Kirkwood Lake Tract
Also known as: Lake Kirkwood Recreation Residence Tract; Lake Kirkwood; Summer Home Tract
Why it's listed
Lake Kirkwood sits in a granite bowl carved by glaciers at roughly 7,600 feet in the Sierra Nevada, within the Eldorado National Forest. Around its shore stand 24 wood-framed summer cabins, most built in the 1930s and 1940s under Forest Service recreation residence policy, which called for humble, rustic buildings in forest colors. A 1930 survey of the area identified a campground, a Girl Scout camp and a cabin tract. Access is by footpath and non-motorized boat, since there is no road around the lake and motorboats are banned. Materials were originally boated or rafted across to each site. Cabins sit on pier and post foundations, with shiplap, tongue and groove or board and batten siding, and many are perched on or among large granite outcroppings. Each has an outhouse because septic systems are not possible. A rating system found 20 of the 24 cabins, or 83 percent, retained their historic integrity, qualifying the tract as a district for its recreation history and Rustic design.
Significance in brief: The tract is presented as significant within the Forest Service policy of promoting recreational use of public lands. It is also described as a notable example of Rustic design in which buildings blend into a natural landscape. Twenty of the 24 cabins (83%) retain historic integrity and contribute to the district.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 09001054, listed December 11, 2009. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1/2 mile N. of CA 88 along the shoreline of Lake Kirkwood on the Eldorado National Forest, Pioneer |
|---|---|
| County | Amador County |
| Listed | December 11, 2009 |
| Reference number | 09001054 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architectural style | Early 20th Century American Movement: Rustic, alpine summer homes |
| Areas of significance | Entertainment/Recreation, Community Planning and Development |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | 24 cabins remain, 20 contributing and 4 noncontributing; used as private summer homes, with no road, no electricity apart from generators and solar power, and outhouses at every cabin. |
| Acreage | 12 |
| Coordinates | 38.70598, -120.08283 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 09001054.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.