Frenchman Lake Recreation Area is about 40 miles northwest of Reno and is a great place to go to get away from the crowds at the ski resorts and have fun in the snow.

It’s located in the scenic Plumas National Forest and has one of the most unique geographical terrains in the area with orange and green lichen-covered lava rock cliffs towering 100 to 200 feet along the winding, two lane paved road.

An abundance of Jeffrey pines provide shelter from the wind in the winter and shade in the summer. And with the recent snowfall, the landscape is magnificent with picturesque snow two feet deep covering the sagebrush and picnic tables in the campgrounds, which are closed for the season.

Some of the most popular activities at Frenchman during the winter are ice fishing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling. But because of its remote location, visitors will feel like they have the place all to themselves once they get about a half-mile from the dam.

On Sunday, Allen Cassazza and Brian Holm, both of Reno were heading into the backcountry with their snowmobiles to explore Dixie Valley.

“We’re longtime skiers and go to Mount Rose, Mammoth, and other places, but my knees don’t bend that good anymore so I took up snowmobiling,” Cassazza said, unloading his snowmobile from the back of his pickup.

Holm just bought his snowmobile so that he can go exploring with his buddy.

“This is my first year, so I’m still learning how to ride it,” he said.

Cassazza said he has seen many bald eagles while riding in secluded areas around the lake.

“It’s so beautiful, and the people are really nice,” Cassazza said. “It’s old school here and everybody helps everybody else, so you don’t have to worry if you get stuck.”

On Sunday, snow squalls were starting to move in from the north and everything was quiet and still.

Pausing to take in the vast landscape on a road overlooking the 1,580-acre lake, the sound of wind whispering through the treetops was the only thing you could hear. There were no highway noises and the only sound of civilization was the brief drone of a jet engine many miles away.

Light snowflakes drifted down lazily and the sun occasionally illuminated patches of the landscape as if to draw attention to the picturesque scenes.

In the distance, the raspy protests of a lone crow reverberated through the treetops. Minutes later, a man wearing lightweight snowshoes jogged silently up the trail and vanished into the snowy abyss of the forest. The only sound was the crunching of the snow underfoot.

A short while later, about six men carrying buckets filled with ice fishing gear came walking up the trail. The snow was too deep on the road for their four-wheel drive pickup, so the hoofed it to a secluded area of the lake to try their luck.

Judging from the number of trucks with trailers parked near the dam, there were other snowmobile enthusiasts enjoying the deep snow, but you could neither see nor hear any traces of them.

Some parts of the lake remain open and the cold water glistens black along the fringe of ice, where the lake is frozen.

Near the dam, where the ice is at least a foot deep, at least a dozen people are trying their luck at fishing for rainbow trout. Walking down the steep slopes from the parking lot near the dam, there are plenty of holes through the ice from fishermen before them.

To break through the ice, all they have to do is use a long-handled chisel to reopen the hole.

Tim Driscoll of Calpine, Calif., brought his sons Gus, 9, and Max, 7, to teach them the joys of ice fishing. Driscoll moved to California from Connecticut, where he spent many years ice fishing.

“Yesterday was our first day ice fishing here,” he said. A moment later, the tip of Gus’s rod flinched and his eyes grew as big as saucers.

“Dad! I just had a bite,” he exclaimed.

“Just jig your pole up and down and then hold it still. Maybe he’ll come back,” the elder Driscoll said calmly.

Evidently, few fish were being caught on Sunday, but there were reports that several fish had been caught at that very location the day before. That seems to be a recurring theme when you’re an angler: “You should’ve been here yesterday.”

Nearby, Brendan Hayes of Reno had a little luck and landed a nice rainbow just minutes after they arrived.

Brendan said he moved from the Sacramento Valley to Reno to work at Cabela’s, the new retail outfitter just west of Reno.

“We tried ice fishing at Boca (Reservoir) on Friday but didn’t catch anything,” he said. “This is only our second time ice fishing.”

His 15-month-old granddaughter, Lizette, watched with fascination as he jigged the pole over the hole in the ice.

She was bundled up in a cute little snowsuit with mittens and a hood and didn’t seem to notice that the temperature was in the low 20s.

To get to Frenchman Lake Recreational area, just take Highway 395 north to Hallelujah Junction and go west to Chilcoot, Calif.

At Chilcoot, be sure to stop in at Wiggin’s Trading Post, an old-fashioned grocery store crammed full of almost anything you could ever need.

Owners Shirley and Richard Wiggins are downright friendly and are happy to provide the latest fishing report or let you know the current road conditions.

Also, if you are an angler and plan to do some fishing at Frenchman Lake, be sure to stock up on Wiggin’s lucky nightcrawlers or Powerbait and rub the 10-foot-tall totem in front of the store for luck.

Current Frenchman Lake fishing information is available by calling Wiggin’s Trading Post at (530) 993-4683.

Paul G. White is a freelance writer living in Reno. Comments? Send them to freelancer720@charter.net.