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    Glory Hole Recreation Area

    3.7 (37 reviews)

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    Turkeys settling down in the tree as night falls on New Melones Lake
    Paul L.

    One of the nicest and cleanest campground and recreation areas in California is stuck with the most unfortunate name. I happened upon this place accidentally as the afternoon was drawing to a close and I was eager to find something quickly. I stopped at the registration booth and commented to the park attendant how new everything looked. Well, it ain't: he said it's just very well maintained. That's an understatement. Fortunately, the weekend prior to Memorial Day didn't produce many visitors so I had an entire campground section to myself. A surly gang of turkeys came by to complain about my presence on their turf -- they nest in the nearby trees -- but they soon relented after a staring contest and a hefty bribe that permitted me a good night's sleep. I wish I had the time to explore the lake the next morning but time was limited. By my next visit, I hope the local authorities have had the good sense to change the name. Let me suggest one: Angels Paradise. That's how it seemed to me.

    A small downhill walk to the fire pit and table
    J L.

    We stayed at the Ironhorse campground for 3 nights in April. Space 66 has a loop driveway which was great for our 18 ft trailer. The camp spots are large and gives plenty of solitude. We had a great 180 degree view of the lake and surrounding hills and mountains. Most spots have oak trees for shade. This time of year the grass is green and there are wildflowers everywhere. The store at the marina is not open yet though. There is water about every 100 ft, not at every space. The camp host was extremely helpful and went out of his way to help us with a dead battery. We saw lots of wildlife- deer, turkey, hawks, birds, etc. a beautiful place and we will be back.

    deer

    was here over labor day weekend, and had an amazing time. i was there with friends, a bunch of 20 somethings lol, but i would say great place to bring your kids! we saw lots of kids biking and running around. we even went to the marina and kayaked. saw lots of wildlife too. bathrooms are clean and the water for showers gets hot!

    From site 131
    J A.

    We camped at site 131 which has a beautiful view of the lake. There are trees, but they offer very little shade. It was overwhelmingly hot, so more shade would have been nice. Great proximity to places like Columbia, Sonora, Twain Harte, Calaveras Big Trees. Very clean bathrooms. We rented a small patio boat one day, it was a bit over-priced for a dirty boat (hadn't had a basic cleaning in months), but we were able to cruise all day and park it to swim in the middle of the lake...only way to jump in really. No beachy areas to go dip your feet in without getting stuck in mud. If you get a chance to go for a swim from a boat, the water is lovely! Like 78-81 degrees! My kids loved it. Biggest issue for mid Aug camping at New Melones?! Tarantulas. Everywhere. . It was pretty disgusting!

    Sunset
    Linette A.

    We just spent the memorial weekend in this campground. We were expecting a low water level of the lake but not like we found. There was no water at all in most of the lake. We were desapointed. The picture of the camp site we booked on line showed a very beautiful view of the lake but in reality there was no water. The swimming area was closed for the same reason. So sad! Beside that, the campground is beautiful and well maintained. The staff was very nice and helpful. The bathrooms and showers were clean. You might need to look for some activities to make you busy during the day. I believe that this campgroud used to be a paradise when there was more water in the lake. Overall we had fun and we enjoyed hiking in the area . I recommend to hike in the natural bridges. It is really beautiful. However, the campground was infested by earwigs! We brought a lot of earwigs with us from this camping trip :-(!

    My husband and I just came back from a great camping trip with some new and old friends. After changing the location a few times, for various reasons, we ended up here and had a great weekend! The weather was amazing. The trailer back in spots were easily accessible and the launching fee is included with the camp fee. We stayed in sites #100 and #102. My husband and I own a travel trailer and the rest of our friends stayed in tents. It was first come first serve, but we went at the end of the season and there were plenty of places to choose from. We had many things to play with in the water including kayaks, jet skis, and paddle boards. A few warnings though, the bank is pure mud, the walk down to the water was extremely steep and slick from the dry grass. The shore has many sharp rocks as well, so I advise to bring water shoes and tennis shoes to be prepared for the terrain.

    Dianna M.

    Love this lake, the area, campsites are wonderful, lots of shade. Nice clean shower/restrooms.

    Murray N.

    Beautiful campsite! The Hosts on-site were extremely friendly and helpful. We we're immediately greeted once we entered site and any questions we had were answered. We even spotted cranes and deer while on our little hike. My Verizon phone had signal while we were here. Found buckeye seeds on the hiking trail and apparently they're edible after being cooked but I would do a little more research before eating them. The reserved campsite is the same price as the come-and-claim sites but the reserved ones are a bit bigger! The campsites include a nice clean ground area that fits about three normal tents, a fire ring, and the carway is big enough for only two cars.

    Campsite #124.  Up on a little hill which was a little annoying, although close to the bathroom, shower and wash area.
    Lisa R.

    Went family camping here for the weekend 6/22/2012 and stayed in the Big Oak area, campsite #124. We had easy access to the bathrooms and the wash station. It had a nice view of the lake, hills and trees. There were lots of friendly campers nearby. All the campsites were equipped with a picnic table and fire ring with a grill on top. The general store was only 10 min away and had everything we needed from charcoal to firewood, ice, paper towels and fishing bait. My only complaint was that we really couldn't enjoy the water in the swimming area. The sand area is really small; the rest of it is full of dirt, mud and geese poop. To enjoy New Melones, I believe you really need to get a boat. Like another reviewer stated, they book fast. We are going back and although their website says they offer an hourly rate, you cannot reserve at the hourly rate, only on the daily rate. Still, I think it is worth the $250 since the campsites are so cheap anyway. It's a beautiful area, but we couldn't enjoy it without a boat. Also, campsite #124 was on a hill which was annoying to go up and down for middle-of-the-night bathroom trips or to go wash dishes. I noticed that it might be nice to get #131 AND #132 if you're going with a big group because it's more secluded from the other sites, flatter, and has a nice court if you'd like to play frisbee or catch. We didn't get to enjoy the trails, but I hope to when we return and will update this review then. Last tip: Don't miss stopping by the nearby town of Murphy's. They have such a cute downtown area with nice restaurants, wine and even a Cupcake Wars contestant, Lila & Sage (although we forgot to try it because we got sidetracked by ice cream). If you have kids, there is an amazing park area with a huge shaded play structure and a somewhat Disney-fied river running through that you can actually wade and swim in.

    walk to site 80

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    3 months ago

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    This was an amazing spot to camp. The sites were clean and well maintained. Definitely will go back there again.

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    10 years ago

    This place is overall Awesome! But taking the boat to the dock was depressing to see how immensely the draught has affected this place.

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    Ask the Community - Glory Hole Recreation Area

    Review Highlights - Glory Hole Recreation Area

    It is close to the restrooms and especially close to the lake, just a walk down the hill and you're at the edge.

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    New Melones Lake Marina - View from parking area

    New Melones Lake Marina

    4.2(153 reviews)
    0.3 mi

    I've rented the big party boat here twice for my birthdays, and I honestly can't even describe how…read moremuch fun we had--it was such a vibe both times! Being out on the water with friends, music going, and just enjoying the lake... unforgettable memories every time. We also added jet skis, which made the whole experience even better. Definitely worth it if you want to level up your day on the water! What really stood out to me was the staff. Everyone was so friendly, patient, and made sure we understood everything before heading out. They explained all the safety details clearly and made us feel completely comfortable getting on the water. If you're planning a birthday, group outing, or just a fun lake day, this is 100% the move. I'll definitely be back again!

    My group of friends have rented from here a few times. On our recent visit we rented the boat for 3…read morenights. Check in is at 3pm and they say we have to return the boat back by 10am. However we ran into some trouble not being able to start the boat so we didn't return until 11am. There was no penalty. All the staffs were kind. This time we were welcomed with a choice of water, soda, beer or mimosas. Of coarse we opted for the mimosas. Not sure if this is a new thing but we did rent the biggest boat, the 60' Escapade II. We weren't offered drinks in the past where we rented smaller houseboats. They do have a store where you can get some food including ice cream, drinks, apparel and this is also where you check in. They also have an ice and water station. Houseboating is so much fun. The house boat had everything we needed to enjoy our getaway.

    Photos
    New Melones Lake Marina - Store

    Store

    New Melones Lake Marina - This is a beautiful lake for fishing and enjoyment 
 Slips in the background

    This is a beautiful lake for fishing and enjoyment Slips in the background

    New Melones Lake Marina

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    Angels Camp Rv & Camping Resort - And to round out the trip to the sno-park.. plenty of snow for humans and pets!

    Angels Camp Rv & Camping Resort

    4.3(190 reviews)
    3.0 mi

    Run!!! Don't walk to an amazing family experience not only are the staff friendly and helpful but…read morethe park has so much to offer from full open kitchen to playground and IN GROUND POOL sports area w equipment available washer and dryers as well as showers/ restrooms extremely clean and well kept firewood delivered to your site and a charming general store we will definitely be returning!!!

    Went here for a quick weekend trip and really enjoyed ourselves. This is a boutique camping RV…read moreplace. There's lots of really close together so noise travels pretty fast. We learn the hard way when we were making too much noise because we were so excited to see each other and had some complaints from one of our neighbors. This place is very clean and comes with almost everything you need. Also the staff is pretty nice, and make sure you had what you needed or was able to help you get what you needed. There's a nice pool but it is not heated so just beware. We went when it was pretty warm, but that pool was so cold yet it still felt refreshing. We stayed in the premium Lodge that has a microwave and college size freezer fridge raider situation. There's a coffee maker in there but everything else you will need to bring yourself. There is one full service lodge that is on the ground however, that is located closer to the RV part and there's literally only one of those, so they book up pretty fast. There is a common outdoor kitchen area that has Stove to cook from however, there was one party there while we were there that it was basically camped out there the entire time. We could probably have gone over there and made meals, but it was a bit awkward because they literally were taking up all the space. We enjoyed ourselves and we like that we could all of our food outside and everything was so close together. We really love that the kids could just go and play at the playground and it was super close. Everything is just very close to each other. It was a really wonderful weekend and also this place doesn't seem to have any insect or bugs. Even though they mentioned that it was tarantula mating season when we came, we didn't see any tarantulas or any bugs in the Cabins, which is a good thing cause I'm terrified of tarantulas. I definitely would come back and looking forward to our next trip here.

    Photos
    Angels Camp Rv & Camping Resort - Pond

    Pond

    Angels Camp Rv & Camping Resort - Super clean restrooms

    Super clean restrooms

    Angels Camp Rv & Camping Resort - The cabin

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    The cabin

    Moaning Caverns Adventure Park

    Moaning Caverns Adventure Park

    4.4(526 reviews)
    6.2 mi

    Super fun place that I recommend! The tour was engaging enough, and the cave itself was a really…read morecool experience. Beautiful stalatctites and stalagmites and 100 feet down and up. It wasn't too claustrophobic at all -- but the initial walked down. Could be scary for some people because it's a little bit narrow. But everything is on stairs and steps and paved and you're pretty out in the open once you get down the staircase. It just takes a few minutes to walk down. We paid $25 each for the tour and they also have a crawl tour. You just see the main part of the cave on the $25 tour!

    This was a random find on here when I was looking for things to do or visit while we were in…read moreGroveland for a little weekend getaway. This place was about almost hour away from where we were staying. Booking was pretty easy as I booked our tickets on their website. They have a parking lot so easy to find parking. The drive there was windy from Groveland. They have restrooms, but it's really tight spaces. Staff were friendly. Our tour guide was funny and informative. I don't remember his name. Lol this was back in November. The staircase was crazy!!! My legs were sore for 4 days afterwards!! Omg! Lol It was definitely a fantastic adventure to visit the cavern and to walk that down deep underground. Pricing was okay. I think it was like 20 or 30something per person. They took a group photo of us, which I ended up buying. Lol They also have a small gift shop when you exit with memorabilia and little Knick-knacks. If you happened to be near the area, I would say it's a great place to visit! Probably better for adults or teens. It's harder for little kids or elderly people because of the stairs. We saw a mom carry her child. Such a strong mommy! Kudos!

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    Moaning Caverns Adventure Park
    Moaning Caverns Adventure Park
    Moaning Caverns Adventure Park

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    New Melones Reservoir

    New Melones Reservoir

    2.9(16 reviews)
    0.3 mi

    I was looking for hikes out in Calaveras County and came across recommendations for trails over at…read moreNew Melones. It's one of the largest reservoirs in California and a short drive away from Angels Camp and Sonora. There's an $8 parking fee that's payable at a machine near the entrance (Ranger booth was unstaffed.) There's a few different entrances and recreation areas to the park and on my visit, I went to hike Angels Creek trail at the Glory Hole Recreation area entrance. While parking areas are signed, trails are not. Prepare before you go by researching routes and and getting a screen shot of the park map. I parked at the Buck Brush trailhead and picked up the Angels Creek trail loop from there. There was no trail sign or directional signs along the route but fortunately it was a simple loop trail and a friendly fellow hiker pointed me in the right starting point. Spring is the time of year to go! Lots of lush green hills, poppies and lupines along with cooler weather made this a pleasant, short hike. Nice views of the lake as well. Very few hikers but it was the day after a rainy spell and these trails are popular with mountain bikers, so I imagine they were waiting for things to dry out more. I'd come back and check out some other lakeside trails. None seem long or challenging so this is a more leisurely park. You can make a day trip out of it by heading over to Sonora for lunch.

    If you're a boater, you best be checking this place out. My husband and I don't own a boat... but…read morewe like to get out and explore. There are tons of trails, picnic areas, camping areas, and shore fishing spots with moderately easy access. Multiple entrances to opposing sides of the reservoir with boat launches on both sides provided options to switch it up mid day. (Your parking pass gets you in on both ends) We also seen a plethora of deer lounging in the grasses and under the trees as we drove through. (Be mindful of the wildlife) Whether you're a boater (or renting one) a fisherman, hiker or just want to hang out by the lake- it's worth visiting atleast once!

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    New Melones Reservoir
    New Melones Reservoir
    New Melones Reservoir

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    Tuttletown Recreation

    Tuttletown Recreation

    2.8(41 reviews)
    2.9 mi

    Came here last minute because I could not find any place on the coast to camp over memorial day…read moreweekend and also to avoid 60° on the coast. I really like this campsite.. close to Sonora, and on the lake. The sites are hilly so you may want to check out which one to get. I got 37 which I really liked because it was down a little bit of a climb, but very secluded quiet with shade. I would not come here in the Midsummer unless you're prepared for the heat. It was pleasant end of May and I suspect it will be after September. There are some bugs in the campsite, so be prepared to fend off ants and mosquitoes - I was not bothered too much. The restrooms are clean, the flush toilets and hot showers. Campsites are well-maintained. Enjoy some time on the lake in a kayak On The Lake kayak will bring it to the Gloryhole Recreation Area across the water (20min drive) the owners are really friendly, great service! Indigeny Reserve has amazing Apple Cider including a couple of hard ones than 5 g of sugar. Standard Pour sports bar has really good beer and amazing burgers. They have two locations I really like the one in the cute hamlet of Standard. If you want a one in a lifetime experience, pay a visit to the llamas at circle home. I had an amazing experience for an hour feeding, tending to the llamas and hugging them! Yosemite is one and a half hours away if you want to make this a stop on your way there.

    Watch out for what's in the water…read more... This place is very pretty. Bathrooms and fountains were always cleaned in our area. The ranger was kind and let me switch camp grounds when I realized there was no way I was getting my mother on an oxygen tank up a very steep hill. The map is very deceiving. I picked site 139 because it's pictured very close to the water. It was a good 10 minuet hike through two camp sites before you got to it. I switched to 128. It was better and closer to the bathrooms but still a steep 10 minuets (with small kids) hike down. We drove down to the day use area. The other yelper was right. Something is in the water. I don't know if they're leaches but they were tiny, dark grey, and all over our feet. I had to use my nails to claw them off. I only had them on me in the day use area. Playing in the water the first day near camp I didn't notice anything.

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    Tuttletown Recreation
    Tuttletown Recreation - Rental from on the lake kayak company .. +1 (209) 603-5280

    Rental from on the lake kayak company .. +1 (209) 603-5280

    Tuttletown Recreation - Standard pour brewhouse in the hamlet of standard

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    Standard pour brewhouse in the hamlet of standard

    Glory Hole Recreation Area - campgrounds - Updated May 2026

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