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    Pinecrest Lake Resort

    3.5 (60 reviews)
    ModerateHotels, Parks

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    Lake
    Otto N.

    Its a great lake resort. The town home is nice and comfortable. The only downfall is no AC and no TVs in rooms. The beach is very nice but there's nobody enforcing social distancing and nobody is wearing masks. As long as we stay 6' from everyone we are fine. Internet and TV connection is not guaranteed both services were out almost 2 days since we been here. That was a big inconvenience because of work deadline couldn't be met. Today is day 4 of our stay. We leave our canopy and small tent out on the beach to reserve our spot because it really gets crowded, specially on the weekend. Rented a motor boat to go fishing, didn't catch nothing yet. But its beautiful out there. I would of gave it a 5 stars but they make you do your own housekeeping before you leave and wi fi was out for almost 3 days and mattresses are outdated. For 305 dollars a night I expected better.

    We had a great time here. We were in cabin number 22, it's a 3 bed 1 bath. It was pretty updated and fully stocked! I would recommend bringing a couple extra rolls of toilet paper. I was also able to get pics of cabin #21 next to us since we are coming back next year and reserving that one as well. It is a 2 bed 1 bath. We were right next to the tennis courts, general store, coffee shop and restaurant. It was the perfect location! The lake was great too!

    Irina V.

    For father's day we decided to get away from the heat and celebrate our daddy by playing at the lake. We came early around 9 am which was a great idea because we still found some parking nearby. There were picknic areas nearby and restrooms. The restrooms were also kept clean which we appreciate. It's a perfect place for kids and those wanting to teach their children how to fish. Many fished nearby us and they were catching fish especially in the morning. There were bbq rear by. Not every park allows you to grill but here they did which is so great. One of the great things is that there are no parking fees for day use. If your planning to come here arrive early and bring all your fun water play with you. Many were wearing life jackets which is so important when playing in a lake.

    Rent a boat here
    Ron L.

    I'd rate Pinecrest Lake third, after Yosemite and Lake Tahoe, in the list of greatest mountain destinations in Northern California. One thing this means is that Pinecrest is not readily quiet and peaceful. You can find that here, but only by planning ahead and pushing through the crowd. And it is a crowd, believe me. The monster-sized campground is one of the few in the area that takes reservations, and if you haven't reserved your spot by April, you're out of luck. Growing up, my family camped at Meadowview, and it's likely that it's also full by the time you get there on Friday afternoon in the summer. There are lots of parking places, and guess what: they're full too! (Minus one star.) I think you're starting to get the idea of how much people love Pinecrest. It's the sort of place where people came here with their kids, then their kids grew up and got married and started bringing their kids here, and now THOSE kids are married with children and coming up. Charismatic preachers would call that a "generational curse". But don't break the curse. There is plenty to love about Pinecrest. It's a medium-sized lake with plenty of room for everyone. You can rent motor boats, party boats, or kayaks, or bring your own. There's a safe beach to play at, and the rest of the shoreline is pine-shaded. The convenience store and Steam Donkey restaurant are close by. Lots of places to fish, whether on the shore or from a boat. Amphitheater for nature talks, movies, church gatherings, or as a central meet-up spot. What I recently did: put my inflatable boat into the water, rowed out a few hundred feet, stopped, and ate my dinner while enjoying the spectacular mountain scenery and the crowd enjoying themselves. Happy Wanderers will note the Pinecrest National Scenic Trail, a 4-mile loop encircling the lake. It is not an easy hike. There are several uphills that test your stamina, and a few places where you need to look for the trail markers to make sure you're not lost. Surprisingly, it also serves as the Main Street for the many large lakeside cabins on this lake, most which you cannot drive to. This trail is a good introduction to Pinecrest Lake, with 1/3 party central, 1/3 genteel cabin living, and 1/3 unspoiled mountain scenery, all while testing your hiking abilities. I mentioned the cabins. You go straight through a summer home community when you drive to Pinecrest Lake. They're all privately owned, and many owners rent them out to vacationers. If you can own a little piece of Pinecrest for yourself, then you don't need to worry about getting a spot at the campground, and you can walk to the lake. And preserve this for your family to come. Yes, a place like this does exist in the Land of Fruits and Nuts. Generations have loved it without loving it to death (think Tahoe). Pinecrest is worth the trouble. And plan ahead!

    Brown c.

    This place is my awwwwe place to enjoy nature and fresh air! Great family fun for everyone. Been coming here for over 50 years and still enjoy the surroundings. Stayed in the Motel for my first time as we went for a one night stay. Clean rooms close to walking to the lake , general store and campgrounds. Ate at Steamed Donkey and enjoyed a great dinner outside on the back deck. I will be back!!!!

    A few pics of our townhouse. Be sure to bring a DVD player for a movie night! Kitchen was well equipped.  Bring disposable goods though.

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    25 days ago

    The water was good even though it was super cold got used to it after a while. Feels good to disconnect from city life and be in nature.

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    3 years ago

    Pinecrest Lake has been a summer destination for many people for decades. The resort is a wonderful place to go for a day or a weekend.

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    3 years ago

    love it had fun but they. didnt have wifi everywhere. but the cabins who confitable for my family & I

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Pinecrest Lake Resort

    Do any of the lodging options have air conditioning?

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    Review Highlights - Pinecrest Lake Resort

    (Emphasis on all of the Marina Staff, Lori and team) We felt like we found a secret gem in the mountains.

    Mentioned in 6 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Rivers Resort Rentals - River

    Rivers Resort Rentals

    (26 reviews)

    Been going for several years now. Last summer we arrived to cabins that had not be cleaned yet. Our…read morefriend's cabin was completely trashed, as was ours. There was a woman with her toddlers trying to clean ours when we arrived. She said she was almost done, but it looked far from it. We just hung out for a while down by the creek waiting. It took a couple hours to finally check in. (Very frustrating when you take off work/leave early to check in & start your vacay. The pool says it's heated, but it's colder than the lake. The cabins have no AC. The beds are horrible in most of the cabins (between our group, we've stayed in all of them), with the exception of cabin 8, which has been updated with nicer amenities and beds. If you end up getting COVID, don't say anything!!! My cousin had Covid, they said she couldn't go anymore, and refused to give any kind of refund/discount. She had to pay her stay in full, and could not go :( Upside: location location location. You are a close drive to the lake.

    Pinecrest is about as close to heaven on earth for me as anywhere. We stay at cabin three in…read moreStrawberry every time we go. It is right on the river with no obstructions other than a few trees for a beautiful view in the summertime leave open the big sliding doors and take in the sounds of the river. We usually call ahead or go on the website to reserve but now I found them on VRBO. The resort has a pool, and the general store is a very short walk to pick up ice and most basic necessities. Many great walks/hikes in the area just up the road you can hike all the way to Pinecrest and the dam.

    The Long Barn Lodge

    The Long Barn Lodge

    (135 reviews)

    $$

    My 8 year old daughter has recently taken an interest in ice skating this year so we decided to…read moretake her to Long Barn Lodge's rink while in town visiting friends. It is up in the mountains which is a nice and relaxing drive. While I can't comment on the actual lodge since we did not stay, I can comment on how awesome the skating rink is. The owner has been working the skating rink for 45 years! The skating rink is indoors and massive! The have a small office inside where you sign waivers, pay and get your skates. They offer what I like to call "walkers" for the less experienced skaters for an additional $5. The skating fee is $15 plus $5 for skates per person, but there is no time limit on how long you can stay. There is also an indoor seating area that is warmer where you can people watch, but they also have another big area with tables and chairs. We were very impressed with this place and the staff! We'll be back during New Years and plan to visit again! Dress warm if you visit - it is very cold indoors!

    We went to the Ice Rink at the Long Barn Lodge this past weekend, it was my first time visiting the…read moreice rink up here. It is a smaller rink, but perfect for beginners, or spending the afternoon with the kids. This was the first time I been on the ice since I was 10 and it is much harder than I remembered. It was my boyfriends first time ice skating and he got the hang of it pretty quickly. The kids enjoyed it - the youngest in our party had just turned 3 and he was killing it - doing better than most of us. The cost is minimal $20/person and that includes skate rentals. You can also rent the skate helpers for the kids or the adults who are learning. I ended up using one for a while as it was much more difficult to glide on the ice than I remembered. The kids had so much fun, even asking when we could come back or if they can take ice skating classes. We plan on returning before they close for the season.

    Tamarack Lodge - Master bedroom upstairs

    Tamarack Lodge

    (39 reviews)

    $$

    I recently got married in Tamarack at our family cabin across the highway from the Lodge. My…read morefriends and I rented out multiple cabins from Carl, including the smaller cabin next to the lodge as well as all 3 bungalows in the back. It was an amazing experience. They were clean, well stocked and it was perfect for my event. Carl has worked really hard to restore and revive both Tamarack lodge as well as the bungalows! Attached are pictures of the smaller cabin we rented next to Tamarack lodge. Super cute!!

    We found the lodge to be quite expensive ($200) for what we got. We had Chalet 11 which featured a…read morekitchenette with a faded sofa and a bedroom with a queen and a bunk with a full and a twin. The bathroom was like my first apartment's bathroom from college. The bed was very very soft, which I found uncomfortable. The pillows were okay but for the price, could have been down. The linens and towels were clean. The towels were sort of dingy. The carpet had paint spots. Other than that, the place was clean. There were a couple of large ants in the sink, but luckily, that doesn't bother me too much. The entry into the three-unit chalet was not very charming - lots of cleaning supplies and such - so the entry was not very welcoming. It would have been nice to have instructions for the heater or a more intuitive thermostat. This spot would be nice if you were headed to Bear Valley for a few days, I suppose. Perhaps we caught it off-season. It was a bit of a mess. Perhaps all the debris in the parking area would have been covered by the snow. I think had the room been less expensive, this would have been a four star review with the above caveats. I'd like to give it four stars because it must be hard to run a mountain lodge. Maybe I'll upgrade it later.

    Pinecrest Campground - November

    Pinecrest Campground

    (72 reviews)

    First off, be warned... Getting camping reservations here are EXTREMELY HARD to get and very…read morecompetitive too!! Each campsite is for six people and two vehicles only!! I've been camping/fishing/hiking at Pinecrest lake virtually my whole life. It's has always been our family favorite place to camp including swimming, boat rentals, snack shack, lakeside movies, store, restaurant, etc. for five generations, so far. Be warned... EVERY evening, people will shout out "ALBERT" at the top of their lungs for several hours throughout all the campsites. It generally ends between 9-10 pm. So if you have little children that go to bed early, this may be a sleeping problem for them. My ratings for this year's family camping trip (as follows): Everything listed above "5 STARS "; EXCEPT for our campsite bathrooms "1 STAR " located in "Loop B" had absolutely NO POWER (Lights, etc.) at all, especially at night. Potential serious falling injuries may occur. I consider that to be a safety hazard and a potential liability issue. Overall, we generally have a great time camping there with our families. We'll still return again and carryon with our family tradition in the future.

    Our stay at Pinecrest was completely ruined by the camp host…read more We arrived with two vehicles and a small pop-up trailer. Everything was inside our campsite boundaries, and we had a lot of gear with us including two kayaks, a paddleboard, and inner tubes. While we were trying to enjoy breakfast, the camp host unexpectedly walked up to our site and immediately started giving orders. The interaction felt aggressive and unwelcoming rather than helpful. He insisted that we move our small pop-up trailer because he didn't like how far back it was positioned, even though it wasn't causing any issues. He also told us to move one of our trucks despite the fact that we only had two vehicles and both were within the campsite limits. We complied and moved everything as requested. Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of it. After spending the day at the lake and returning to our campsite, the host came back again and continued bothering us even after we had already made the changes he demanded. The repeated interruptions created tension within our group and turned what was supposed to be a relaxing family camping trip into a stressful experience. The constant scrutiny and confrontational attitude caused arguments among our group and completely changed the mood of the trip. I was so frustrated that I packed up my things and left early. We've camped many places over the years and understand that rules need to be enforced, but there is a respectful and professional way to treat campers. This experience left us feeling unwelcome and disappointed, and it overshadowed what should have been a great trip to Pinecrest.

    Pinecrest Lake Resort - hotels - Updated July 2026

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