Visited again this summer and noticed some changes. They have put wooden dividers between the campsites, which made the camp territory clearer and added privacy. We didn't go rafting during this trip, we spent our time walking around Coloma Old Town and the Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park nearby. We had a wonderful stay and will definitely try out the platform tent cabins on our next visit! read more

Stayed here for 3 nights, and unfortunately the experience was frustrating due to the lack of staff availability. I went to the front desk four separate times during normal business hours and never once found it open. I had a time-sensitive question and was unable to get help, and calls to the front desk also went unanswered. On our last day, we needed assistance locating the dump station. When we went to the front office, there was still no one available. We also encountered other guests actively searching for staff and unable to find anyone, which makes it clear this isn't an isolated issue. The lack of basic amenities was also disappointing--there is no WiFi or laundry on-site. While the location is beautiful, it seems to be the main reason this place stays in business, as the customer service and amenities do not meet expectations. The bathrooms were acceptable, but the shower pressure was extremely low, which made it difficult to use--especially for anyone with thick or textured hair. read more

Stayed here for 2 days and the experience was amazing. The raft guides were wonderful and the sites were huge. Amazing camp, staff, and rafting. read more

American River Resort - Campgrounds Near Me - Coloma, California

My boyfriend and I stayed two nights in the platform tent cabins and had such a nice vacation. we were literally a 30 second walk from the river! the cots provided were surprisingly comfy and the deck had a great view of the river. while we could've lounged around the river all day, we had a great time exploring coloma. try to go on a living history day, there are a lot of knowledgeable locals to chat with! also check out Troublemakers beer garden down the road... really fun space to listen to music and sip on some brews. read more

American River Resort - Campgrounds Near Me - Coloma, California

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We stayed in a cabin for two nights. It was pretty basic accommodations but was clean and had everything we needed as a family of four (we have two teens). The location was right by the river and very convenient when going rafting. The only thing I would have loved to have is a fire pit and seats like a few of the bigger cabins had. read more

We did a large group of 33 for a 2 day river rafting trip. We booked 8/10 on platforms with cots and they put our group in one giant area which was amazing. The food is pretty darn good for what you pay. Showers and bathrooms were clean. It is not a flat campground area so expect to walk. Great access to the river where we fly fished. Picnic tables everywhere and 4 chairs per tent gave us plenty of seating. Only bummer as we couldn't have a fire because of the burn band, which is understandable highly recommend this place if you're doing rafting. read more

Nice resort along the American river. Many options for accomodations, from walk-in tent camping or canvas tent structures and cabins along the rivers edge, to tent and Rv hook ups in the hills above. They also have group camping areas near the river. The restrooms are clean and well maintained. There's a catch & release fishing pond and a swimming pool and a swimming hole on the river. They have a convenient store with many basic supplies and snacks and even offer river rafting trips. It does get very popular and loud on the weekends. The groups next to us were quite noisy until late night but we stayed on until Monday and the weekdays are peaceful with beautiful views of the stars at night. I recommend this place especially off season and on weekdays unless you like crowds and loud music. read more

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In back-to-back summers, I went camping with my Skyline classmates at this place. This was a fun experience because I got to explore the outdoors and also grew bonds with my classmates. My second trip here was emotional because it would be the last time I went on a trip with my Skyline buddies because I was transferring to SFSU weeks after the trip. Overall, American River Resort is the best place for camping. read more

Holiday weekend trip for 2 families with a camper and tent. They were able to place us next to each other which has been hard to get. The campground is quiet and very close to the American River. We were also very surprised by a fair in the local town celebrating the gold rush in Coloma California. Free museum and lots of historic booth, homemade Gelato, and panning good. The kids ages 7-15 love it.. read more

Everything ! The prices , the way that you are spoken to and treated by the manager and employees, the overcrowded and dirty campsites. read more

Resort is fantastic. You have the river, pong, shower area, plus swimming pool. Big thank you to Katie and Terra for their professionalism customer service! 100% highly recommend this for resort stay with friends and family!! read more

Excellent tent camping location, spot #14 in front the rapid 'troublemaker'. Choose from cabins, safari tents, or byoTent. Tent sites have hard ground may be difficult to hammer your spikes. Also extremely dusty, no grass. fyi- tent sites do not allow vehicles. Can be far to park. Minimal showers, also a bit of a walk. Nice cold pool available. Campsites have plenty of large trees shade. read more

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My husband and I were married at American River resort in 2010. I called today, being our 15th wedding anniversary, to see if we could bring our children to our wedding site to take a look. The woman who answered the phone named Melinda, said to me under no circumstances, do we allow anybody inside the gates that are not renting a camp spot. It was very disappointing to hear that. I would've happily paid an entrance fee to enter. What a bummer. Would it have really been that big of a deal to let us come in for 15 minutes? We certainly dropped a lot of money there back in 2010. I truly believe good customer service is a thing of the past. read more

Sorry this review is long but wanted to tell my experience with this resort.... Thursday, June 26th. My friend called me and said she has an open RV spot starting on June 27th - 29th, site #63. I called the reservation line, spoke to a very nice representative about this reservation and my plans to stay two extra nights. When speaking with the representative, she stated that they had someone coming into the site #63 on Monday and that I would have to move to another site. So, I booked Monday, June 30 and Tuesday, July 1st in site #62, without seeing a map of the resort (first time being there). She stated to me that she would check with Management to see if it was possible for me to just stay in site #63 Saturday, June 28th. I got to the resort and checked in and inquired about my request to stay in site #63. Response, you will need to call the reservation line. I then drove to the site with a little hick up, sense of direction got me (brain fart). Got my RPod back in and kind of set up, meaning I did not put down my four manual stabilizers, was waiting to hear from Management if I was able to stay in this site. Towards the afternoon, I went to the front desk to ask about my situation, and the person at the front desk told me that I would have to call the reservation line because they handle all reservation and they were off site (found out that they were on site, different building). At this point, I said you know what, can you just refund my money for the two nights, and I will leave Monday. NOPE WE DO NOT REFUND. Sunday, June 29th. I called the reservation number to check to see if I was able to stay in site #63, spoke to another representative and she told me again that someone was coming in on Monday and that I would have to move to site #62, but would check with Management (yet again) and for me to call back Monday around 9am to see what they can do. Monday, June 30th. Well, I made that call, nothing changed, and that I will need to move to #62 (sun all day) She said that she could move me to #68 or #71, then came back to me and said #68 would be better... So I packed up my trailer, moved to #68 had to move my trailer back and forth to find a somewhat level ground (never found one). Worked on it for a while, sun beating down I started to go into heat exhaustion, so had to stop. I decided that it's too hot to settle into the site #68 and went to the river (very beautiful). Came back to the site saw a couple with a map checking out site #63, I went over and asked them, are you guys coming into this site, they said no, it's not available till Tuesday, July 1st. They did tell me, that the gentleman that's in site #62 (the site i was going to move too) tried to back into site #63 but could not get his RV leveled. I then called the reservation line and this point KINDA HOT, to ask them why he was able to move? They also told me that he REQUESTED THIS SPOT MONTHS AGO. At this point I am pissed..., I went to talk to the gentleman in site#62 and asked him if HE REQUESTED site #63, he said NO, it's his first time there, and he was disappointed that they even assigned that site to him, not leveled and too small. THEY LIED TO ME!!! I tried to call them back after I talked to him, NO ANSWER!! Tuesday July 1st.... GONE AND NEVER COMMING BACK!!! BOTTOM LINE, I will not be returning. Management/Staff feeds you lies... read more

We loved staying here! It was so beautiful and relaxing. Stunning view of the river and we booked a rafting trip. read more

American River Resort - Campgrounds Near Me - Coloma, California

I hate writing bad reviews. But my experience on the phone just now trying to make a reservation was truly worthy of this review. It all went sideways when I was saying I've stayed there before and I really like it but I've never done the tent camping and I was curious if the tent camping was on grass and if there was shading trees. This woman repeated herself three times that she wasn't gonna guarantee me shade. Well duh, shade comes and goes with the hour of the day. Each time. I acknowledged what she said and tried to move forward in our conversation from a different angle and that I only wanted to know if I was thinking of the same campsites. She just couldn't wrap her head around the fact that I was trying to understand something. She kept treating me like I was trying to demand something. I tried to move past it by saying I'll just take a look at the pictures to figure it out, when she decided that she would not continue with the reservation and hung up on me. She sounded agitated and annoyed from the very beginning of the phone call and was insistent on correcting everything I said. For example, I said I started to make a reservation online, in which her response was. We don't make reservations online but there's the online reservation process. Whoever owns American River Resort please consider hiring a professional organisation to help get your front desk in order. For the mutual benefit of yourself and your customers. read more

Great Place- we had so much fun hanging out and rafting down the American River! The accommodations were perfect, we had a very large tent with cots and sleeping pads all set up for us on a private deck under the trees with chairs on the porch. We could hear the creek running over the rocks that lead to the river. Beautiful place other campers were very respectful as well. read more

I have always enjoyed myself here.. I'm reading reviews and what is AAR? She is talking so badly about this great place but can't get the name right after in her own words "30 years" of coming to AMERICAN RIVER RESORT so ARR....this place is a blast dog friendly and easy to book with... all the sites closer to water are less grass, more rock. read more

I really didn't get much of the same experience as others with mixed or poor reviews. The service from the start of registration on site was nice and a non issue. The bathrooms were clean and smelled of bleach. Toilets we're working. Got the river view campsite for $25 a night. For a quick weekend trip, 2 nights is good. The campsite is big and can fit many tents. I'd say a couple nights is good enough. About a 20 minute drive is civilization Target, Walmart, Safeway. read more

Don't waste your time. First of all this place split our party for our family vacation. Like wtf. Who doesn't want to be with their whole party. Then the MANAGER said something wildly inappropriate about us complaining about our party being split saying quote" oh what, you can't be away from your mommy".Our spot was terrible because it wasn't a spot for a big group... it was 3 different spots next to each other. Honestly the guides saved this trip or else I would've been totally pissed. Go for the the tour not for the stay. Plenty of Luther places to stay nearby. read more

There is a reason why this camping ground is available during peak season and open even the 4th of july holiday weekend. The staff feeds you lies and big groups are fit into one site like sardines just so the owner and staff who feed lies on behalf of the owner make more profits. if your party is a group they will fit you in one site that is not physically possible. Bathrooms and toilets are dirty and not cleaned. also at times unavailable. the staff their who take reservations contradict their own website. Also they add more last minute on reservation sign ups which is not listed anywhere on their website just to benefit them selves and make more profits. Buyer beware don't fall for it ...no music allowed during day time, they are bad bad bad and i and my entire group had a bad experience the owner is an ass read more

Stayed in cabin 5 (great view) with sons and grandmother - loved our 3 night stay ... inner tubed from the resort to greenwood then did the full day middle fork trip .. river guides (Fernando and others) and camping folks were all super kind, friendly and helpful .. read more

Great place for a group camping trip! We went in early May before all the summer campers and it was very quiet.

We stayed this past weekend at American River Resort and had an interesting experience that was worth reviewing. Pros: Close to American River and white water rafting trips, clean bathrooms Cons: Customer Service-Front desk staff was not friendly and "do not have a computer" so they are unable to tell you any details regarding your reservation or available spaces-you have to call the reservation line. They also did not know the property so when we enquired about our space they had no idea what we were taking about and shrugged their shoulders. Camping Space: Very small and close together, ours was missing a picnic table so we waited an hour for facilities to bring us one. Safety: Our neighbors got very drunk/belligerent and into a dispute while we were there. One of the persons involved was a staff member/manager who was seemingly intoxicated and driving a gator around without lights on. The camp did not provide a number to call for concerns and ultimately the sheriffs were called to handle the individual who was wandering around campsites and yelling. We understand that drinking/partying happens sometimes at campsites but the fact that this large property has no one to call with concerns, no security, etc. was interesting and not safe. Ultimately, if you are a true camper looking for a more nature centered experience, this place is not it. If you are looking to be closer to your neighbors than you probably are at home and don't mind a lot of noise when camping then this might be the place for you. read more

I just came back to say that we had a great experience when we had to cancel our reservation at Dillons Beach Resort. I didn't get the "sorry no refund, no reschedule" crap that AAR gave us. They held our reservation as a credit that we can use anytime in the next 6 months and offered their condolences on the loss of our family member. They made an unbelievably hard time a little better and AAR should take a page out of their book. read more

Visiting grandchildren (4 granddaughters) from Boise ID. Traveled across the Country many times and this is the fIrst place EVER where you had to pay FULL rates to have anyone visit the campground. NO FLEXIBILITY. They will not even let us bring them up to the RV for a day trip. Too late to find another spot for the 6 DAYS were are stuck here. It would cost us $100 A DAY to have them visit on top of the fee we paid. The beauty of the area means nothing to me if we cannot enjoy it with our family. That is why we came. So disappointed. If you come here to visit family and enjoy the sights; beware and go somewhere else unless you re willing to pay for friends and family to visit your site. UNHAPPY AND EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED FROM BOISE IDAHO. read more

Good place for my family and I and if you treat people with patience and respect so will they We will be returning annually rafting is awesome there's a pool for the lil kiddos nice river sounds and mountains great place for a river rat for sure.... Oh and gold mine town too read more

My family and I recently went rafting in Coloma and stayed at the American River Resort the night before our trip. The reservations process was easy... I just sent a request through their website and quickly got a reply with the information and a number to call to put down a deposit. The person who booked us was very kind and listened to my ramblings and even laughed at my husband's jokes... talk about customer service! Most people just want to get the money and get off the phone. She even recommended some trails for us to explore in the area, I felt like she genuinely enjoyed the conversation. We did not know what to expect from the RV site, but WOW! The views, and the SPACE! This is not your typical RV park, it's more like a little oasis. Plus, it's a short walk to the river, where, in our case, we could see some people doing rescue practice. How about that? Camping AND a show! Haha! We were concerned about Covid protocols but it seems like they got it down, from acrylic screens in the reception office to actually seeing the staff in reception and the photographer clean the pens with Lysol after we used them (they even have "clean" and "used" bins for the pens -- so awesome). These small gestures show they take things seriously. 5 stars across the board... I wish we could have stayed longer! read more

Good place , good people, good service Amazing view, River and mountain, cabins , tents , RVs read more

This resort canceled our group's reservation 4 days before our trip. Our group lost thousands of dollars in prepaid travel expenses. They are very unorganized, every time we called they gave us a different answers and were not direct. They were difficult to work with and I would not recommend bringing a group here if you want to be confident in your plans or have good customer service. On previous stays we noticed the bathrooms are not cleaned well with lines half the time since they cram so many campers into the resort. Camp sites are too close together, causing any sound to travel. For such high prices, I wish you paid your staff more so they would do a better job. read more

The River front sites get a 5 rating. The raging river and sound is amazing. The evening noise level by other campers with their music and loud conversations after quiet time gets a 1 rating. I would camp on a weekday and avoid weekends which gets booked to the max at the tent sites . Sites are so close to each either! I wish they would apply shredded mulch to the tent sites because it is so dusty! Everything has to be hosed down when one gets home. Don't wear your good sports shoes...they will never clean the same. read more

I was here over the weekend for a wedding. The cabin we stayed in were bigger than expected but worn. Could definitely use fresh paint in the bathroom where wall texture was peeling away. Also had to ask the front desk 4 times over 2 days to have the toilet fixed(the flushing lever broke within an hour of getting there). But the cherry on the cake was when in the middle of the wedding reception the owner drove his car into the venue and berated the groom over the volume of the music. To clarify we were before 10:00 pm quiet time, the music was not that loud, and there was a conversation with the owner well before the wedding in which the owner was very cool and understanding. Personally I think the neighbors that were allegedly complaining were just jealous that we came prepared with generators to power the wedding despite the PG&E causes power outage. The point is that the owner approached the situation completely inappropriately. Unacceptable to approach someone the way that he did, especially the groom on his wedding day! Side note, I've heard from multiple people that the fact this place is advertised as a RV Resort is comical because the majority of the property is so steep that it's unsafe and nearly impossible to get a trailer into the site. read more

tl;dr: I was assaulted by an employee, and when the incident was brought to the owner's attention, he threatened to kick our group out and call the sheriff on us. Do not give these criminals a single penny. We will be filing a police report. -- Long version: A fire hazard was declared a day before our visit and out of respect for safety, we deliberately asked the front desk staff to confirm whether or not our fully contained grill with a lid (which completely burns fuel to inert ash) would be permissible. We were perfectly willing to go pick up a small propane burner but were given multiple explicit assurances that it would be fine to use our grill with both wood and charcoal, just not any sort of open bonfire. Later in the evening, an employee named Christian stomps into our camp and begins barking at us to extinguish our grill mid-dinner. He did not even identify himself as an employee. When we tried to explain that we received conflicting information and very politely asked if we could get clarification from management, he falsely replied that all decisions were up to him and in an expletive-filled rant, threatened to kick us out if we didn't put out the fire. (For the record, we immediately complied and put out our grill.) Naturally, I took out my phone to document Christian's wildly inappropriate and abusive behavior, and to my utter shock, he swings his forearm at me and then snatches my phone out of my hand! This is literally assault and battery. Somehow, this incident manages to go from unthinkably bad to even uglier. I return to the front office to report this situation and that's when I had the displeasure of meeting Arnie, the owner and one of the least likeable people to ever walk this wonderful planet. Despite me calmly explaining the situation to him, he refuses to even consider that our grill actually complied with county ordinances, or that if it didn't, his employees might have been uninformed or given us incorrect information. Furthermore, when I bring up Christian's criminal behavior, he actually threatens to kick out our group, cancel our rafting reservation for the next day, and call the sheriff to have US arrested for our grill and on wiretapping charges! His ranting legal threats are obviously baseless, but I did not want to risk ruining our group's rafting trip, so I bit my tongue and left. (Looking at other reviews, threatening to call the sheriff is apparently a scare tactic he likes to use. Arnie, if you are reading this, I would love to see what you have to say about the actions of you and your employees, here in this public forum. And FYI, Arnie, no, it is not illegal to openly record you or Christian screaming hysterically in front a crowd of people, even on private property.) To my fellow Yelper, you have many choices if you want to enjoy the American River. Unless you are a masochist or secretly dislike your companions, don't choose this one. Your friends and family will thank you. read more

We went on a river rafting trip and also camped that night. Horacio was our guide and he was the absolute best!! I would definitely come back again. The showers in the camp site was super clean and spacious. Hands down the best camping experience as well. read more

DO NOT BOOK AT THIS PLACE!!!!! IF I COULD GIVE THIS PLACE A 0 STAR I WOULD. I booked a spot here, then a few days later recieved a confirmation that they gave my spot away to someone else?? I called back and asked why they gave me a different spot, they said "we changed your spot because we can and we don't need to explain anything to you, we do this all the time." Wtf?? When asked nicely when I would receive a full refund, Melinda stated "don't tell me what to do. We're busy." MELINDA (who is the head receptionist) AND ARNIE (THE OWNER) WERE DISRESPECTFUL AND RUDE. SAVE YOUR MONEY AND TIME, DO NOT BOOK AT THIS PLACE!!!!! SHITTY SERVICE AND PEOPLE WHO WORK HERE. read more

We came here on 4th of July weekend, probably one of their busiest. This was our first "glamping" experience, and really just wanted a short getaway, enjoy nature, and go white water rafting. Super impressed with the property and we do plan on coming back again. We stayed in a tent cabin 7 in which a tent on platform overlooks the river, 2 cots, a fire pit, and picnic table was provided to us. The scenery was beautiful, the sound of the river rushing by at night was a plus! I even brought My yoga mat and foam roller and did some on the deck at night overlooking the stars and wow so nice. And I did not get bit once by a bug. We had a lot of citronella candles and also used Avon skin so soft bath oil on our bodies (old trick from growing up in Florida ;)) and never had an issue. We found it convenient that we brought Our small charcoal grill and one burner butane stove. We also made fires each night in the provided pit and made yummy s'mores. Played music through our Bluetooth lantern we found at Walmart and respected the 10 o'clock quiet time. We put sleeping bags on the cots and brought our pillows. Took showers each night and only 1 Night was the water cold. The bathrooms and showers by the pond were pretty clean, every time I was in there 2 girls were cleaning them so I appreciated their effort. Other nights we had hot water. I think that's based on how many people taking showers. Also during the day tent cabin 7 has no shade around it so it does get hot during the day only . I recommend bringing a rechargeable fan keeping the tent windows open for air or just staying outside of tent like we did until evening. Evening and night was fine as it cools off quickly. We had a wonderful time on the full day lower south fork white water rafting tour through American River Resort. Would highly recommend this if you are staying here, very convenient. Overall check in process was easy, you get the parking permit for your car w gate code. If you are staying in a tent cabin you can park close to your cabin unload then go up The hill and park your car. Check out Was clean up your mess and leave. Can't wait to go back again and next time bring some more friends and try some different rapids! Note for management; recommend from time to removing spiders and spiderwebs from ceiling in women's bathroom, and also have a sink outside somewhere where people can wash dishes, and refill water if bottles if they wanted. I noticed women washing dishes in the bathroom...not good. read more

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Friendly and helpful staff... first time with the family here...Natural Beauty place... Will return again with the family.. read more

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I want to start off by saying this review is based solely on the cabin we got. The rafting guides were AMAZING and we had great experiences on the river. They know their stuff and educate you about the history of the river and the area. The cabin was excruciatingly hot. The dinky wall air conditioning did little to nothing to relieve us. It would be helpful to have blinds on all the windows, at least, so we could've blocked out the sun rays. If we hadn't brought our own fan, I think we would've been baked potatoes. Not to mention, the lock on the door broke and our items were unsecured for a good portion of time. The view from the cabin was nice, and just a quick walk down to the river. Apparently they've been trying to get better WiFi for some time, but it hasn't happened yet. There's barely service in the cabin if you have Verizon, and none if you have Sprint. I realize the point of vacation is to escape your regular life, but sometimes we want to watch Netflix or send an update to a family member. However, they've had the funds to remodel their office, where there is working WiFi if you really need to do something important. I wish they would've spent a little money for better AC and working WiFi in the cabins for the guests. read more

Our family of four just spent 4 nights and we ALL agreed we are all coming back and bringing more friends ( and we have 2 teens, agreement on anything is a rarity)!! We booked everything through Katia at the main office via phone and email prior to arrival and she was great! We rented a river platform cabin tent that was situated right on the banks of the American River! There is no better white noise machine for sleep than the water rushing!! The site was clean and the view was amazing! We stayed midweek so it was not crowded at all! Bathrooms and showers were clean and tidy ( albeit a bit of a walk depending on your site but I just chalked this up to a win for the step count). Staff was super friendly, in fact everyone we encountered in Coloma and nearby Placerville were some of the friendliest people! If you're up for an adventure and thrill I HIGHLY ( HIGHLY) recommend the on-site American River Recreation for your rafting experience!! We rafted 2 days . Our guides, Camila and Aiden were TOP NOTCH!! Experienced, encouraging and knowledgeable. I would 100% recommend both the resort and this excursion!! read more

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What happened to camping being a cheaper alternative to staying at a hotel? Staying in a tent site at American River Resort for one night for my boyfriend and I cost $50. Next time I think I will just go out of my backyard and hike into the woods for free. Okay, so what does $50 get you that camping in my backyard won't? There is the beautiful American River as well as the rafting facilities (which we did not use, unfortunately), as well as bathrooms with showers. And that's about it. Unfortunately the campsites are SUPER cramped. There is no space between them at all. When our campsite neighbors showed up it was like we had intended on camping together even though they were complete strangers. What a bummer. That fact alone will ensure that I never return. When I go camping, I want to feel isolated and at peace. Trust me, you will never forget that you are surrounded by people here. Then again, maybe I would have felt differently if I was here on a rafting trip. That certainly seems like the main attraction of American River Resort. The staff was very friendly and the everyday conveniences like beer for sale, hot water, and firewood were readily available; hence the three stars. read more