On July 19th I was able to visit Moaning Caverns and had a wonderful experience. I thought the…read morespiral staircase was going to be difficult ( as I am 78 years old ) but I found it to be an easy climb down and back up. The cavern was outstanding and our guide explained in detail the history. There were two young children in our party and they had a great time asking lot's of questions. Overall a great experience.

Very awesome tour and the gift shop staff is very helpful as well I enjoyed walking around the…read morecavern stage floor they do have a spiral tour which is the one I did, and then a longer tour through parts of the cavern which is a $130 tour called the expedition tour which if you are claustrophobic like me it probably is best to just stick to the spiral tour, the place is just phenomenal to escape the heat in during these times. I would rate a 10 star if I could but this app only lets me do 5 stars. And after the tour you can buy your photo with them at the gift shop for you and your group which is super awesome. I know on you tube theirs a few videos that show the expedition tour but I myself can't even fit in those tight spaces let alone deal with the claustrophobia and fear of heights this was a good and safe tour for me. Thank you guys for providing this! Also heads up for anyone planning on going to spiral tour the stairs is a long way up and a long way down make sure to have a camera strap for your cameras or phones so you do not drop it or lose it. Thanks to all the tour guides and staff! Great job!

First full weekend of June, visited the lake several times…read more Parking Saturday by 10:20am, most of the overflow parking across from the restaurant and general store were already full. To avoid walking too far if you have a vehicle, strongly recommend getting here early to keep the walk short. In contrast, on a Sunday at Noon, there were sporadic parking spots lakefront. Crowds Saturday had some areas of the lake crowded with most benches or picnic benches taken but there were some left by 11am. Sunday, dramatically less crowds. Weather Even in mid-60s, being in direct sunlight can feel much hotter and burn you. Water Just fine for early June, did not feel terribly cold. Restrooms Generally in very good condition and multiple throughout the lakefront, no soap though.

Small yet popular lake in the Stanislaus National Forest. Very convenient for Bay Area vacationers…read moreas it is only a 2.5 hour drive. I've done a few summer weekend trips here, but as a child. So don't remember many details, just that it was always a blast, camping with a large group and delving into lake activities. As an adult, I've mostly come to this area during the winter/spring months, and that's only because Dodge Ridge Ski Resort is in the same area. But never really knew how close the actual lake is to the ski resort...until recently when I finally did both in a one weekend stint. The actual lake is man-made, it is a reservoir meant to harness water, snow melt is my guess due to the regular snow fall every winter in these mountains. Then PG&E bulit a dam and used this for hydroelectric energy and you can see the raging water on the bottom of the dam if you hike over to that corner. We hiked only half of the lake on a gorgeous clear winter's day. I wanted to hike the entire circumference of the lake, which is only a little over 3 miles, but we had a small child in our group, so we kept it manageable. The trail is well kept and very easy to stay on, not many off shoots to other trails. It climbs in a few spots but nothing too difficult (at least to me). The lake is in view in practically every spot on the trail, so very very scenic and picturesque. Even though a man-made lake, seeing the clouds drift by the snowcapped mountains and all the pine trees all around, that I never felt like it was a man-made lake. Very natural contours and plant and tree habitat. I saw an occasional deer and tons of birds enjoying the sun on an otherwise cool winter's day. Even saw a couple of eagles soaring from the trees to the lake line, may have even been bald eagles as I observed white heads. I didn't have binoculars to confirm, so just a hunch, but it still felt special. Not much activity on the actual lake during my winter visit, maybe just a few people fishing off of rocks near the shore. No one was boating or swimming in these months. But in the summer, it is a much different story, as my memories recollect. Now i want to come back during the summer/fall and do some camping and kayaking. A promise I am making to myself and will surely bring into fruition. Trust.

We rode the Polar Express Christmas-theme train event last year. It was wonderful. Trains and…read morefacilities were nicely decorated and the staff were dressed in Christmas attire. The entertainment was nice. The hot chocolate and snacks were nice, too. We hope to make this a yearly event for our family.

Railtown State Historic Park is extremely cool and fun for all ages! We got to stand on the caboose…read morebuilt for Back To The Future III, viewed the train smoke stack from Little House on the Prairie train, coal powered steam engines, and we saw the Well from the olddddddd show Peticoat Junction: We also were able to see some old trains including ones with wooden grates in the front, and lots of train parts!! He enjoyed explaining things to me.. For a very small fee you can take a ride on a train. Walk around the grounds and see old engines, workshops with all sorts of parts, machines of all sorts. A map is providing for easy understanding of the grounds. It is a trek to get across the grounds and would be difficult for someone with mobility issues. Both of my children grew up coming to not only this park, but to Columbia also. Our family has made many trips here over the years. We love combining, education, history and adventure. They host Christmas events here like the Polar Express train ride to North Pole. This was such a spectacular event I brought my daughter to when she was little. We watched the movie the night before. When we arrived in our pajamas for our VIP seat, we stood in line where we were lovingly harassed by actors. We boarding the train after getting a golden ticket! We sat in the back car. Actors were dancing and singing and chasing hobos off the train while we enjoyed a ride and spilled hot cocoa out of polar express keepsake mugs. Arriving at North Pile and seeing the elves and Santa pushed it over the edge for my young daughter. She was beyonnnnnd excited!! Will I return: We always do. There's something incredibly nostalgic about this place!

I have camped here twice now. Camping is not my thing, but it's a way to unplug and unwind. The…read morefirst time we stayed at waterfront campsite (Pincone- $65). It was easy to walk to the water. The second time we stayed at the standard campsite (Hilltop- $42). Each reservation is for 6 people and 1 car. The weather was nice when we went and the site was shaded. Pit toilets are the main downside to camping here.

We really had a great time beating the Sacramento heat on a July Saturday afternoon. We parked on…read morethe roadside on the first turn after the main entrance. We put our stuff in the lakeside and ventured onto the lake on our stand up paddle boards. The weather was comfortable and noticeably cooler on the lake. Paddle boarding was very challenging and I fell into the water many times until I figured out the proper stance. The lake is the perfect size as it was not too crowded and was clean without any litter. There weren't any restroom facilities nearby. We look forward to coming back.

Camped at Ironhorse #17 and kayaked and fished in New Melones Lake…read more Ironhorse Campground: While #17 was chosen because of its close proximity to the bathroom/shower, the dangerously steep decline/incline from the parking pad to the tent/fire pit/picnic table will keep me from renting this space again. Trekking heavy gear from the car to the tent was ridiculous in that you had to carefully watch your footing. Going back and forth to unload and then doing it all again when it was time to leave was a precarious total body workout. As for the amenities, the bathroom was clean and had two toilets plus one shower. Although previous reviews said that the showers were coin-operated, the machine has been removed, the one shower is free and has a hand held shower head which pleasantly surprised me. Due to the lack of grading, the shower water does flow into the bathroom stalls. Initially, it didn't look like the bathrooms had any hand soap as there was only an empty bottle left; however, on the day I was leaving, maintenance replaced the empty bottle with a full bottle. If you wash your hands, bring your own soap and towel. On the wall, there are two precious outlets which I really appreciated. Throughout the day, I enjoy having a cup of tea and use my travel electric water kettle to boil my water. Speaking of water there was a water spigot on either side of our camp site which was convenient. If it wasn't raining, I would have used the fire pit which seems to be a rarity these days in CA as many places do not allow them. Camping fee per night is $44 per night plus an $8 booking fee. Due to the wind and rain, my partner and I had the whole campsite to ourselves. Even the RVs left. For next time, I will choose the more flat #13 or #14 to avoid the steep hike to and from the tent. Marina: For boats, there are two ways to get into the water. 1) 30 day quarantine by the Marina, or 2) Hot Water Decomtamination with an appointment with the Marina which will cost around $90. If you're a camper, then parking/launching a boat is included in your camp fee. Glory Hole Launch is open Mon-Thurs from 8am - 4p and Fri-Sun from 6:30am - 8pm. Tuttletown Launch is only open Fri-Sun and closer to the fishing action. As for kayaks, they do not have to go through the quarantine nor the decomtamination. However, the hull needs to be dry which is tough when it's been raining. Moreover, the boat ramps are not kayak friendly as the ramps are VERY steep. To avoid the steep ramps, I used the marina to hand launch my kayak which was slippery and muddy due to the recent rain. Fishing opportunities abound as I witnessed people limiting out on Kokanee and catching nice sized rainbow, small mouth bass, and even blue gills from the shore. If you're into birds, there are lots of varieties, especially turkeys and blue herons. Although I will return, I will make better choices like a flatter terrain for camp site and not camp on potential rain days, if I can help it.

Loved the campground. We were here last week-end in February…read more Good shower and bathrooms. Everything was very clean. Beautiful hilltop views of the lake which is all around. Will come back for sure. Oh and we enjoyed our spiral tour at Maoning Caverns which is nearby!

Very nice park. Very well maintained (old buildings, lots of items). Lots of things to see and to…read morelearn. Highly recommended. Many stores to visit and shop, bakery, restaurants, ice cream, museums and more. Air conditioned store rooms. Some rare book editions on sale in the bookstore! Free parking. Dog friendly.

I come here every year! I walk around and enjoy seeing the old, small town of Columbia that…read moresettlers founded. It is now recognized as Colombia State Historic Park. It has a one-room school house where students of different ages, once sat and listened together to their teacher's lectures, in harmony. I always visit the old cemetery where some members of The Donner family, who survived their perilous journey from Missouri to California during the gold rush, are buried. The old mercantile building and the Blacksmith stable where the horses were shoehorned and cared for, still stands. The countryside is beautiful. The hills and rivers are gorgeous. This is a great place for families and especially for children who should know our great history regarding brave settlers who traveled from far and wide, by horse and buggy (wagon trains of home crafted covered wagons). It is always such a nostalgic feeling going back in history for me. Enjoy this great town!

I have been coming to old Oak Ranch since 1985. My five sons have experienced some great things at…read morethis camp and the memories run deep! The entire staff are incredible and the food is awesome! If your church is looking to have a gathering in the Sierra's you simply don't have to look anywhere else but Old Oak Ranch!!!

We just came back from our 4th grade Gold Rush overnight field trip and I highly recommend Old Oak…read moreRanch. (we stayed here and did the Gold Rush activities/tours at Columbia State Park, but they are thinking of bringing some Gold Rush activities on site in the future). Aaron and Bryan were wonderful hosts. The food in the dining hall was quite good and they were very accommodating for dietary restrictions/allergies. The kids enjoyed the game room (foosball/ping pong/pool tables/arcades). There was another group during the time we were there but we hardly noticed except during meal times (even then, we were eating in separate areas). It unexpectedly snowed a lot on one of the days (mid-April!) and 4WD is really helpful.

Truly a rare and beautiful place to fish or just relax. This is one nice place to go fishing as the…read moreStanislaus River runs along the south side of this park. With plenty of trees and water areas one could hike for hours. It is a good raft or canoe launch site as well. From what many of the locals tell me this place has a history of producing large strippers and black bass. When I went today many of the ponds were full of algae but fortunately the river ran clean. From what I gather if I had a canoe I probably would have landed some good size black bass. Unlike some of the other people fishing I did have a few bites on my line. Of course if I told you what lure I was using I would have to k.... you. Just kidding or am I?

This is a beautiful park just to sit and relax or go for a walk or hike if your so inclined, I love…read morethe Stanislaus River. Very peaceful here, I really enjoyed it although I didn't get to stay long.