We've come here two years in a row now for a family trip about 30 of us we love it here. River on one side pool on the other side. We love that this place mainly is for people using the river so the pool generally is all ours. The rooms are clean AC works in the cabins and we always have a great time. Only thing not giving this a 5 star rating is the bbq grills. We grills burgers on our gas grill in front of our cabin. It seems they clean the grill but do not clean the grease catchers bc man did that thing catch fire like crazy. We thought we were going to burn the cabin down. Often times rental places overlook this and it results in disaster. We almost broke out the fire extinguisher but thankfully we were able to remove all the meat and calm the fire down. We'll be back either way! read more

Ponderosa - Lotus, CA - Campgrounds Near Me - Lotus, California

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It's super peaceful and green everywhere. Our dogs enjoyed the fenced dog park. The trees will provide great shade come spring and summer. The area has a lot to offer. read more

Ponderosa - Lotus, CA - Dog park - Campgrounds Near Me - Lotus, California

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We have stayed in a cabin twice and each time was great. Friendly staff, the lounge was a big hit for the whole family and the cabin was clean (even in a pet friendly one). The only thing is this last time most of the cups, dishes and cookware needed to be cleaned before we could use them. Just seemed like the last renter didn't scrub everything enough. Great place and we will keep coming back! read more

DO NOT COME HERE!! WORST CAMP EXPERIENCE EVER!! THEY DISLIKE CHILDREN AND NEWCOMERS AND COUNTRY MUSIC. Who gets bothered by music at 4pm. Just ridiculous.. Family and I will never come here again!! Paid for a beautiful cabin for 3 days, just to have it ruined. Felt unwelcome and harassed. We will just continue visiting other Thousand Trail campsites. Never have we ever gone through what we went experienced on a trip before. read more

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. read more

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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. read more

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

Ponderosa - Lotus, CA - Sunrise at the river - Campgrounds Near Me - Lotus, California

Stayed here when my daughters cheer team had a bonding/camping event. Stayed with my daughter and 2 of her friends overnight in one of the cabins. Much better than tenting, but had only 2 twin bunk beds and 1 dresser. I tossed and turned all night due to the crappy mattress, and woke VERY early to the constant nagging and shaking of 3 excited girls ready for their pancake breakfast. Cute, though. No bathroom in the cabin, so be prepared to greet the day... before as least I was ready to face the day. Bathrooms by the restaurant were clean. Food was hot, and once the kids were full to the brim with pancakes and lots of syrup, there was an area with a pool table and lots of games, so of course there were arguments over what to do first-great problem! Kids had fun, my back healed quickly, and we all said we can't wait to return! Highly recommend. read more

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. read more

Ponderosa - Lotus, CA - Site D3 - Campgrounds Near Me - Lotus, California

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!! read more

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If I could give a zero, I would. I didn't actually stay here as I was staying down the street at Coloma Resort which was exceptional. I wanted to stay at Thousand Trails as we have a membership. I popped over there as it was just down the street and I get to the gate, the staff acted as if they didnt want me there or I was inconveniencing them. The lower section was washed out due to the weather which is ok but as I'm driving around, all I see is long term stays with decks and tarps everywhere and 40yr old RV's. They sit in the best spots. I heard that in recent months they have changed management. I sure hope they upgrade this place and get tighter on the rules. I don't want to spend my money elsewhere when I have a membership with Thousand Trails. Very disappointing. read more

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

I would give them more star, BUT.....! Why do they not have honey wagon service on the weekends. Second, why isn't the wifi service included in the camp site fee instead of having to pay per day or per week. Guess, I will just be adding wifi to my travel trailer instead. Don't get me wrong, met some pretty nice people here. But, you know when you kinda get that vibe like this is not the place for you. That's what we got here. Now, I know my name can be a bit deceiving and all. Lmao. I'm not gonna make assumptions. It was nice getting to be right by the river for a few days. Park needs a bit of work too. All n all, we probably won't be coming back here. Hey, you live and you learn. read more

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. read more

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This park used to be so kept up and nice there are now weeds everywhere. The area by the clubhouse used to be kept up nice. Now the grass lawn is overgrown and weeds everywhere. And the beaches. Wow. They are just full of brush, rocks and horrible. So so sas to see such a gem turn downhill. ​ read more

OMG what a mistake coming here! And to think this place is PACKED!! Horrible place and layout for an "RV" park. Ridiculous roads with very little signage, rude, obnoxious people living here. Only upside was staff was friendly but what are they going to do about all the issues at this place. We have a 30 ft travel trailer and the roads were a serious pita to navigate. Ended up going down one road which looks like a road but basically no way to make that turn as there's cars parked all along side the road and someone else had some covered up car blocking a big area that could have been used to turn. One of the lovely residents decided to come up to my car and say some snarky comments. Long story short took us an hour to get into a site having to back out of dead ends etc. Sites are ridiculously cramped even by Thousand Trails standards. 30 amp and water only and even then you have to pay $5/night (as a member) for a large portion of the sites. I think they have a whopping 3 sewer sites which undoubtedly are always probably full and I'm sure cost even more than $5/night. Want to have guests over? Another $5/day. A lot of the sites look like they are occupied by long term residents which have a bunch of cars and junk all over the sites. To add insult to injury after setting up we go inside to see my volt meter reading between 103-107 with nothing on but 1 AC and it's hotter than hell here. No laundry, the dump station is basically at the exit to the park, so if you are dumping ain't no one going out of the park through the exit. So whats the upside? I don't know, it's next to a river? It's not like you can even easily access the river from the area we were in. You would have to climb down rocks and what not. They have a beach area towards the entrance, which is pretty far from where we were so we never checked it out. Would never stay here again. read more

"Pick your site upon arrival " is a bad idea. The person at the entrance did not tell us where the empty sites are. Some people had so much stuff that overspill to their next site. So it appeared to us most FHU sites are taken. We had to drive around to find an empty site. The roads are winding and narrow. It was 8pm. I can't imagine if we arrive 1 hour later, we'd have to drive on this kind of road in total darkness. BTW, street lighting is very dim at night. We ended up to a site without sewer. It has a $5 upgrade fee. There is no explanation what this fee is for. I only see it as a downgrade from what I paid for. The person at the entrance didn't explain the fee either. The road was covered by many spiky things dropped from trees. It stuck to our shoes, hurts our fingers. It wasn't a happy experience. I have stayed at 3 campsites during my trip. Ponderosa is the worst among them. read more

I booked the Ponderosa Resort for 2 days of tent camping on the American River in August. The online reservations only offered a "standard", "premium" and "deluxe" site reservation. I reserved the standard site. It was an overpriced $84 for two days of tent camping. When I got there, I saw they did have a tent-only camping area. Odd that Tent-Only sites weren't listed as an option on the web site. The campground is gated. The staff are very friendly and helpful. The beach area along the American River is nice. They have clean showers, flushing toilets and a pool. Now the issues.... It's first come, first serve. So if you show up late on a Friday night, you're practically guaranteed the crappiest spot in the entire place. They tell you what spaces are still open, give you a map and wish you luck. Not the most efficient way to do things. Definitely not the most customer oriented way of doing something either. They squeeze you in, practically on top of each other. This is more of an RV park than it is a campground. Due to being right next to multiple RV's, you actually have no privacy whatsoever. Even the tent-only area appeared to have spaces right on top of each other. Want to hang a hammock... There's no trees close enough to do it. But being wedged between two RV's, maybe you can get permission to hang it off of their vehicles. There is a bar and a restaurant right next door to the Ponderosa, so Friday nights and Saturday nights you will hear plenty of drunks and live music until the two establishments close. At $84 for two nights, the Ponderosa is not worth it for tent camping. Maybe that is a good price for RV's but it left me feeling ripped off. I wouldn't recommend the Ponderosa to anyone for tent camping. There are better, real tent-camping areas out there. I just wished I had known more about the Ponderosa and more about surrounding camping areas before booking. read more

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.. read more

Ponderosa - Lotus, CA - One more beer waiting for dump station - Campgrounds Near Me - Lotus, California

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Customer Service was excellent and the lovely raging river. The game room is semi-OK definitely need new pool sticks but it's really large nice hikes lots of places to hike close by had a blast. read more

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. read more

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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! read more

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Very nice little campground. Staff was incredibly friendly. Bathrooms and common areas are clean and we'll taken care of. WiFi in Family Lounge is free and works great. Pool, ping pong, and board games are available. The heated pool is clean and there are lots of chairs and umbrellas. There are a number of river front beaches to lounge and swim at. Riverfront RV sites are a little tight, but that is to be expected given their prime location. Riverfront tent sites are amazing and spacious. Most sites don't have fire pits (but you can rent them). Well worth the trip. read more

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Let me Preface this by saying We are not Thousand Trail members. Upon check in we were checked in by courteous staff. We chose a back in spot next to the creek yes creek not river lol. Once parked we walked back to Office to pay the $15 up charge for the creek view site with 30/50 Amp and water for a total $86 a night. Well this Campground is very crowded with sites on top of sites. Lots of trees (the good part) and lots more dusty dirt dirt and more dirt and lots and lots of rocks. They even allow up to 10 people per site, Well you get the picture. No I cannot recommend this place. Paid for two nights only staying for one. read more

My boyfriend and I recently joined Thousand Trails and were in the area and booked a last minute stay at Ponderosa RV Resort. They were very accommodating and were able to get us in right away (watch out for holidays though - it gets busy!). The property is fairly large and the bottom area is right on the American Fork River which is really nice for fishing. We came in February so the fishing wasn't that great for us. The staff is very friendly too Overall, we didn't really have any complaints about our stay. The bathrooms and facilities were very clean (a crew came in every morning). The roads could use to be redone as they're falling apart a bit but it's not a dealbreaker to stay here. They do have some activities in the lower area (volleyball, horseshoes, etc.) which weren't functional because of the season but I would assume it would be nice in the summer. The family center is pretty run down and antiquated but they do have ping pong and Foosball along with a pool table. They have a dog park area as well if you have a pooch staying with you! All in all, it's not the nicest RV resort we've stayed at but for being near Sacramento, it's really not that bad and I think we'd definitely come back again! read more

When I first got here, i looked for a spot for over an hour because section D was closed and they were very full. So after an hour of pulling 50 feet around this crammed jammed park with a massive hill tight squeezing and chewed up roads, I went back to the ranger station and asked for help. She said A-10 is open and D1-3 is open. Ok, A-10 doesn't have a working spicket and the other lady in the ranger station said section D was closed. She took her pen marked it off of the map with a x and circle and wrote it on the paper that had my exit date. Super frustrating after a long drive. There's been no internet here at the lodge for over a week. There were no signs indicating no internet so after fighting w the computer for 15 trying to make it work I found a guy to inquire. The man said oh, I restarted it but it said there was no connection. That was it. I guess there not going to fix it because there's no connection. I guess calling the internet service to fix it isn't something they do. Everybody's trailer is on top of one another. Slides are bumping into awnings, that's how jam packed it is. There is a dumping station up a giant hill. It's hard enough to pull up that hill empty! There is not a lot of shade here in this over hundred degree heat and they're asking that we do not use too much electricity. Weird! My spot has zero shade! I have not enjoyed this park or its staff. The river is nice and the location is cool, but Coloma resort is right next door and AWESOME! Next time, thats the place to be! read more

We are thousand trails members and so far are very unimpressed. We recently visited ponderosa for our first time and were shocked. This place was recommended by many thousand trails members which makes us wonder if the membership is even worth it. We pulled in and tried to get a spot in the river. We headed that way and found all the good river spots to be taken by people who live there. How can you have people who live in the rv lark in your prime spots? We stopped out setup to look at a few spots to see if we wanted to squeeze in one of the tiny spots near the river. At this time a guy came out of his trailer and rudely asked us to move because we were blocking his satellite. Btw..... the spots on the river are tiny. Maybe not even enough rom to put your awning and slide out. We decided to pick a spot up in the back of the site which has a road run right behind it. Not my ideal spot for camping since you had to bear road noise all day. On the amenities. The water pressure was extremely low and there was no option for a 50 amp hook up or sewage hook up. When we left we got stuck behind the honey bucket maintenance guy when was rude and took his sweet time unloading. The two stars is for the lady that works later in the day at the gate. She was amazing and more than helpful. I do not recommend. read more

Filthiest cabin I have stayed at! Paid almost $500 for a two night stay during the holiday weekend! Yes, it was a late booking and it was pet friendly but they failed to meet even the least standard for cleanliness! Dead flies near the coffee table, dead insect on curtain, cobwebs on the door, ceilings and walls, dirty stains, grime and dust on almost every corner especially the bathroom. Filthy coffeemaker, refrigerator, toaster and microwave that not a decent person will be able to use. Stay away! read more

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Super easy check-in and we lucked into finding back-in full hookup site #B5. Great tree shade and relatively level. Our only minor complaint was that the sewer hookup was really far away so I had to use 2 hoses. This park is located on the south fork of the American river, which makes it great for river rafting. We met 2 guides during our 1 week stay so it is definitely big business in the area. Section H sites are next to the river. They are full hookup 50 amp and cost an extra $5.00 per day. Good luck finding one though as they are quite popular. We ordered a priority mail package and it arrived with no issues. Pool is small and it is overrun with loud children at all hours. Staff members Ron and Jeannette were really kind and helpful. Jeannette went out of her way to tell us about local places of interest. Bathrooms and showers are located inside small mobile home-looking structures. They were new and very clean. Sadly we couldn't program any over-the-air TV channels. My AT&T phone had 2 bars and my wife's Verizon phone had 3 bars. Paid for 1 day of campground wifi and it was blazingly fast. All types of recycling are available. read more

We made a reservation online but had to cancel. We had paid a $52 deposit. While on the phone, the lady let me know there is a $25 cancellation fee. What??? That's highway robbery. With today's online reservation systems, there is very little human work required and such a fee is clearly a cash grab. I won't look to make another reservation here. read more

Everyone was very nice and the campground was well kept and each site well manicured with tables and fire pits. Other than not being able to reserve an actual spot when making the online reservations and not being able to get a spot until the RV was actually on-site, my biggest issue was the lack of wifi in the campground. I was able to connect to the "Ponderosa Guest" network but the terms and conditions never came up so could never connect. I would have thought that for a membership location, that wifi throughout the campground would have been standard. Due to the location, cell service was not available and with no wifi, I had no way to communicate with the outside world unless I walked up to the clubhouse to get on the "Ponderosa Clubhouse" network. In addition, no way to get any work done or use our smart tv. Due to this, I will not be getting a Thousand Trails membership and likely won't return to this campground. read more

Ponderosa - Lotus, CA - View of the rapids from the waterfront sites - Campgrounds Near Me - Lotus, California

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The weather was perfect in early November, and the river looked and sounded amazing. Most of the spots near the river are pretty small, and there was not a bit of cell service or wi-fi except in the lodge. It's nice to get away from it all, but it's also nice to be able to check in with family members or be reachable if someone needs you. Otherwise, it was a really nice place to stay and I'm looking forward to going back. read more

Ponderosa - Lotus, CA - This was from the tent camping area. - Campgrounds Near Me - Lotus, California

This place is fairly nice. We didn't have any run ins with the front office like others. our site didn't have sewer, but did have power and water. Also some shade.. it was 115 the weekend we went.. cant blame the park for that. Not a lot of beach to play on, but some. Some smelly plants near it however.. At least where we were siting. River was nice, but watch the current. i would go back, but Coloma RV resort would be my #1 choice. mainly for the full hookups at the sites. read more

Ponderosa - Lotus, CA - Site F6. Nice site, some shade. - Campgrounds Near Me - Lotus, California

I will never return. The park is OK but very unkept. The camp spaces are crammed together to the point you cannot extend your awning even 6 feet. However my main reason for not returning is the staff. A couple of the women in the office are very rude. Also we paid to get their septic dump service and when I called the office to explain that we had not been dumped an employee and the dump guy came knocking on our door about 15 mins later telling me that he had dumped it. (Side note my boyfriend and I both left two messages and never received a call back and I called after they had been open for an hour and a half the next day.) After lots of smirking and laughing interrupting me and telling me that I was a bad customer and they finally left. I do have it all on video and I will be sending it to thousand trails office and to the Ponderosa office as it is some of the worst customer service I have ever seen not only at a campground but in my life. P.S. There was poop smeared on the back of the door of the bathroom and the cleaning lady was just leaving from having cleaned. In conclusion I guess if you are a 1000 trails member give it a shot for yourself but if you're paying to stay here keep moving. read more

Our review is of the resort overall and cottages specifically. Pros: Friendly staff Great location to Coloma and American River activities. Cons: Cabin/cottage designed to sleep 6 is really a tiny mobile home that was small for our family of four. It had a terrible musty odor. Website advertised WiFi (wasnt available), stream fishing and volleyball (not there), a pool (tiny and overcrowded). Overall this place was very pricey and underdelivered on its promises. Two stars only because location was good and staff was nice. We won't stay here again. read more

It's a bit steep at $30 a night plus a booking fee. No matter. I hit this place with a cute girl on probably the most perfect an autumn day can get in Lotus, which is North to South right between Placerville and Auburn. At a daytime high of 72 and nighttime low of 45 we were happy during the day, but a little cold at night, although dew gets to be a problem if you're smashed up against the tent or leaving anything outside. We had the place to ourselves and didn't bother anyone with our merry making. During the summer this place is probably a bit hot, but scenic right on the American River. If you're camping in a tent like us, the walk to the bathroom is a little long. A good 3-4 minutes, which is a bundle of time. If you bring an RV or trailer, you might get better real estate in that regard. My only regret is that I didn't explore outside of the campsite, but why would you? There's nothing in this area! The park takes reservations through Reserve America. The staff is very helpful and friendly, but who knows how it is during peak season. Go check it out! And like Lester L. said below me, the drive down 49 can be treacherous, and some of the drivers want to speed, so make sure you're well rested and have your wits about you for a safe journey. Good place and made good memories! read more

We had a fantastic family weekend here in mid July. The view was beautiful and the sound of the river was blissful. We were very close to a little beach which is somewhat sheltered and safer for kids. The restrooms are reasonably clean and the showers are hot. There is a family lodge (more like a lounge) with toys and a pool table. We really enjoyed swimming in the pool. The atmosphere is rustic, very family friendly and just friendly in general. We had a little trouble getting oriented when we first checked in. The map was out-of-date and we couldn't find the essentials. Some buildings are closed for renovation. I sought help at the check-in station where a nice host gave me a tour and pointed out the nearest restrooms, where to get water etc. Tent campers be aware that water is not available in the tent camping area and there are currently no restrooms in that branch of the resort. It would be worthwhile to bring a water container and a portable toilet. Some tent campers were disappointed because they were put in RV sites that had no fire pits or grills. If you are coming with a tent, even if you have reservations, get there early so you can claim an actual tent site. Otherwise you will be setting your tent up on a gravel RV site. The tent sites are more secluded and worth the extra effort. They are right on the river and have partial shade. read more

Great place to camp with little ones. They have a "beach" area that is perfect for kids, where they can play in a calm and clear area of the American river. The bathrooms and showers were very clean also. Why I didn't give 5 stars? The sites were very very close together. We were in two trailers and reserved two sites side-by-side which made our trip very enjoyable and private. I would not come here with one site reserved because you will most likely be between two trailers or Rvs that are extremely close together. Other than that I would defiantly return.(with a large group of course) read more

Enjoyed the get away cabin, however, the hot water would not stay hot over 2 mins. The shower water was ice cold. I had to broil water to clean the dishes thoroughly. read more

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I am rating the burrito I ate for lunch today from the General store at Ponderosa Resort. IT WAS THE BEST BURRITO I HAVE EVER HAD! I live in the bay area so that is no small task. It was flavorful, juicy and delicious! Although they make it for you, you get to choose toppings and sauces. Try the chipotle sauce! YUM! read more