Alpine Lake offers an idyllic retreat for outdoor enthusiasts seeking tranquility and stunning…read morevistas. The surrounding terrain boasts incredible natural beauty and a serene ambiance, making it a popular destination for paddling, relaxation, and wildlife viewing. What many fail to realize is that the lake's true splendor is best appreciated from the water, where visitors can immerse themselves in the serene landscape. Nestled amidst the mature coniferous forests along the shores of serene Lake Alpine, the Lake Alpine Campground is one of five scenic camping destinations within the larger Lake Alpine Recreation Area. It is a superb place to paddle and camp! FOr more info: https://www.paddlingcalifornia.com/Alpine_Lake.html

Beautiful Lake at 7300 feet! I came up to this lake to go kayaking. The water was clear and…read moreperfect for paddling around in Mid-September. Probably a little chilly for swimming, though. There was plenty of irregular cloud cover, and the temperature was in the seventies with a slight breeze. I wore a long-sleeved shirt and PFD and felt comfortable. My paddling companion was wearing a t-shirt initially, but felt cold and had to add layers partway in our circumnavigation of the lake. There are some nearby structures that I guess are privately owned residences nearby. A few others were also kayaking around. I saw one motorized craft tooling slowly around, so it is allowed. Parking was pretty crowded for the number of available parking. Day use parking is $5 available at the store in the lodge building or at the little shack near the boat launch. $10 fee to use the boat launch. The campground host of the Silvertip campground also oversees the camping at Lodgepole campground, about a mile east of the lake where we camped. According to him(Thom), he also patrols the parking in the day use parking and along the shore. If you are staying at the campgrounds and have checked into your site with the host(Thom), the additional $5 day parking fee is waived (wish someone had told us that. We had already paid at the store earlier).

We always love hiking here. It's easy to hike with kids, even though it can get a little rocky and…read morea little muddy. The cave is always beautiful, especially when the water is flowing. Today, there are still descent of people hiking, and we came around 12:30 Easy Hike!Gonna come back again soon. P. S please leave no trace

I went here on a weekday, and when I arrived in the parking lot, I was shocked by how much was…read moregoing on. It definitely did not feel like a safe place to leave a car or to walk alone. There appeared to be drug activity, and there were people living in their cars. It felt more like a place for people to hang out and purchase drugs than a normal parking lot. I observed this as I drove through, which was very concerning. This was a bummer, especially since the trail itself looked beautiful. I'm surprised that law enforcement hasn't been called by the neighborhood, but then again, I understand that people can sometimes become used to these conditions.

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....

Beautiful state park with giant sequoias, easy trail which is beginner friendly. Points of interest…read moreinclude a large tree stump which is large enough to be a little stage, fallen ancient giants, humongous exposed roots, hollowed out tree stumps which kids can walk through etc. Apparently the people who took care of the park previously cut out a hollow in one of the trees as a point of attraction for cars and people to walk through to compete with other such parks. The tree finally gave away and fell during a heavy rain a few years ago. We took the north grove trail, with kids and toddlers it took us about an hour with several photo stops. There is no elevation so it was an easy stroll. There is no signal in the park. But since it's a single loop, there is no possibility of getting lost.

Beautiful scenery and you can choose from different levels of hiking trails. Lots of shade in warm…read moreweather.

For people who enjoy walking threw nature this is a beautiful place ! With a lot to over look enjoy…read morewalking

White Pines exploring this weekend was insane. My daughter and I had a blast riding some of the…read morefire roads with unreal views. There's miles of roads and trails everywhere that lead down to the river. Super chill people out and about enjoying the weather. Will definitely be back next time in Arnold.

Came up here for 4th of July weekend, and what a cool little gem it is! Lots of nice beach area,…read morehiking, frisbee golf, fishing, and just general fun on the lake with swimming, inflatables, etc. I totally recommend! :)

Bathroom locked. Road closed to parking lot. Parked along Ice House Road which added about a mile…read moreto our hike. Some minor stream crossings. Some snow patches. Waterfall raging. Beautiful views.

Such a beautiful place! Located near Ice House and in Pollock Pines - it's a must see!…read more The hike is about 4.5 miles round trip and is pretty easy - there were only a few small inclines. Bassi Falls is huge - lots of little areas to swim. The water was freezing, but well worth the hike and a quick dip. We could have spent hours here! Pack lunch and make a day of it! I highly recommend checking it out. We will definitely be back next month when we go camping again!

Chasing (roadside) waterfalls…read more.. This is a pretty decent roadside waterfall off Highway 50 (between Sac and Lake Tahoe) near Pollock Pines. It is pretty during spring as snow melting gives the waterfall a good amount of flow with a drop of 80-ft. Nice stop to stretch out the legs at the same time. The waterfall grabs your attention whether you're driving to or from Lake Tahoe. The falls is to your right as you head to the Lake. I suppose you can pull over on the opposite side of the highway to get a full view of the falls but I wouldn't cross the road as it is dangerous because there are blind turns, sometimes cars and trucks whiz by fast and furious down this road. Easy access where you literally just pull over into a very large pullout right in front of the falls. This waterfalls is about 60 miles from our place. It is worth stopping to look at, at least once, on your way to Lake Tahoe. Review #2106 updated

Worth the quick stop to get out, stretch and check it out on the drive to Tahoe or back! Very cool…read morelittle falls on an easy pull out.

Wow wow wow!! This is a must stop point if you like waterfalls, creeks, rock formations, mountains…read moreand scrambling. Brought my kids 5 & 8 and they can do most of it. Views are incredible. We went to the waterfall (10 mins on the trail) and bridge and then to the vista point. Wanted to do more but the 5 y/o got tired. You can scramble this whole mountain!

The hike was just the right amount of challenging to really appreciate the top and sit and look…read moreover the lake. It took us about 4 hours round trip. Nice clean trail, no bikers. It was great. Would do it again.

I'm local and have been visiting Grover for two decades and things have really gone downhill since…read moreCovid. The reservation system sucks. Why can't we make reservations the same day? This makes no sense. I used to visit Grover weekly, so they made around $500/year from my visits. Since Covid, I've been three times, so they've made about $30 from my visits in the last five years. Making it harder to visit is extremely stupid and has turned off many locals who used to visit regularly. I'm in favor of keeping the reservation system, but the 48 hour cutoff is idiotic. The other major issue is the inconsistent opening hours and arbitrary closings. This has been true since before Covid. However, these days the phones NEVER work, so there's no way to know if they are actually open. Even if you have a reservation, I wouldn't trust them to be open. I've made that mistake more than once and wasted an hour and half in the car. Since they can't be bothered to fix their phones (this has been going on for YEARS) or get a cheap cell phone for the pool area, it's impossible to know if they are truly open. Buyer beware. Opening hours also suck from a soaking standpoint. Grover used to be open until 8pm, then it was 7pm, and now it's 5pm. Grover used to be a great place to stop for a soak after skiing, but now that's no longer possible because of the 5pm closing. Soaking in the summer is even worse. Who wants to soak in a hot spring mid-day in July? No one. In the summer you want an evening soak, when the sun has dipped behind the mountains, but nope! They're closed at 5. Stupid. Opening hours on Yelp are incorrect as well. I've submitted a correction. Per the State Park website, Grover is now only open Friday-Sunday. Of course no one who works for the park bothers to update this information. This place is so poorly run., On a positive note, the staff is always very nice and it's a beautiful spot.

We were looking for a place to camp on New Year's Eve and happened upon this location. The main…read morecampground is closed for winter, but the day use area was available. Ranger was very nice and helpful. Area has enclosed restroom facilities available near campsites. We found a great spot near the water and ended up being the only campers there. The hot springs facility was closed until the weekend, but looked great. We had a peaceful start to the new year and can't wait to go back to this location to hike and fish in the summer.