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    Thousand Trails Ponderosa

    2.8 (87 reviews)
    Closed 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

    Thousand Trails Ponderosa Photos

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    Maxine P.

    Ponderosa RV a little park by the South Fork of the American River. We have stayed here 3 times over the past 3 years, this time with a river view....yay! We pull our chairs to the back of our site for a peaceful view of the river flowing by. On a water release day the entertainment includes watching the many rafts, kayakers and paddle boarders going by. The downside of these sites are how close together you are packed in. These sites also have 50 amp instead of the normal 30. There are a few sewer sites on a different level of the park. Bathrooms look like they are cleaned daily. The park is built on a hill and makes for a nice walk up to the clubhouse or pool. Looks like a little work was done on the clubhouse this past year. There is a nice little beach on the other side of the tent camping area. The historic town of Coloma where gold was discovered is right down the road. During the rafting season there are multiple companies close by that offered trips down this class II and class III river. If biking or hiking is your thing there are a number of trailheads that are about 3 miles from the park. Apple hill is fun to to go visit in the fall, wineries close by or old town Placerville. I give this park 4 stars based on location on the river and things to do near by.

    Sunrise at the river
    Andrea M.

    What a beautiful place! The layout is a little strange, so you may want to review the park map ahead of time.

    Site D3
    Amy R.

    Really nice place! We got space D3 which has more privacy and for now there aren't any neighbors which is nice. It has shade with electric and water- no sewer.

    Road around the campground
    Jocelynn M.

    Wow what a place. I didn't think it was gonna be like this. It was so quiet. There are certain sections and we got D8. It is the best spot. It has electric and water only. Dumpsters and out houses are near. You arrive and are given a map and spots that are available. It's a large campground and sites are small. There are rocks at your sites so wear tennis shoes. Bring your own fire pit and black water container. The hosts are wonderful and leave you alone!! I never used the bathrooms or showers at the campground so I don't know what they looked like. The pool is small and we didn't use it because it was full all day every day. Take your chairs and walk down by the water and sit. The views are amazing. Our first time here and definitely not our last. We loved how they gave you a gate code and how safe we felt. Thankyou for a great time. We will be back!!

    Mike S.

    Only giving it four stars due to location otherwise it would be three. We liked the places in the full hook up section on the hill. Most spots are tight 30A but with some luck you can find a few roomy ones. 50A are up the hill near the road and the neighbors house. Leaving could be troublesome as the exit is also the dump station. Other choice is exit at the narrow front gate or a right turn only gate. It's first come first serve so you don't know what you are going to get until you show up. Only a few hook up sites and 50A. Most wanted to riverfront sites. Place is very well kept. Not sure we are willing to chance it again. We had a great spot, one of two available in the full hook ups section. The other went in an hour.

    Sarah & Stormy!!! These Ladies were Amazing! Thank You! We had true American River/Gold Country experience. We stayed in cabin #1. The previous reviews are not close to accurate. When one camps, it is a laid-back atmosphere the staff always had a smile on their face and a willingness to help more. We stayed for a week and it was so much fun! We found little waterfalls, Trails, blackberries, calm water, rapid water, & super cool people. The state park was nearby. It was a really cool experience. The visitors center there is mindblowingly cooool!! I feel like it is a Hidden Gem the gift shop nearby was probably one of the coolest gift shops I ever saw also and very affordable I love the blacksmith whom you learn about a railroad ring its cute!!! The rings cost a dollar in the gift shop. I would say beware of the $10 per kid gold panning. This Ponderosa TT park offers free gold pans to check out (state park gift shop nearby has free life jacket borrowing, 6$ gold pans, 1$glass vials).. a lot of people bring something to float on and tie it off, a lot of other people enjoy the White Water rafting. The water is higher in the afternoon. My biggest con was the cabin was not wired with the proper wattage. If you want to use the microwave you are not allowed to use the air conditioner which is difficult preparing dinner for five little boys while it's 103 outside. They should really take a look at that!! I have not had this issue at other Thousand Trails cabins. I saved the best for last the two employees name Stormy and Sarah, the staff were Beyond accommodating friendly and just generally really great humans!! They made us feel like we were their favorite. We cannot wait to come back again we left this campsite feeling like we made some new best friends, great family memories, and a breath of fresh air away from all the noise of the city.

    Bernardo M.

    Beautiful beautiful beautiful place, clean ,elegant ,cute, I reserve cabin Number #6 river view, Cabin have Evrithing, (Dishes , plates, spoons,EVERYTHING you need, Outside They have a (gas bbq Grill), you Only need to bring UR own propane tanks. I seriously love this place, I will definitely going back again.

    One more beer waiting for dump station
    Shelli H.

    We love ponderosa. We are thousand trails members and enjoy many of their campgrounds. Ponderosa is close and beautiful and well maintained. They have a pool, moderately clean bathrooms, bocci courts, volleyball, horseshoes, and tether ball. Also a club house with a pool table and ping pong.. There is also a play set for smaller kids ( mine r teens) but it looks safe and cute. There are always little ones on it when we pass by. On the weekends there is even an afternoon ice cream truck.. The water is cold. All day tho you can watch rafters go by. And if your family decides to go last minute and you don't have time to shop for groceries fully, there is a mexi restaurant across the street as well as bakery and a deli down the road..

    Our view from the RV windows. That camp up there is the premium spots with river views.
    Loren B.

    We loved this place. Easy to maneuver in with our 38' fifth wheel trailer. No mosquitoes, no happy dogs, kind neighbors, pretty ambiance sounds of the rushing river near by. We went to the pool with our one year old and enjoyed it. Will come again!

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    We had a wonderful staff. We got a spot right at the river! The staff was great! Sarah is awesome with a great personality

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    Ask the Community - Thousand Trails Ponderosa

    Review Highlights - Thousand Trails Ponderosa

    . No mosquitoes, no happy dogs, kind neighbors, pretty ambiance sounds of the rushing river near by

    Mentioned in 31 reviews

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    Pipi Campground

    4.2(46 reviews)
    31.4 mi

    October 2017: I wasn't aware of PiPi Campround's existence not until, my first born daughter, Joy…read moretook me camping reserving a campsite not too far from the Cosumes River. The entire Federal Campground consists of spacious campsites intermingled underneath massive canopies of sugar pines, Cedar of Lebanon, and other deciduous trees: The Cosumes River softly babbles, emitting soothing water sounds in the not too far distance from our campsite which evokes a sense of calmness, peacefulness, and exuding a meditative quality not too many campgrounds comparatively possesses especially, CA State's Folsom Lake's Beals, Peninsula, Donner Lake, and Lake Tahoe Campgrounds which are disappointingly raucous, obnoxiously loud music blaring from portable boom boxes, and egregiously inconsiderate with the utmost abandon, people partying all night. Sad. Despite the fact the CA State Parks has its incessant noise pollution, PiPi Campground is directly the opposite: It's so quiet, you can hear your heart and blood pulsating, you can hear insects buzzing and whirring by you, you can hear the soft breeze echoing surrounding the PiPi Campground while the deciduous trees offers wafting fresh, sweet pine scents lulling you into the deepest REM dreamland possible . . . This IS PiPi Campground: Solitude where you can hear yourself think in peace.

    Stayed here 6/25 in site 21. Nice camp grounds. The pot holes on the road in are very big so it…read moretakes a long time to drive the last 5 miles. The trash dumpsters were full when we got there and were over full when we left. For having valt toilets they were clean. We will go back again.

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    Giant Gap Campground - #27 - very close to #28 (could be rented together to make a group site)

    Giant Gap Campground

    4.2(39 reviews)
    14.3 mi

    Camped over the 4th of July weekend. Was perfect weather at nighttime but got a tad bit warm during…read morethe day. Great man-made lake that is around 4 miles to go all the way around, half of the path is paved so bike appropriate and good for jogging. When we went a portion of the trail was washed out and closed off but we were able to bypass it anyways with our dogs. Trail can start at the day use park then keeps going through the camp sites till you make the full circle. We regretted not bringing our swimsuits. We reserved campsite #5. All the campsites are all pretty secluded and spacious, but when we passed by #10 we were jealous in that it was the end of the culdesac and walkable to the lake and very secluded. Dog friendly. Vault toilets (no lights, bring headlamps). They have a potable water faucet. I thought the fire pits were well maintained. If you are bringing a RV/Trailer and coming from the South, make sure to take the Forest Hill route (slower route when it shows up on Google Maps). It is much better maintained and spacious. On our way up we went the quicker route and had no trouble as we just had one truck but the trailer in front of couldn't make a sharp turn and was stuck and actually damaged a portion of it, we were able to guide it through thankfully but go at your own risk.

    Fellow campers. My family and I have been going to Giant Gap campground for 35 years. That's where…read moremy children spent every vacation. We grew together as a family there. Covid brought hordes of people many disrespecting nature. Ok I get it. You can't go on your cruise. But what I found today devastated me. Yes they took down infested trees a few years ago and left them EVERYWHERE. Yes are familiar path and beach were blocked now. Ok. But when I drove to our campsite today I cried like a baby. I was in shock. The amount of trees that had been cut in the entire campground was shocking. Not a few, not 50% - more. Although I am grateful for our time there and our memories that will never be forsaken - I am sorry new campers will never know it former beauty. Maybe you can see the lake now. May be that was the point. But our slice of paradise is gone.

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    Giant Gap Campground - #16 - pull thru

    #16 - pull thru

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    Fallen Leaf Campground - Just chilling

    Fallen Leaf Campground

    4.3(172 reviews)
    46.5 mi

    Nice place to stay with family & friends. Plenty of room for our 5th wheel along with our Honda…read moreeu3000is to relax and enjoy the area without disturbing anyone else's family time. Amazing place to experience

    I've RV camped at Fallen Leaf a couple times now and the campground is terrific, has a nice and…read moreclean RV dump station, water fill stations throughout, clean bathrooms and showers, and a general store where you can get basic supplies (including ice!). It's a beautiful place, but I had a few issues on my last particular trip. First, all the host staff that I dealt with were VERY rude and accusatory. My space (102) was advertised for a 30' RV plus 1 vehicle. My RV is 24' and barely fit, which didn't allow my vehicle to be parked on the pavement easily. Immediately after unhooking, several staff rushed over and literally screamed at me telling me I needed to park on the pavement or that I'll be fined and towed. I had 2 wheels on torn up dirt, barely off the pavement. I debated them stating what their site advertised, to no avail. So, I ended up getting my truck between two large trees and an inch from my RV to make it work because the main road is a good distance from the campground. I made it work, but the way the staff treated me was disrespectful and rude to say the least. My group had several other brushes with the staff and said the same thing with their encounters. You'd think that being a host at this campground would be a vacation-like work and total utopia but apparently not. My other issue is because the lake is a over a hill a ways from the campground, they only have one small parking lot that they make you pay extra to use, even if you're staying there. We got yelled at for taking 2 minutes to unload our beach stuff. So, a loading zone would be nice. Not sure if I'll be back, there's plenty of other campground where I don't get disrespected.

    Photos
    Fallen Leaf Campground - Catching the Sunrise at Fallen Leaf Lake.

    Catching the Sunrise at Fallen Leaf Lake.

    Fallen Leaf Campground
    Fallen Leaf Campground - View from Fallen Leaf Road on our way to the Marina.

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    View from Fallen Leaf Road on our way to the Marina.

    Sugar Pine Point State Park

    Sugar Pine Point State Park

    4.4(96 reviews)
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    One of the most underrated spots on Lake Tahoe!! A great place to spend the day , natural shade…read morefrom the trees in the grassy area , swimming and soaking up the sun on the dock and incredible lake and mountain scenery from everywhere. If you bring a kayak or paddle board you can paddle just south towards Meeks Bay and tuck yourself into a number of smallish beaches if you want some privacy. When we have a weak winter and the lake level drops , you will have a very small 6-8 foot deep sandy beach area but we haven't had that for quite a few years. So the only thing you don't really get here is a big sandy beach but you do get a fantastic stretch of beautiful lake tahoe in a park like atmosphere with towering trees !!! Not too shabby!

    Located on the West end of Lake Tahoe. Short walking distance to the lake on the other side of…read morehighway 89. Park is known for the presence of black bears. Did not encounter any! Come to think about it, probably was overly cautious having bear spray within reach. Visitors must comply to safety rules and prevention. Supposedly fragrant items (e.g. soap, shampoo, etc.) are highly attractive to bears. Our assigned site (number 76) sits at the beginning of the loop. Surrounded by neighbors on all sides except one. Nearest restroom and dumpster is just two sites away. Potable water is accessible in front of site 78. Bear storage are included at each site along with a picnic table and a fire ring. Camp host will make frequent runs around the loop with firewood available for purchase. There is a presence of carpenter ants but was not a nuisance. Experienced hot mid days and warm nights in the month of early August. Ideal and convenient for those looking to visit various parts of Lake Tahoe and even neighboring city of Reno.

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    Sugar Pine Point State Park - Tahoe Gal passing by the girls, on her way back to Tahoe City.

    Tahoe Gal passing by the girls, on her way back to Tahoe City.

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    Thousand Trails Ponderosa - campgrounds - Updated July 2026

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