On Hwy-18, 8 miles North West of Crestline. Vacationing northern Californians find their enjoyment of the picnicking, hiking and swimming at Silverwood Lake State Recreation Area (www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=650) tempered by the fact that the artificial lake is filled with water from the north’s rivers, stored here on Its way to lubricating the farmlands and homes of southern California. What upsets the north’s ecology has done wonders for the south’s birdlife, however: great blue herons, snowy egrets, western grebes, and a variety of waterfowl are among the species likely to divert amateur ornithologists at the lakeside.