A gem reopens amid the burn zone

Rim Fire: Miles of matchsticks. Rim burned 402 square miles in the Sierra Nevada foothills near Groveland. The road to Cherry Lake, just reopened after being closed since August of 2013, provides this view. The dirts roads visible are from salvage logging operations. less Rim Fire: Miles of matchsticks. Rim burned 402 square miles in the Sierra Nevada foothills near Groveland. The road to Cherry Lake, just reopened after being closed since August of 2013, provides this view. The ... more Photo: Tom Stienstra Photo: Tom Stienstra Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close A gem reopens amid the burn zone 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

A treasured paradise, closed to the public since mid-August 2013, is again open.

Cherry Lake, Cherry Valley Campground and the 23-mile drive from Highway 120 — right through the 257,000-acre burn zone of the Rim Fire — have been reopened to the public.

The lake, though only 70 percent full, is still a gem, where the high-country granite of the Yosemite National Park wilderness looms in the distance.

A mosaic of burned forest is visible on the far side of the lake beneath Kibbee Ridge, as well as on the northwest slopes at the head of the lake in Stanislaus National Forest. Yet the gorgeous campground remains untouched by fire, even pristine, nestled in deep woods near the southwest shore of the lake. Firefighters saved the campground by building a firebreak well outside its perimeter.

This is a great destination for anybody with a kayak and camping gear. The reopening also provides the public with a chance to see firsthand the devastation from the Rim Fire. For anglers, it is a special opportunity, because nobody has fished the lake for more than a year and a half.

Cherry Lake is at an elevation of 4,700 feet in the Sierra foothills, just west of Yosemite’s remote northwestern border and the jumping-off point for the short hike to Lake Eleanor (where the surrounding slopes also have burned areas).

Make sure you get gas in Big Oak Flat (best bet) or Groveland and then brace yourself for an hour-long twisting drive amid 402 square miles of burned forest.

The road is paved (narrow in spots), and the burn zone starts where the road crosses the Tuolumne River. The route rises up a ridge where the vegetation was incinerated to the dirt and then descends the other side, crossing Cherry Creek and its pristine, untouched riparian zone. You then start the slow traverse up another ridge and across the burn, with occasional long views of charred tree skeletons for miles, canyon after canyon.

When you top a ridge and descend to the lake, it can seem like a miracle — thanks to the firefighters — that the campground and surrounding forest escaped the inferno.

The campsites are nestled in deep woods just above the lake, one of the prettiest camps in the region. For now, it’s first-come, first-served. Reservations are available for dates starting May 15 and into summer.

The lake, at 70 percent full, is still very pretty, but larger boats shouldn’t try to launch at the primitive ramp. Small, light boats are OK, and it’s ideal for kayaks, canoes and other craft that can be hand-launched.

That makes this lake a prize destination for those who can throw a kayak on top of their vehicle, put camp gear in the back, stash some food and drink in a cooler, and head to camp, boat and fish.

Anytime a lake is closed, it almost always provides some great fishing upon reopening. That probably will be the case in May for rainbow trout, although all the key factors — weather, water conditions and your experience — are in play. Over the years, I’ve done well at Cherry Lake as long as I find the right depth.

If you drive over the dam and turn left at the fork (the right fork is a rocky and primitive Jeep road to the dam at Lake Eleanor), the road leads to several primitive campsites (with bear boxes, no water) on the left and trailheads to Yosemite wilderness on the right. From here, it’s a short walk over a ridge to a peninsula at Lake Eleanor, once the site of a great campsite and now burned, in some spots right down to the water.

The Rim Fire was the third-largest fire in California since 1932, when fire records became verifiable. It made news worldwide. The reopening of Cherry Lake, 20 months later, might be a relatively quiet event, but it is no less spectacular for those who cherish the place and its camping, boating, fishing and nearby hiking.

Tom Stienstra is The San Francisco Chronicle’s outdoor writer. Tom Stienstra’s Outdoor Report can be heard at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 12:35 p.m. Saturdays on KCBS (740 and 106.9). E-mail: tstienstra@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @StienstraTom

If you want to go

Lake/boat ramp: The lake is 70 percent full. The boat ramp is marginal, and large boats cannot be launched right now. OK for small, light boats. Ideal for kayaks and canoes.

Camping: 45 sites for tents or RVs up to 22 feet (no hookups). Picnic tables and fire grills are provided. Drinking water and vault toilets are available. Leashed pets are permitted. Primitive campsites and trailheads are available along a dirt road above the east shore.

Reservations, fees: Campsites are $22 per night, $154 per week, first come, first served through May 14. Reservations are available for dates from May 15 into the summer at (877) 444-6777 or www.recreation.gov.

Campfires: A fire permit is required from Stanislaus National Forest, available at Groveland District headquarters east of Groveland (signed off Highway 120).

How to get there: From Groveland, take Highway 120 east for 14 miles, to Forest Service Road 1N07/Cherry Lake Road on the left. Turn left and drive 22 miles (through the Rim Fire zone) to a fork near the south end of Cherry Lake. Go left and continue 1 mile to the entrance road to the campground on the right.

Boat ramp, wilderness trailhead: At the fork near Cherry Lake, turn right and drive a short distance to a boat ramp on the left; large boats not advised. For wilderness trailheads and primitive campsites, turn right at the fork and continue across the dam to another fork. Turn left (the road becomes dirt) and drive along the east side of the lake to primitive campsites on the left, with the wilderness trailhead to Lake Eleanor (short hike, fire damage) in Yosemite on the right.

Distances: 37 miles from Groveland, 101 miles from Manteca, 135 miles from Livermore, 152 miles from Sacramento, 161 miles from Walnut Creek, 175 miles from San Jose, 178 miles from San Francisco, 188 miles from San Rafael.

Contact: Stanislaus National Forest, Groveland Ranger District, (209) 962-7825, www.fs.usda.gov/stanislaus.