Foothill Area Guide · Nevada County

Lake Wildwood, California

A gated lake-and-golf community in the western Nevada County foothills

Lake Wildwood, the community's private 285-acre lake. Image: Travisthurston · CC BY-SA 3.0

By Aaron Rose, Realtor®, eXp Realty of California · Last updated October 18, 2026

Where is Lake Wildwood, California?

Lake Wildwood is a private, gated community and a census-designated place (CDP) in western Nevada County, just north of Penn Valley and Highway 20, about 7 miles (straight-line) west of downtown Grass Valley. The 2020 Census counted 5,158 residents and 2,657 housing units on about 3.1 square miles. That makes it far larger than the Penn Valley CDP next door, which has 1,593 residents.

County and ZIP: The CDP lies entirely within Nevada County. It shares Penn Valley's ZIP 95946, which is also entirely in Nevada County (9,964 residents in 2020). Mailing addresses read "Penn Valley, CA."

What is the history of Lake Wildwood?

The Lake Wildwood Association was incorporated on November 26, 1968, according to California HOA registry data. A local history blog drawing on Penn Valley Chamber material says Boise Cascade bought the ranch land in 1967, began building the dam, roads, golf course and marina in 1969, and filled the lake that year. Treat those development dates as local history rather than official record.

What is there to do in and around Lake Wildwood?

Life in Lake Wildwood centers on the association's private 285-acre lake and beaches, plus the golf course and other common areas it manages.

Per the Lake Wildwood Association, the community covers about 2,300 acres with 2,845 lots (average about a third of an acre) and 32 miles of paved roads. The man-made private lake covers 285 surface acres with 7.5 miles of shoreline and five sandy beaches, and is used for water-skiing, boating, sailing, swimming and fishing. It is reserved for members.

The association also lists an 18-hole, par-72 championship golf course, a 15,700 sq ft clubhouse with a restaurant, a community center, a heated pool, tennis and pickleball courts, 65 acres of parks and greenbelts, a marina with 88 owner slips, boat and RV storage, and 24-hour staffed security at both gates.

Outside the gates, Western Gateway Park in Penn Valley offers public ballfields, trails and Squirrel Creek swim holes. Pleasant Valley Road leads north to South Yuba River State Park and the 1862 Bridgeport Covered Bridge.

What schools serve Lake Wildwood?

Every point we sampled in the Lake Wildwood CDP falls in Penn Valley Union Elementary School District and Nevada Joint Union High School District under Census/NCES EDGE boundaries. NCES lists Penn Valley Union's Williams Ranch Elementary (14804 Pleasant Valley Rd) and Ready Springs Elementary (10862 Spenceville Rd). The association notes school bus service to the district's schools and to Nevada Union High School in Grass Valley. District lines don't follow ZIP codes or community names, so buyers should confirm the district and school assignment for a specific address with the Nevada County Superintendent of Schools or the district office.

How local schools rate in RPR (school ratings in Realtors Property Resource for ZIP 95946, pulled October 18, 2026):

• Williams Ranch Elementary School (Elementary): B
• Ready Springs Elementary School (Elementary/Middle): B-
• Vantage Point Charter School (Elementary/Middle/High (charter)): not rated in RPR

Ratings are third-party summaries, and district lines don't follow ZIP codes or community names, so confirm the school assignment for a specific address with the district office.

How far is Lake Wildwood from Grass Valley?

Lake Wildwood is about 7 miles (straight-line) west of downtown Grass Valley; Lake Wildwood Drive and Pleasant Valley Road connect its gates to Highway 20.

Lake Wildwood Drive and Pleasant Valley Road connect the gates to State Highway 20, which runs east to Grass Valley (about 7 miles straight-line) and west toward Smartsville and Marysville. Drive times vary by address, so ask Aaron for a route check from a specific property.

What are homes like in Lake Wildwood?

Homes are single-family, on lots zoned for single-family residential use, and owners belong to the Lake Wildwood Association, which charges required HOA dues. Ask for the current dues and rules on any listing.

Home prices right now

RPR had too few Lake Wildwood sales to report on their own, so the market numbers below cover the whole ZIP 95946, which includes Penn Valley as well as Lake Wildwood.

The median sold price for a single-family home in ZIP 95946 was $497,750 in September 2026. Homes sold at 98.8% of list price after a median of 47 days (6 closed sales).

RPR showed 41 active listings (median list price $515,000, or $268 per square foot), 14 new listings and 8 pending sales in September 2026. That works out to 4.56 months of inventory, which RPR classifies as a seller's market. RPR's median estimated home value is $501,880, down 2.9% over 12 months.

Small markets have few sales each month, so medians can swing; ask Aaron for numbers on a specific area or price range.

Who lives here: Census estimates for Lake Wildwood reported by RPR put the population at about 5,000, the median age at 57 and median household income at $85,771 (U.S. Census via RPR, pulled October 18, 2026). These are Lake Wildwood's own figures; the market numbers above cover all of ZIP 95946.

Geography: ZIP 95946 (shared with Penn Valley), single-family, Sept 2026 (RPR). Source: listings and public records via RPR (Realtors Property Resource); pulled October 18, 2026.

How does Lake Wildwood compare with nearby towns?

Single-family homes, September 2026. Source: listings via RPR (Realtors Property Resource), pulled October 18, 2026. Where a town had too few sales of its own, its row uses the ZIP code or county shown under its name. "Too few sales" means RPR reported no figure, or the town had under 5 sales, too few for a meaningful median. Towns with few sales can swing month to month.

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