1 year
3
homes sold in September
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Climate
Bass Lake has mild winters and hot summers
The typical July afternoon high in Bass Lake is 92°F.
3″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter34–55°
Spring41–65°
Summer58–89°
Fall47–74°
Nov 4
typical first frost
Apr 24
typical last frost
+1.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commute
About one in three of Bass Lake’s working residents commute to Fresno
Just 2% of Bass Lake’s working residents have a job in town. 21% of residents live below the poverty line here. Employers in Bass Lake added 163 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 262. For half of commuters, work is under 38 miles away.
2%work in town
| Bass Lake | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 21% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.3% | 6.6% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Bass Lake2%
Fresno30%
Oakhurst7%
Clovis6%
Coarsegold5%
38 mi
median commute distance
262
jobs based in Bass Lake
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Health
A larger share of adults have high blood pressure in Bass Lake than in most of California or the rest of the country
30% of Bass Lake adults have obesity. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Bass Lake is ahead of California on 13 and behind on 9. In Bass Lake, 12% of adults binge drink, and 30% feel lonely.
| Bass Lake | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 31% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 36% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 81% | 72% | 79% |
32 measures vs. California
13 better10 too close to call9 worse
| What stands out | Bass Lake | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.6% | 14.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.7% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 15.1% | 6.4% |
John C Fremont Healthcare District
25.7 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Nearby attractions
All 39 attractions →Yosemite National Park and 26 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Bass Lake. Close and well known come first.
Big draw12 mi National ParkYosemite National Park4.3M visitors a year
Big draw29 mi MountainHalf Dome
38 mi Ski areaMammoth Mountain153 runs · 2,962 ft vertical
32 mi National MonumentDevils Postpile National Monument100K visitors a year
30 mi WaterfallYosemite Falls
10 mi Scenic railwayYosemite Mountain Sugar Pine RailroadSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Yosemite National Park: Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Half Dome: Jon Sullivan, Public domain · Mammoth Mountain: Hike395 (talk · contribs), CC BY 3.0 · Devils Postpile National Monument: Frank Kovalchek from Anchorage, Alaska, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Yosemite Falls: King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad: Bobtalbot61, CC BY-SA 3.0
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Keep exploring
Everything we know about Bass Lake
16pages on Bass Lake
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Bass Lake; the nearest are
Clovis Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Fresno31.7 mi$1,378 in-state tuitionCalifornia State University-FresnoUniversity or college · Public · Fresno36.9 mi$7,350 in-state tuition
College town 24 of every 100 Bass Lake residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
About Bass Lake
Census-designated place in Madera County, California
Bass Lake is a census-designated place (CDP) in Madera County, California, United States, within the Sierra National Forest. The community surrounds Bass Lake, a reservoir on Willow Creek approximately 14 miles (23 km) south of the southern entrance to Yosemite National Park. As of the 2020 census, the CDP had a population of 575. The area was historically inhabited by the Mono people and later developed around logging and hydroelectric power. During the 20th century, Bass Lake became a recreational and seasonal residential community, with resorts, campgrounds, boating, and other outdoor recreation centered on the reservoir. The area was also the site of annual Hells Angels gatherings begin…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.5 sq mi
- Elevation
- 3,415 ft
- ZIP code
- 93604
- Area code
- 559
Questions about Bass Lake
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Bass Lake, CA a good place to live?
Bass Lake has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.