Thousand Trails Ponderosa

Ken Andrews

2024-04

Overall, I’ve had of good experience each time I stayed here. However, lately it’s really hard to book an RV spot unless you do it months in advance. This is because of the flood damage and closure of the bottom section near the river. I know they’re working on fixing and reopening that section but who knows when that will happen. The bathrooms are nice and clean and well-kept. The cabins are also well-maintained and clean. The only problem is many of the sites are cramped and not easy to get into and only a small section has sewer and only 1 dump station.

dingle berry

2024-02

This place is awful, the only good thing is being near the river.The park should be three or four times bigger, but they have refused to fix damage done and left the park with like 20 spaces.No privacy in the bathroom showers! For no explicable reason they got rid of curtains you cant see through, and put up see through curtains that let anyone in the bathroom see you getting in or out the shower.There are only a few spaces with full hookups, and they recently decided you cannot move to them when they open up, but have to get on a wait list for the good spots. This is contrary to the first come first serve policy of TT, and likely because they just want to choose who gets to move.This is how you know they have WAY too much time on their hands with the lack of spaces, and probably need less employees.Adding to the lack of spaces issue is that there are clearly a handful of RVs that have been in full hookup spots for ages, are not in marked yearly spots, but just sit there without any signage for months on end. I wonder if they have a secret deal with the employees?The women who work here are all miserable and grumpy, I have tried to be friendly but cannot get so much as a smile or nice word out of them.If you can go somewhere else, I highly recommend it.

Shelly Kissinger

2024-02

Centrally located to food, restaurants and activities. Short walk to Sutters Mill Park. Part of the park was closed due to storm damage. They had a few bathroom and shower areas the one I picked was just a shower and it was all cement and super cold as it was 30 degrees out when I went to shower. At least the shower had hot water. I'm sure their other showers were better.

Desiree Cukjati

2024-01

Love the location on the river! Love the staff! Sarah and Sean are so awesome and professional, they are super knowledgeable about the park itself and systems. Great place to take the family and relax.Walkability: River access right in park! Lots of options to walk to, restaurants and rafting companies with walking distance. Sutter Mill state park just down the road as well. We often ride our bikes there for more trails and a great look back at California gold rush historyFood & drinks: Gorilla Rock Taco on site and Pizza across the street are both awesome places to eat.

Raymond Luna

2023-10

HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE AT PONDEROSA!!My family and I have been to may Thousand Trails camp sites and have never had a trip like this one! Booked a cabin. BIGGEST MISTAKE EVER!!When we arrived, we were informed that the playground area was flooded and closed with caution ⚠️ tape. None of those things were true. Even the pool was off-limits to the kids.In the morning, the electricity and gas were abruptly shut off. We were met outside by someone from the property, and informing us sounded very annoyed that the electricity was shut off and didn't know when service would be restored. Strangely, the gas was also shut off. Leaving us with no way to cook breakfast. Eventually, the gas and power were restored, and so we continued to press on for my grandson's birthday. He was starting to feel as if his birthday vacation was falling apart. He decides to play his favorite country songs at an appropriate volume level. He's only 9 years old to cheer up, and he gets approached and scolded by two ladies from Ranger Station. He is told he is disturbing the peace, and his music is too loud. At 4 pm!?? So he can not play in the playground, can not swim in the pool, and can not even play some music for his birthday.Some of the members in my family decided to approach Ranger Station and requested to see the Quiet Hours rules. Their Quiet Hours states 11 pm to 7 am, the brochure they provide after you pay states Quiet Hours 10 pm to 8 am. We were not violating these Quiet Hours.I recommend steering clear of this place. My family and I felt unwelcome and harassed. The worst part is that my grandson felt so sad and disappointed that he chose Ponderosa to spend his birthday that was ruined.

kristi Rudolph

2024-05

…More

Brittney @WagmorPets

2023-08

Loved the cabin, it was dirty with lots of ants but i swept and mopped on my hands and knees and by the next day it was filthy again. I think its part of being in nature lolThe location is amazing. We camp all the time but we are new to rivers and we are hooked. Already booked a return trip!The pool is kept very clean and is a nice way to end the day after spending it on the river.The location is so gorgeous i cant even explain what a great time we had.I was told part of the place was ruined by flooding which is likely why it didnt seem crowded at all. It was quiet and relaxing. 100% recommend.Bring your own pans if you stay in cabin.If there was one thing i would recommend to change its give each cabin a bottle of cleaner so we can clean off the counters, clean spills etcOh be careful of tables and seating near park and dog park they are extremely wornMy husband sat on a bench and it totally buckled and brokeNot good especially for a guy facing back surgery

Mz AquaSun

2023-10

WORST EXPERIENCE EVER! DO NOT VISIT PONDEROSA!! THEY DISLIKE 👎🏽 CHILDREN AND NEWCOMERS!!I am extremely disappointed visiting such a beautiful town of Lotus Booked a cabin for my family and I.BIGGEST MISTAKE EVER! From the moment we arrived. We were informed that the playground area was flooded and closed for maintenance. This was a LIE. Even the pool was off limits to my grandkids.In the morning, the electricity and gas were abruptly shut off. We were met outside by someone from the property, informing us sounding very annoyed that the electricity was shut off and didn't know when service would be restored. But strangely, the gas was also shut off.Eventually, the gas and electricity were restored. Which meant we could continue with my grandson's birthday. He decided to play some country music, his favorite. We have a speaker and had the volume less than halfway up. He is only 9 years old. We get a visit from two ladies from Ranger Station informing my grandson that he has the music too loud and is disturbing the peace. AT 4pm!?? My daughter and I decided to visit the Ranger Station and ask for the rules regarding noise. Their rules to quiet hours are 11pm-7am, the rules they have in their brochure states 10pm-8amClearly, my grandson was not violating the Quiet Rules. HORRIBLE HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE!! WE WILL NEVER VISIT PONDEROSA 💔 AGAIN!!Noteworthy details: If you want to have a great relaxing time harassment free and with non negative energy STAY AWAY FROM PONDEROSA!!

xNOOPy JiMENEz

2023-10

REALLY HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE!!!!!! if I could rate this campsite 0 stars, I would!!!!! First off, the cabin clearly states "NO PETS", but the couch and bed was full of dog fur. (We didn't say anything) The worker let us know the park was flooded, so it's closed for maintenance. We believed her words, so we made sure to warn our kids. My husband, however, checked. Sure enough the playground was intact, no caution tape or anything wrong with the area. (whatever didn't say a word). The day of my son's birthday, I was hoping to make him breakfast, the power and the gas turns off and we were unable to eat. (Still didn't complain). My son suggests we play country music, dance, have fun. Shortly after, 2 maintenance workers approach my family (I was inside at the moment) rudely asked my husband to turn it down because the music was heard all the way from there station (Volume was 17, the highest setting is 40). My mother and I walked to the station, we wanted to speak to someone with higher authority about the rules, because this is not our first rodeo ya'll. We have been to many campsites, our children wanted to try something new for once. One woman with purple hair was very unprofessional, rude, snarky, and lied to us from beginning to end. She states my husband played the music so loud, it made their station rattle (ridiculous, I know). I asked her if anyone complained, she says "No, but we always like to nip it in the butt, before someone does complain" which we thought it was silly, since no‐one really complained and they just want to harass us for no reason?? Manager arrives, he seems confused about the whole thing, shows us the rules. Rules: Quiet time is between 11pm-7am. So we head back to leave the volume down this time. Moments later, Manager and another worker approached my husband once again. My husband gets up from his seat, so Manager feels threatened or feared of him? (Which was odd) and tells him to turn it down again. We decided to not play music anymore at this point. I'M UPSET YA'LL! THEY MADE MY 9 YEAR OLD BOY SAD AND DISAPPOINTED ON HIS ACTUAL BIRTHDAY! IF THIS IS HOW THEY TREAT PAYING CUSTOMERS WITH DISRESPECT THEN THEY'VE SUCCEEDED IN DOING SO. DON'T GO IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN, APPARENTLY NOONE LIKES THEM.Noteworthy details: Booklet from thousand trails clearly state rules from 10pm-8am

Kai Dwd

2023-05

If you stay at the camp site by the river or closer it will be the best place.But now the river is flooded and closed, so you can only stay in two sitesThe lounge is cozy, but it's also closedAnd the condition of the bathroom and shower room is a bit disappointing.Otherwise near to access many place and hiking area.Stayed section “A”Mobile reception 5G 3 till LTE 3 bars by T-MobileThere are many historical and meaningful places around, but if you are a family with young children, I would definitely recommend the Dave Moore Nature Area Trail.I think it's perfect to stay here for a week.

Daniel S

2023-05

One of the best scenic Thousand Trails campgrounds you’ll find. The grounds have tall pine trees scattered around this campground which borders the South fork of the American River. The surrounding views are just amazing.This resort offers a few full hook up campsites that are found near the swimming pool area. They also offer partial hook up RV sites along the river for an additional fee.Be sure to check out the frozen yogurt stand and Gorilla Taco restaurant. You will not regret it.The staff here were super friendly and very accommodating.My only disappointment comes from not the campground or staff but actually from my fellow campers. Someone or two came into my campground on a Friday night during my stay and removed the fire pit ring from my site. I couldn’t believe it. How rude to not only invade someone’s space but to take something from it. I’ve never experienced this before in my hundreds of camping experiences at over a dozen Thousand Trails. I thought I might have been overreacting when I first arrived by locking my bicycles to the picnic table but now I’m glad I did.

Susan Bocanegra

2023-05

Beautiful location right on the river. Only disappointment was the bathrooms in F Section. The urinal does not work in the men's room. The showers are disgusting with paint peeling and mold growing all over. There is no place to put a towel, or anything, for that matter. The women's room showers had hooks and a seat that was filthy. There is hair all over and plenty of mold. Don't think either restrooms were cleaned during my stay.

Megan Waters

2022-05

We stayed here for 4 days, and there were definitely positives and negatives. Let's start with the good. There is literally gold in the river if you are willing to look for it. The campsites, while close together had more than enough room to open all of our slide outs, and every site had a picnic table. The water tastes great and clean, and the electrical box looked practically new. Now onto the bad like I said beforehand the sites are tight so if you are a novice steer clear or come early, you won't believe how hard some of these are to get a bigger rig in. The showers were also disappointing and slightly moldy.

Rick Manzanares

2023-05

Been here 4 times over the years. Rented a cabin in 2022. Very clean, fully stocked with dishware, flatware, linens and towels. Place was spotless. Amenities are great! Highly recommend!Playground: They have a heated pool, club house and lots to do all around.Restrooms: Cabins have clean bathrooms Dog-friendliness: Many dog walkers and trailsPicnic area: All areas are designed for picnicking

Deborah Nichols

2023-05

This place is horrible!! The worst of the worst!! Manager was a total b$&@h!! There spots are so close and dirty, half the camp was closed due to problems. Manager looked filthy with long greasy multi colored hair. She was riding in her cart with a glass tumbler with a clear beverage and ice, really? Argued with us on finding a spot for us, said 70 footers camp there, what? Are you drunk? Who tows a 70 footer? Dumpster sitting right out in the road, caused a scratch on our vehicle (40’). It looks like a homeless camp, could not get out of there fast enough. Beware!!!

Wendee Weiss

2023-05

The campground is wonderful! Beautiful river views & access, e have been here multiple times. Customer service was very accommodating when we’re had difficulty getting our whole group in. However, this trip the checkin person was a bit rude & abrasive this trip.

Amber Zenovitch

2023-05

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.

Carol VanSchepen

2022-05

Beautiful location but spaces along the river were almost on top of each other. As Thousand Trails members we were supposed to have free camping but we were charged $5 a night for "premium" spot. Never heard of this before. It was very difficult to find our way around our first time in the park with lots of curves and hills. It would be wonderful to have someone take you to your site.

Wenderz 26

2023-05

The campground itself is mountainous and precarious in places, but we found a nice shady spot in the E section. It's a popular place on the South Fork of the American River. The park was packed for 4th of July, everyone rafting, swimming, fishing, biking, and cooking out. The sites by the river are 30amp with no septic. There is a dump station up at the top of the park, or there is full hookups in the D section near the pool. We had spotty 4G on Verizon. Update: on hot days, the "30"amp sites don't have enough amps to to run just one air conditioner, made our cord overheat due to low watage. Had to use our generator during the day. We will pay the extra fee for the 50 amp sites next time.

Jon W

2022-05

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.

Betty Panuzzi

2022-05

The Ponderosa RV Resort in Lotus, CA is one of our favorite Thousand Trails resorts!!! Our first time staying there, we were having trouble finding a full hook-up site. It was a Saturday when I noticed a golf cart approaching, it was Janelle & Mike the weekend caretakers. She hopped out & asked how she could help. They immediately went to work, Janelle had Mike go to a spot that looked like a possible no-show & he put our name on it. They are a great team!! They go the extra mile to make each camper comfortable! I love that!!!

Lorander Sterling

2022-05

Lots of improvements since the last major flood a few years ago. Some regular maintenance has slacked where bathrooms are concerned. But, on the last trip it's attributed to those who seem to lack self discipline and social etiquette. Still one of our favorite places to stay.Gorilla Tacos...delicious!

Robin Main

2021-05

Very nice park. It is great to be on a real river. Vs a dry creek. It is smaller than many of the Thousand Trail parks (which is nice). Good power and water hook ups. Must do not seem to have sewer hook ups. Very friendly staff. The sites are a little closer together than I'd like. Paid wifi. Good cell reception.

Erin Coley

2022-05

Love love love this campground. You can’t beat the views from the lower level. There were issues with an unruly group renting cabins when we were there. Lots of good food within walking distance. Great hikes all around, especially in Auburn State Park. Make sure to pan for gold at Marshall’s in Coloma! Very spotty cell/wifi.

Tonia Habenicht

2021-05

Not many spaces to accommodate our 43' coach. Not a lot of 50 amp spots and they charge $5 a day extra for 50amps. Mostly dirt and weeds and our space isn't level. The river is very nice. The people seem friendly.

Brenda Baker

2021-05

Cabin 7 has a great view with easy parking. It was clean and well stocked for a family of 4. They lost 2 stars because they didn't inform us that we would have no power for 2 days!! Those cabins get cold and dark with 2 small boys! We will return, it is a great location. Just very disappointed that we were not told sooner!

Tina Coddington

2019-05

We loved our stay at the Ponderosa! It's not a fancy RV park and most sites are water & power only but the location next to the river is awesome!Gave 4 stars for amenities but it's a 5 star location!We stayed close to the river for a slightly extra charge and it was definitely worth it!The new restrooms near us were very nice.

Julius Jervoso

2019-05

This has been a family favorite for almost 2 decades. The river that runs along the camp grounds is always cool and refreshing against the hot summer days and for the adventurous there is even rafting tours just across the street that can be both easy and challenging depending on your comfort level. The camp grounds are maintained well while most neighbors respect each other being mindful for those who are there for fun or looking for peace and quiet. My only wish is that the restrooms be more accessible. This is the first time where it felt like a bathroom was over a 5 minute walk away. There were Porto-potties stationed near our grounds but those are not the more comfortable especially in mid-day heat. Even with that I still can't wait till our next visit.

Bruce Benner

2023-05

Half of the park is down with electrical problems . My wife just passed away in April so my Daughter is traveling with me. Now they want to charge her $5 a day for her car because she is not a member. My parents have been will TT for at least 40 years. When it was having troubles in the 80s they donated thousands of dollars. I have been a full member for over 5 years and this is how they thank us. You do not want to join TT, all they want is your money. They don't care about you.

Nalesh Chandra

2022-05

We've been here lots of times and love the location and history of the area. It gets busy during peak season, but it's worth it. Being close to the river is a huge plus, and in the summer the water feels great.