So we go camping once a year, and every year we try something new. This year we found Cherry Valley…read moreCampground. It's about 29 miles past Sonora, Ca, but forewarned the drive is very curvy. But...once you arrive...OMG...the campground is amazing. There's a manager on site for any help, they sell firewood and have Potable water if you need it. The bathrooms are super clean and smell good, which is not normal for a campground. Now one thing you must know is that the lake is accessible at multiple points, but it's all rocky. So no matter where you go there's no real beach. However if you drive to the boat launch area which is like 5 minutes away, there is some sand and rocks to enjoy the water. We took some kayaks and we're able to explore the water, even saw a Bald Eagle. The scenery was great. Camping here was awesome, we will def be back.

The camp host was great! Made sure we were okay when a snow storm hit. The location was beautiful.read more

I absolutely love river ranch. My family has so many memories of being there as children and…read moreadults. 4 generations strong. Just spent the past weekend there and enjoyed every minute. We had no problems abiding by new managements rules, we never have disrespected that place. It would be nice if Tuolumne County residents would be given a discount.

New management feels like HOA killed the culture not being able to enjoy the experience the same wayread more

As part of our quest to visit all 63 U.S. national parks, we set off on a six week road trip. I…read morehave a personal rule: I only count a national park as "visited" if I actually spend time there, hike or walk through it, and truly experience it. On this trip, we visited 14 national parks, and Yosemite National Park was a special stop because it brought back memories while also giving us a new perspective. This is not a full review of Yosemite because I have visited before, many years ago. During that visit, I spent time in Yosemite Valley, hiked several trails, and experienced the incredible beauty of the park more extensively. Yosemite Valley is one of those places that stays in your memory forever, with its enormous granite cliffs, waterfalls, forests, and iconic landmarks. This time, as part of our six week journey, we only had a few hours to spend in Yosemite while traveling from Mono Lake toward Death Valley. We entered from the eastern side of the park, and even that short visit was absolutely spectacular. The drive itself was an experience. Coming through the Sierra Nevada, surrounded by towering mountains, dramatic rock formations, and breathtaking scenery, reminded us why Yosemite is considered one of America's greatest national parks. Every turn of the road revealed another incredible view. Even with only a few hours, Yosemite had that same powerful effect: it makes you feel small in the best possible way. The scale of the granite cliffs, the beauty of the valleys, and the sense of being surrounded by ancient landscapes are simply unforgettable. Yosemite is one of those places that deserves more than one visit. It is a park where every season, every trail, and every entrance offers something different. Whether you are standing below El Capitan, watching waterfalls pour down the cliffs, hiking through the forests, or simply sitting quietly and taking in the views, Yosemite reminds you of the incredible power and beauty of nature. This short return visit only confirmed what I already knew: Yosemite is a must-see national park, one that belongs on everyone's list and one that continues to inspire no matter how many times you return.

My husband, my son, and I spent four unforgettable days hiking in Yosemite National Park. We…read moreabsolutely love hiking, and being surrounded by nature always brings out the best in us. Day 1: We hiked 7.2 miles exploring several smaller trails. We also took the train ride for about an hour, which was so relaxing. The highlight of the day was seeing a black bear. Day 2: We hiked Half Dome all the way to the cables a total of 17 miles. It was by far the hardest hike we've ever done, but every step was worth it. Along the way we passed Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall, both absolutely breathtaking. The hike back was tough on our knees, but we kept a positive attitude and finished strong. Day 3: We hiked Tuolumne Grove Trail and then Glacier Point to Union Point. The round trip was 8 miles, with plenty of uphill climbing on the way back. That night we stayed to watch the shooting stars around 10 p.m., and it was magical. We also saw an adorable baby bear cub. Day 4: We hiked Mariposa Grove Trail to Wawona Point, completing 8 miles. Walking among the giant sequoia trees was an incredible experience that I highly recommend. The trail is moderate and absolutely beautiful. We also spotted a deer. By the end of our trip, we had hiked 40.2 miles in four days. Our legs were exhausted, but our hearts were full. Every mile, every view, and every wildlife encounter made this adventure unforgettable. Yosemite reminded us why we love hiking nature has a way of bringing out the best in us.

We reserved site 25 here for a few days Thursday-Saturday. It was full sun which was a bummer cos…read morewe didn't bring a pop up tent. The road down is paved so fine for most vehicles though it is windy and probably difficult for some camper vehicles. Our park ranger on site was a volunteer named Jim who was the absolute BEST. Personable, knowledgeable, interactive, and kept things in order in the friendliest way. No showers, well maintained bathrooms. No water sources (sinks or spigot) so you need to bring all your own water. Trails from the site including an 8 mile one to El Capitain. About a 40 min drive to the valley or 1 hour to Hetch Hetchy. You still need to pay the park entrance fee ($35 or use your parks pass) You're fairly close to noghbors so be prepared for some noise.

Tamarack Flat Campground was the location for our Cousin Bonding Trip. With my last visit to…read moreYosemite back in '91 with my family, I had pretty high expectations on what this trip was going to consist of. The distance from this campsite is pretty far from the main entrance to Yosemite. The drive itself from the gate is about 10-15 minutes, and if you get stuck behind a slow car, you can pretty much double that driving time. The actual camping site sizes are large with a ton of parking spaces and enough space to really spread out. There is also enough space between the campsites so that you don't have to worry about loud neighbors. While everything sounds all good - this campsite lacks alot of trees for shade in the camp sites. In the morning when you have the sun blazing down on your face, it's worse after a night drinking by the fire. You just wake up hot and sweaty - it's not the bizz; it's quite miserable...waking up hot and sweaty. Let's talk bathrooms, because that's really what is important when it comes to being away from home and being clean. So this campsite has OUTHOUSES, yes you read that right! Basically a small outhouse with a huge hole in the ground for number 1 and number 2. These outhouses smell, they are infested with flies ... did I say them smell? They are no running showers, so be sure to pack a lot of baby wipes and anti-bacterial cleaning supplies. We saw a couple baby bears during our stay here so be sure to use the bear cabins for your foods. Everything needs to be locked in so it doesn't attract the bears.

I feel like this community wants to be owner only so has made life unnecessarily difficult for…read morerenters. We had a fine stay at our Airbnb, our issues are more with the community. 1. On top of our pricey stay, we paid a $50 fee to stay in the community. This is fine, but everytime we came back, we still needed to wait in the long visitor line only to be waved in once they see our pass. There's got to be a better way. 2. Visitors also don't have electronic passes, so there's a strict path that you can drive or else you'll hit a gate that you can't go through and is owner only. This means often a 10m drive to your house. It also meant driving around the entire lake to get to Fisherman's Cove because the closer paths are owners only. (Fisherman's Cove and Marina Beach are very pretty though!) 3. To play pickleball, you'd think it'd be covered under the $50 fee? But no, it's another $8pp/day. So for a 4 person game, it'll cost $32. This is more expensive than renting a court in Santa Monica!

We loved our cabin and the Owners were wonderful but we would never stay at Zou e Lake community…read moreagain. This is in no way the owners fault but we had to wait in line every single time to enter the cmty. There are over 3k units in the community, many of them rentals -but only 1 guest line for registered and unregistered guests--on busy weekends, multiple cars in front of you are registering so you have to wait even when you are already registered. On our arrival day we waited over 30 mins. The next day tired from a full day in Yosemite-over 20 mins. The third day we almost didn't leave bc of the hassle, but I ran out for groceries and it was still over 20 mins. It was honestly infuriating after paying the $50 parking fee for the stay. The Homeowners Association is making a killing off the fee -so they should at least create a 3rd line for already registered guests. I loved the unit but bc of this we unfortunately would never stay at any property at Pine Lake again.

I stayed at the backpacker's campground the night before hiking from Porcupine Creek Trailhead back…read moredown into the Valley. It's only $5 per person, has a lot of room, and doesn't require (nor take) reservations. We stayed on a Thursday night in the summer and had to share our site which ended up being fine as there is plenty of room. The guys that shared our site were cool and we stayed up and drank a few beers and chatted until about 10 pm. There definitely aren't enough sites for everyone to have their own, but considering how difficult it is to make reservations, the backpacker's site was great. There are porta-potty style bathrooms in there, and potable water is located in the upper pines campground which is only a five minute walk away. One great feature about the backpacker's campground is that the parking lot for backpacker's is about a 10 to 15 minute walk away, so if you want to bring some stuff to use and leave in your car before heading out on the trail you can. Curry village is about a 10 to 15 minute walk away which provides many dining and shopping opportunities. We filled up at the buffet and grabbed a six pack to enjoy the night before heading out to the high country. 4 stars for no water in the campground and primitive bathrooms. However, I will definitely stay here next time I go backpacking in Yosemite and I recommend it to any other backpackers.

I cannot begin to tell you just how much great times i had at Don Pedro, i went here everyday for…read moreabout a week, i had not been here since i was a teenager . There was this guy Ray working at the marina. This guy helped me out on everything i needed and his demeanor couldn't be more welcoming. He made me feel like i was family, seriously very considerate, very personable. He helped me with even giving me a ride, cause it was a long way to my car. Thanks Ray Ray for making my visits the best i had a great time, and love that you made me feel great coming there. Your a great asset to the marina...... i hope to see you next time...... Thanks

Currently the only lake in the area not having a quarantine restrictions with the muscles. There…read morewas quite a few people there as the parking lot near the boat launch was near full. The water was great and there was a great breeze. We stopped at the marina store to get ice and then took a ride over to the other side of the lake to the Cafe. The food was great and decent priced. The staff was a bit over whelmed. The cashier at the back register seemed irritated with the kids looking at stuff near the counter and shut her register down. The crowd waiting for their food before us didnt get the right order, they had to remake their food and they told the girls prepping the food that the girl that took their order wasnt paying attention and wrote the order down wrong. Overall the food was good, the deck hands were friendly and we enjoyed the time on the lake.

Beautiful park! We hiked around the North Grove and it was wonderful. The park is one of the most…read morewell maintained parks I have experienced. There is also a cute food truck near the visitor center that had the best garlic fries I have ever had. North Grove was really great for families with smaller kids. The hike wasn't too strenuous. We did the Overlook trail and it was around 2 miles. The kids had a few stops for snacks along the way but overall it was great for them.

Giant trees, wild mushroom, snow cover paths, and wild stuff animals - it was an adventure…read more -been wanted to check out the "GIANTS" and they didn't disappoint. I guess January is the most awesome time to visit. Whether was nice and warm, with snow play still available in the parking lot and on the trails. Perfect day to be outdoor. -Park is very well kept and accessible for all. The North Cove Trail was a walk in the pak with stunning display of different trees. Look carefully, wild mushroom has been inoculated and is ready for their debuted. -Visitor center and ranger were very informative. -Pro tip: if your family is the outdoorsy type, buy a California State Park Pass - include entrance to this place and you can skip the line when visiting on a busy weekend....

What a unique find! We were looking for a vacation within a few hours of home and stumbled upon TH…read more Looking at the rentals we noticed some had access to this private lake, which sounded great, so we decided to check it out and found it was totally worth it. At first the long list of rules and the $8 fee per person may be a bit off putting, but once you get there you'll understand the benefits that come from them. The beach is incredibly clean and large enough to accommodate quite a few families and there is ample parking. There are large trees shading benches along a well kept concrete path, all perfect for resting your belongings on less busy days. The trees also cast shade a good distance onto the beach, so you have some options for shade. I would still say a good umbrella is recommended, as the shade could fill up. The water feels cool when you get in but once you're under it's really nice. The water and lake are also very clean, with a nice sandy bottom. If you go out a little further you may encounter some algae as it gets deeper, but all in all it's a fantastic lake to swim in. There are water slides, sunning platforms in the middle if you swim out that far, great space for paddle boards and kayaks, and even a diving board in the deepest part and granite beach next to it. After 6pm it's free to enter and you can fish along the dam too. They said it's stocked with trout but we didn't find any. We did catch some bluegill though!

You have to have a membership to enter but this is the little piece of paradise we've dreamed of…read more Bring your own rafts and chairs. Just spent two days for my hubbys birthday. It was hot out and the lake was perfect.