I've rented the big party boat here twice for my birthdays, and I honestly can't even describe how…read moremuch fun we had--it was such a vibe both times! Being out on the water with friends, music going, and just enjoying the lake... unforgettable memories every time. We also added jet skis, which made the whole experience even better. Definitely worth it if you want to level up your day on the water! What really stood out to me was the staff. Everyone was so friendly, patient, and made sure we understood everything before heading out. They explained all the safety details clearly and made us feel completely comfortable getting on the water. If you're planning a birthday, group outing, or just a fun lake day, this is 100% the move. I'll definitely be back again!

My group of friends have rented from here a few times. On our recent visit we rented the boat for 3…read morenights. Check in is at 3pm and they say we have to return the boat back by 10am. However we ran into some trouble not being able to start the boat so we didn't return until 11am. There was no penalty. All the staffs were kind. This time we were welcomed with a choice of water, soda, beer or mimosas. Of coarse we opted for the mimosas. Not sure if this is a new thing but we did rent the biggest boat, the 60' Escapade II. We weren't offered drinks in the past where we rented smaller houseboats. They do have a store where you can get some food including ice cream, drinks, apparel and this is also where you check in. They also have an ice and water station. Houseboating is so much fun. The house boat had everything we needed to enjoy our getaway.

Camped at Ironhorse #17 and kayaked and fished in New Melones Lake…read more Ironhorse Campground: While #17 was chosen because of its close proximity to the bathroom/shower, the dangerously steep decline/incline from the parking pad to the tent/fire pit/picnic table will keep me from renting this space again. Trekking heavy gear from the car to the tent was ridiculous in that you had to carefully watch your footing. Going back and forth to unload and then doing it all again when it was time to leave was a precarious total body workout. As for the amenities, the bathroom was clean and had two toilets plus one shower. Although previous reviews said that the showers were coin-operated, the machine has been removed, the one shower is free and has a hand held shower head which pleasantly surprised me. Due to the lack of grading, the shower water does flow into the bathroom stalls. Initially, it didn't look like the bathrooms had any hand soap as there was only an empty bottle left; however, on the day I was leaving, maintenance replaced the empty bottle with a full bottle. If you wash your hands, bring your own soap and towel. On the wall, there are two precious outlets which I really appreciated. Throughout the day, I enjoy having a cup of tea and use my travel electric water kettle to boil my water. Speaking of water there was a water spigot on either side of our camp site which was convenient. If it wasn't raining, I would have used the fire pit which seems to be a rarity these days in CA as many places do not allow them. Camping fee per night is $44 per night plus an $8 booking fee. Due to the wind and rain, my partner and I had the whole campsite to ourselves. Even the RVs left. For next time, I will choose the more flat #13 or #14 to avoid the steep hike to and from the tent. Marina: For boats, there are two ways to get into the water. 1) 30 day quarantine by the Marina, or 2) Hot Water Decomtamination with an appointment with the Marina which will cost around $90. If you're a camper, then parking/launching a boat is included in your camp fee. Glory Hole Launch is open Mon-Thurs from 8am - 4p and Fri-Sun from 6:30am - 8pm. Tuttletown Launch is only open Fri-Sun and closer to the fishing action. As for kayaks, they do not have to go through the quarantine nor the decomtamination. However, the hull needs to be dry which is tough when it's been raining. Moreover, the boat ramps are not kayak friendly as the ramps are VERY steep. To avoid the steep ramps, I used the marina to hand launch my kayak which was slippery and muddy due to the recent rain. Fishing opportunities abound as I witnessed people limiting out on Kokanee and catching nice sized rainbow, small mouth bass, and even blue gills from the shore. If you're into birds, there are lots of varieties, especially turkeys and blue herons. Although I will return, I will make better choices like a flatter terrain for camp site and not camp on potential rain days, if I can help it.

Loved the campground. We were here last week-end in February…read more Good shower and bathrooms. Everything was very clean. Beautiful hilltop views of the lake which is all around. Will come back for sure. Oh and we enjoyed our spiral tour at Maoning Caverns which is nearby!

I went here on a weekday, and when I arrived in the parking lot, I was shocked by how much was…read moregoing on. It definitely did not feel like a safe place to leave a car or to walk alone. There appeared to be drug activity, and there were people living in their cars. It felt more like a place for people to hang out and purchase drugs than a normal parking lot. I observed this as I drove through, which was very concerning. This was a bummer, especially since the trail itself looked beautiful. I'm surprised that law enforcement hasn't been called by the neighborhood, but then again, I understand that people can sometimes become used to these conditions.

We always love hiking here. It's easy to hike with kids, even though it can get a little rocky and…read morea little muddy. The cave is always beautiful, especially when the water is flowing. Today, there are still descent of people hiking, and we came around 12:30 Easy Hike!Gonna come back again soon. P. S please leave no trace

It will reopen in about 2 weeks from when I'm posting this review(05/23/2026). They let us in…read morebecause we traveled from San Francisco and didn't realize that they were remodeling. They still need to add tables, running water, set the restrooms up, open up the restaurant/store and set the boat rental. I expect great things when they open again. Great experience we had today; amazing view, weather and access to get into the lake.

The lake is closed down as of 2025...sadly. I think they…read morehave a buyer from out of state to upgrade all the things that the owners did not fix up to date with the county. Lets just hope this was our yearly family go to spot at the cabins...

Loved our stay here. Clean, quiet, great facilities (store, laundry, etc.) Ready to work with…read morestaff. We'll be back.

It was great from start to finish! Abbee and Diana were super helpful and made sure we had a spot…read morethat was a great fit for our trailer. The park itself is well taken care of and the pool was great for the kiddos.

We rented a tandem kayak from On the Lake Kayak Rentals for a 4 hour rental. They did a great job…read morewith communicating where to meet and made the experience simple and easy. They also recommended a good place for us to have lunch and suggested the best places to kayak that would be away from the wakes from the passing boats. We definitely would rent from them again.

I had a great time! Amanda and Matt were both great and picked me up from the parking lot and set…read moreup the kayak for me. It was a really good kayak brand new good quality and very comfortable. They also went and got me some water because I forgot to bring mine! I crossed over to the other side of the lake and pulled up the kayak and had breakfast on the bank under a tree. Then I kayaked around, saw the boats and the shoreline to complete my four hour half-day trip I feel it was really good value and I would do this again anytime and recommend otjers to kayak on this beautiful lake with this amazing service !

Unclean restrooms on land and no floating restrooms on the water like they usually would haveread more

On the recommendation of someone else, we checked this out today and, for such a small visitor's…read morecenter, they had very impressive displays and information. The visitor's center and museum chronicles the history of the general area as well as the building of the dam that created New Melones Lake. If you're in the area or driving by, it's definitely worth the stop. Admission is free.

Came here last minute because I could not find any place on the coast to camp over memorial day…read moreweekend and also to avoid 60° on the coast. I really like this campsite.. close to Sonora, and on the lake. The sites are hilly so you may want to check out which one to get. I got 37 which I really liked because it was down a little bit of a climb, but very secluded quiet with shade. I would not come here in the Midsummer unless you're prepared for the heat. It was pleasant end of May and I suspect it will be after September. There are some bugs in the campsite, so be prepared to fend off ants and mosquitoes - I was not bothered too much. The restrooms are clean, the flush toilets and hot showers. Campsites are well-maintained. Enjoy some time on the lake in a kayak On The Lake kayak will bring it to the Gloryhole Recreation Area across the water (20min drive) the owners are really friendly, great service! Indigeny Reserve has amazing Apple Cider including a couple of hard ones than 5 g of sugar. Standard Pour sports bar has really good beer and amazing burgers. They have two locations I really like the one in the cute hamlet of Standard. If you want a one in a lifetime experience, pay a visit to the llamas at circle home. I had an amazing experience for an hour feeding, tending to the llamas and hugging them! Yosemite is one and a half hours away if you want to make this a stop on your way there.

Watch out for what's in the water…read more... This place is very pretty. Bathrooms and fountains were always cleaned in our area. The ranger was kind and let me switch camp grounds when I realized there was no way I was getting my mother on an oxygen tank up a very steep hill. The map is very deceiving. I picked site 139 because it's pictured very close to the water. It was a good 10 minuet hike through two camp sites before you got to it. I switched to 128. It was better and closer to the bathrooms but still a steep 10 minuets (with small kids) hike down. We drove down to the day use area. The other yelper was right. Something is in the water. I don't know if they're leaches but they were tiny, dark grey, and all over our feet. I had to use my nails to claw them off. I only had them on me in the day use area. Playing in the water the first day near camp I didn't notice anything.

Great moderate hike. Many people bring their kids and babies. The final part is a bit steep to…read morereach the top, but it's doable. The view at the top is amazing and beautiful.

Great easy hike until the last push to the top which was pretty steep and essentially all rocks…read more Feel free to turn back or push past it to the top. Great views at the top. The last half did have a lot of poison oak though so beware. We probably won't be back just because of the poison oak anxiety tbh.