I would say that David S from Stockton (3/2014) review is very accurate. Fabulous place for…read morefishing and camping. It's a Small remote campground - driving down/up a dirt, unimproved forest route road with lots of switchbacks creates limits to cars and RV's (don't even try unless you want to scratch/dent or get stuck). Highly advise no children and keep dogs on leash at all times. The river is swift and deep all year. If you fall in, you're a gonner - there is no swimming/floating. This is just a good hiking and fishing stream, but is not a family (kids) fun type campground because of the water hazards.

Nice spot. To many people and no drinkable water. Fish are getting smaller also. Road down is quite…read morea journey, don't try it at night.

Well, we found our new family get away! It was quiet and clean! The bathrooms even smelt clean! The…read moreriver is beautiful. The camp host is amazing! We stayed for our first time last night, and we will be returning hopefully next weekend for a longer stay!! Thanks for trusting us with your campground!

We were extremely disappointed with our recent experience at River Ranch Campground. We had planned…read morea 3-day camping trip--a tradition our family has enjoyed for three generations--but were kicked out after just one night due to a new "no music" policy that was never mentioned on the website during booking. Within 10 minutes of our arrival, we were approached and warned about playing music, even though it was very low and only audible to those at our site. It turns out there are now surveillance cameras and speakers at every campsite, and staff are actively listening in to ensure no music is being played. This level of monitoring felt invasive and unnecessary. We were harassed repeatedly throughout our short stay--not just about the quiet music, but also about a service dog that belonged to our friend, a military veteran. Despite the website clearly stating that pets are welcome, we were approached multiple times and questioned about the dog in a way that felt discriminatory and disrespectful. Our group included a handicapped friend and a retired veteran, both of whom were deeply upset by how we were treated. After all the years and money we've spent here, we were shocked by the lack of respect and hospitality. Thankfully, Don Pedro Campgrounds welcomed us without a reservation and turned our ruined trip into a positive experience. We will not be returning to River Ranch and strongly recommend choosing Don Pedro instead. It offers a far more welcoming and respectful camping environment. 10 out of 10 times, Don Pedro is the better choice. 0 stars is what they deserve but isn't an option!

One of the better cramgrounds around pinecrest. Your not down below crammed in with everybody…read moreelse. I recommend highly is you like camping in this area.

I've been camping at the Lair on and off (mostly on) since 1977, and my 10 year old has camped…read moresince he was 14 months. It is our happy place. The place where we unplug, roam under the pines and gaze at the stars, make new friends, play at the pool, hike, do arts and crafts, chill in the hammock... I could go on and on. One of my favorite things to do at camp is to just BE... and let my kiddo run free :)

Great here. Come on up. It's sleep away camp for families instead of just the kids. You can pick…read morefrom Blue camp, Gold camp or Camp Oski. Check it out.

Amazing camp grounds. about 10 miles down the road from pinecrest and 1000 feet up in elevation…read more(6000 ft total) is the most beautiful campgrounds ever. + only $5 a night!! +14 spots for camping + even though there is only an outhouse and no running water, this one was luxurious. the host adds lavender to the restroom and really makes sure nothing is stinky! what i was once dreading to use turned into a pleasant surprise + fresh creek running/ soothing to sleep to + fire pits/ bbq + 1 picnic table per site + wonderful host named Diane. smile and say hi to her when you see her definitely coming back here.

This place could be nice! But the camp host Dianne harass you the whole time you are there! We are…read moreadults not children Diane! We don't need to be told what time to go to bed. (10:00pm) according to her! We are also waaay over 21 and can drink if we want! We are not stupid and know how to maintain a low campfire. Never in all my years of camping have I come across such Nasty , harrassing , camp hosts. Mind you who are only volunteers and hold no authority at all. I would never reccomend this place to anyone , untill they get new camp hosts!

Great campsite! Restrooms were kept clean daily…read more Heavily monitored by campsite staff. Absolutely no service for AT&T. Loved having the little community center that served coffee and snacks near loop 400. Best part of the site!

No reservation needed or possible, it's a first come first serve. To find a spot you'll have to…read moredrive through the campgrounds. It helps to have one person get out of the car and read the permits, sometimes previous occupants forget to take their permits off the site markers, so it's easy to think the site is occupied. Once you've found your desired site, park(each site has it's own parking spot). Make sure you take a picture of your license plate and remember your site number. Head back towards the entrance of the camp grounds, in front of the info board you'll find the permits you'll need to register for you site, oh yes make sure you have a pen too, and exact change, cause you'll be depositing payment into a slot. I didn't have exact change, and wasn't able to find staff around. I recommend arriving well before evening, so you're not setting up tent in the dark and with bugs. Beautiful meadow view. Restroom well stocked with toilet paper, trash was emptied daily, clean except for the bugs, but what do you expect, it's better than porta-potties, functional soap dispensers and sinks with hot water. What I loved about this campground was that each site has a parking spot and it's own fire pit and some even have benches nearby. You're allowed to burn any downed wood, twigs, pine cones around, NOT TRASH. There are dumpsters around to dump trash. Tons of cute spots to take pictures. One last thing, I have sprint and the reception SUCKED, I was only able to receive and make calls. But luckily we didn't need phone service, just make sure you check the weather & maybe make a make available offline if you're maps dependent.

I got married at Camp Sylvester in April, 2023. It was a wild winter, and there was more snow than…read moreexpected. We originally planned to get married outside in the amphitheater, but it was buried in snow. We ended up using DeBoer Hall for the ceremony, and it was magical! Our guests had so much fun, and everyone said the cabins were warm and cozy. Everyone embraced the feet of snow surrounding camp, and it made for a unique experience. Our camp wedding was everything we hoped for, and we are so glad we found Camp Sylvester. One of my favorite moments was watching our guests having snowball fights and building snowmen on the morning of the wedding. Ken was incredibly helpful in the planning process! All the Camp Sylvester staff were kind and responsive throughout the wedding weekend. I highly recommend you plan an event at Camp Sylvester!

everyone be careful about this place it has been abandoned for years the rooms are old no pillows…read moreor blankets some rooms the heaters don't work ! the staff there are really bad they deliberately don't provide cleaning service and make our group do it ! our group is a church and rented over 10 rooms here when we returned the staff went through every room and said the floor was dirty when it was cement they provided us with mops and made us clean each room and when we cleaned they wiped the floor with their hand and it was still dirty this is crazy when it should be cement when we cleaned and they checked by wiping the floor with their hand and it was still black ! we had to do everything they asked us to do cleaning the dining room the auditorium the basketball court and also cleaning the restrooms we did all of the above including picking up the trash but they were not satisfied and they asked for a cleaning fee of $150 per room and for the restrooms they asked for $300 they kept our deposit which was over $2,000 and we could barely do anything when we started worshipping God early in the morning at 7am they wouldn't let us use the speakers! After 10pm when we were still singing worshiping God they always showed up and were annoyed always trying to stop us! I advise everyone to consider carefully when coming here because when we returned the dining room to them they came and counted every spoon to find an excuse to deduct money and asked us to leave before 1pm but at 12:30 they were still there to check every dish they always found every way to deduct our money we had a very bad experience here.

What a terrific place!!! First time staying here. I rented the Zen cabin for 5 nights. It was the…read moremost relaxing vacation ever! Quiet well kept grounds. The cabin was perfect for me. Just a bed, sink and toilet. And it did have electricity. Campsite also includes a built in bbq, a fire pit and table and two chairs on the deck. Was able to park my car right next to the cabin. Cabin also included a table top fan which was very helpful, as it was a very hot week. As someone who wanted to camp, but didn't want to sleep on the ground, these little cabins they have were perfect! Showers were coin op and just a quick walk from the cabin. Showers were .50 cents for 3 mins. You can add more quarters for more time. The communal bathrooms and showers were VERY clean at all times. Very well kept. The pool was terrific! Perfect temp and was very nice to hang out down there and read a book. Just a 5 min drive to big trees state park. Also a quick drive to Lake Alpine, Stanislaus river, Columbia state park, some terrific restaurants, and the moaning and Mercer caverns. The staff was super friendly and very helpful! All in all I had an amazing trip, and I will definitely be back!

We booked an overnight at this place a few years ago to attend a wedding. It is a smaller…read morecampground and feels a bit tight with 22 full-hook up sites and only 30 amp service. They have one site with 50 amp. They do have 6 pull-through sites for larger rigs. They allow tents on pull-through sites only. The sites are dirt, but fairly level. Anyone with a large rig and tow vehicle should avoid this place or call to ensure you will fit. There are several large trees in the park that can make backing your rig difficult. Most of the sites are fairly small. If you are trailering another vehicle, they recommend renting another site to accommodate that tow vehicle which is a bummer. They do have a pool, showers and bathrooms. For me, it was cool to experience this place one time, but it wouldn't be my first choice.

Great place to explore/hike/fish/hunt. Be prepared and safe…read more Research on the fact.usda.gov sometimes needs a little more clarification. If you're going to overnight, confirm with the ranger stations on if you need a wilderness permit (free) which can not be ordered online and only available at all 4 ranger stations. What really sucks is that the ranger districts don't know much about the areas in all regions,only the area they oversee, and they will not answer your question relating to an area they are not assigned, they'll defer you to the correct station to answer your questions: Summit (all areas need a wilderness permit for overnight, but not when you're exploring during the day) I felt the lady who answered my questions from this station was kind of curt with me. She may need to get some training on customer service or choose a new line of work if she doesn't want to answer phone calls. Calaveras (some areas) call to confirm if the area you're going to overnight at may need it. Groveland (some areas) call to confirm if the area you're going to overnight at may need it. If you last minute decide to overnight, the permits can be collected at a self service area for when the stations are closed.

This is truly a beautiful place to come & just get your Zen back! I mean the meadows, Duck lake ,…read moreAlpine lake, cherry lake need I say more. They have some of the most gorgeous hiking trails. If you like mountain biking that's a great option too. The camping here is always fun. The smell of all the trees, so refreshing.