I feel like this community wants to be owner only so has made life unnecessarily difficult for renters. We had a fine stay at our Airbnb, our issues are more with the community. 1. On top of our pricey stay, we paid a $50 fee to stay in the community. This is fine, but everytime we came back, we still needed to wait in the long visitor line only to be waved in once they see our pass. There's got to be a better way. 2. Visitors also don't have electronic passes, so there's a strict path that you can drive or else you'll hit a gate that you can't go through and is owner only. This means often a 10m drive to your house. It also meant driving around the entire lake to get to Fisherman's Cove because the closer paths are owners only. (Fisherman's Cove and Marina Beach are very pretty though!) 3. To play pickleball, you'd think it'd be covered under the $50 fee? But no, it's another $8pp/day. So for a 4 person game, it'll cost $32. This is more expensive than renting a court in Santa Monica! read more

We loved our cabin and the Owners were wonderful but we would never stay at Zou e Lake community again. This is in no way the owners fault but we had to wait in line every single time to enter the cmty. There are over 3k units in the community, many of them rentals -but only 1 guest line for registered and unregistered guests--on busy weekends, multiple cars in front of you are registering so you have to wait even when you are already registered. On our arrival day we waited over 30 mins. The next day tired from a full day in Yosemite-over 20 mins. The third day we almost didn't leave bc of the hassle, but I ran out for groceries and it was still over 20 mins. It was honestly infuriating after paying the $50 parking fee for the stay. The Homeowners Association is making a killing off the fee -so they should at least create a 3rd line for already registered guests. I loved the unit but bc of this we unfortunately would never stay at any property at Pine Lake again. read more

If we could give zero stars, we would. Rented a home for our wedding. On our wedding day we both called and called, finally reached someone who was rude beyond belief who instead of being helpful; decided to hang up on us. They made me, the bride, cry from the frustratingly awful service. They were charging us for each wedding vendors vehicle that came through the gate $80 each! We ended up having each vendor, upon arrival, park outside the gate and had to drive and pick them and all their equipment up to avoid the per vehicle fee we weren't aware even existed. By the way, this was one of many unfortunate incidences that happened during our three night stay. The rest were just as petty and disgusting on their part. Thank you Natalie Trujillo, Director of Safety for your completely unnecessary email threatening us that if we have anyone park outside the gate to be shuttled in again during our stay, that we would reactive a $500 fine. We received this email months AFTER our wedding!!! (which prompted us to write this well deserved review). We have firmly decided to NEVER stay here ever again. Oh, did I mention that my family even owns a home inside this community?!!? That's right, we are long time owners who rented an extra house for our wedding and this is how we were treated! Truly appalling and completely unnecessary. !!! WARNING!!! ATTENTION AIRBNB RENTERS/ BRIDES/ WEDDING !!! Do NOT stay here! It WILL ruin your visit, experience, wedding, vacation, just having to deal with such outrageous nonsense! Prepare to pay fees on top of fees and be threatened with "fines" and harassed with nonsense. Oh and the power went out inside the home on our wedding day. We had to get ready in the dark. It took them several hours to get the power back on. ...I can go on and on...it was (and continues to be) a disgrace! No one needs or deserves such hassles on their wedding day or during their stay in general. There are so MANY more options available from nearby Yosemite resorts that treat their paying guests, like guests... and not like their enemy. We're absolutely appalled by the lack of decency and nonexistent customer service. read more

The amount of rules the "PML" has is seriously insane. The small pool has no less than three attendants micromanaging where you can sit etc. the beach parking is only for homeowners so folks like us renting Airbnb need to hike in. You need to wait in a line often 30 + minutes long every time you return to the property. Are the unhappy with Airbnb and VRBO hosts and want to be a homeowner exclusive community? That's fine then they should just do that. But penalizing renters, who are paying a premium for their vacation, with a million rules and charges just sucks. Also for the expenses the gate they should provide lifeguards at the main beach. read more

We rented a lovely house here for a weekend. The house was great -- well equipped and close to town and lots of amenities. There are some things about the association that were bothersome. For instance, no matter how many times you go through the "visitor's gate," you have to wait in the entry line every time. This sometimes takes 20 minutes if a lot of people are trying to get into the community. There is nowhere in the PML community to take your dog swimming -- dogs aren't allowed. If you are a visitor and want to go to the beach, you have to park outside the parking lots and walk in. There are no visitor spaces reserved. Now for the positives: The roads are well-maintained; the marina has a lot of "toys" to rent like paddle boards, kayaks, pedal boats. Every public area is very clean. We ate at The Grill and it was really good and the atmosphere was nice. The lake is beautiful and was around 74 degrees in late July -- great for swimming. read more

Horrible customer service. RUDE. Home owners association or Airbnb renters only. At least have a sign that says that. And don't be dic*s about it when people ask. read more

I bought a vacation house in Pine Mountain Lake in 2020. I live about 3 hours away and love the fact that there is this community with a lake, golf, and restaurants so close to me that isn't Lake Tahoe. It is also close to Sonora, which is a lovely town, with good restaurants and antique shops. I am at my house a lot but do rent it some during the summer. There is a great little grocery store near by and it is very close to Yosemite. When we leave early in the morning it takes us 30 minutes to get to the Yosemite gate and 60 minutes to get to the Valley. The community consists of a lot of retirees and is quiet and mellow. It is a great place to come with small children who want to swim. This is not a good place to come if you are rowdy or are planning a party. read more

Bad customer service if your planning on your kids riding horses. Too much money for what you get.

For renters, there's no parking at the marina. It's 40$ to go into the neighborhood to even to get to your cabin and you can't even park at the marina? What's the point? I already paid renters fees. It's saturated with people, which is not my idea of going up to the mountains and lake to "get away". It was nice to spend time with my family but I won't be coming this way again. read more

My friends invited me to stay here during July 4th weekend. It is a private gated community located about 26 miles west of Yosemite and includes a golf course, restaurant, stables, campground, and lake. The Marina was the highlight for me as you can rent various types of boats (kayaks, rowboats, sailboats, paddle boats, and fishing boats) and cruise around the lake. On the lake you can also water ski and fish for trout, bass, catfish, and bluegill. On July 4th they also had a fireworks display at night. (http://static3.px.yelp.com/bphoto/SCzd26WIX1reTqPAtZqUCQ/l) The staff here are extremely nice as well. We had missed our turn and asked one of the maintenance staff for directions. He pulled out a blueprint map of the community and after spotting our street, he gave us turn by turn directions. Overall, a fun and relaxing community. They also have a variety of cabins/homes here for rent from lakeside to hillside that should fit anyone's budget. read more

Pine Mountain Lake Association - Front Gate - Campgrounds Near Me - Groveland, California

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If you're a renter... you are a SECOND CLASS CITIZEN for reals. First. The brutal line you have to wait in every time you return to your cabin. You're given a "guest" pass... it means NOTHING. The wait is easily 15-20 minutes each time for the person in the guard shack to simply wave at you. Not good. The lake: nice, nice beach, decently clean facilities. The staff? Exceptionally strict. Again, if you're a guest you're required to park way up the street for beach access. Mind you, there is PLENTY of parking reserved for... wait for it... you guessed it, residents. What ANYONE would want to rent here is BEYOND my understanding. read more

The worst experience I've ever had with management. Seems like they're running a fraud especially with spending $3 million in a restaurant no one's going to use. My personal situation is a disaster and everybody who works in association does not understand the merits of the law or enjoyment for recreational use please stay away. I love this place for many years but the new management Is a disaster. Stay away so many better places. They used to be the best! How can we get there again? read more

We rented for the weekend and were miserable. If you are thinking of Renting for any period of time STAY AWAY they are downright hostile towards renters at the beach or marina. If you don't want renters than just ban then don't allow renters then not allow them to enjoy any of the amenities. Again if you are thinking of renting, DON'T. Go to Tahoe or Lake Almanor instead. read more

Great place to get away from it all. Close proximity to Yosemite National Park. Cabin rentals in the community are probably cheaper than a stay within Yosemite and many rentals can accommodate more than one family. When you factor in the use of a kitchen, fireplace, and Bbq you are definitely coming out ahead. Within the community there is a lake with boat and kayak rentals, playgrounds, a pool, horse stables, archery and shooting ranges, a golf course, pro shop and bar and grill. The community also has a few nice restaurants close by. A couple of decent pizza joints and a supermarket are around the corner as well. So everything you need is within arms reach. Next time you are planning a week or weekend in the Yosemite area, take a look at what's available in Pine Mountain Lake before booking anywhere else. read more

I've been going to Pine Mountain Lake every summer for 15 consecutive years. The lake is incredibly beautiful and not as cold as most mountain lakes, plus it's close to Yosemite so you can wake up and go hiking in the mountains and at the end of the day, swim and relax by the lake. If you're not going hiking during the day, bring some company or some reading material, or you will get a little restless. There's some good blackberry picking by Fisherman's Cove if you're into that old-timey adventure sort of thing. And downtown is cute, in kind of a sickeningly Gold Rushy way. The beaches are kind of crowded and obnoxious, especially during regular holidays, so try to rent a waterfront house. Lots of water skiers during the day as well, during holiday weekends. The patrol boats don't let you swim farther than 20 feet away from your dock, so you should either resolve to stay very close to your dock or exercise EXTREME STEALTH when swimming. If you're in a boat you need lifejackets, or the patrol will get you. Yeah so the patrols are a little anal but if you work the system, the lake is amazing. If you do get hounded by patrols, you can always pretend you're Russian... almost everyone else is, anyway. read more

Edited to one star...some of the people up there need to pull their head out of their ass and see the place for what it is. A good place for a few days but if you're the adventure type and think golf is lame you'll get bored really quick. We came here and had a good time on the beach, great place to take small kids. The area is nice but nothing special. Cabins are cheap so that's a definite plus. read more

Was told today that despite "their" county being surrounded by counties on the COVID watch list, there are homeowners "patrolling" and doing surveillance on guests or renters to enforce rules THAT ARE NOT POSTED to confine guests to the small swimming area thus encouraging people to NOT maintain physical distancing. If you chose to treat people with such disdain then put up signs and make sure homeowners let renters know EXACTLY the type of treatment they will receive here. Will be asking the homeowner for a refund for false advertisement. read more

We Love Pine Mountain Lake! SO much to do! We have friends in the area and rented cabins for years. We enjoyed the beaches, marina, fireworks, equestrian center and the beautiful lake and excellent restaurant. We loved it so much we purchased a home here and have never regretted it. We LOVE the new remodel of The Grill. The food is excellent and the view can not be beat! 5 star! read more

If all you're doing is using Pine Mountain Lake as a base for exploring Yosemite and Stanislaus National Forest, you're in good shape. The prices are low and via VRBO you can generally find a nice little cabin for $125 a night or less that sleeps at least 4 and allows you to store and prepare food at home, saving more money. It's also convenient, with a full supermarket right next to the property, a couple of very casual restaurants with pretty nice food. It's well-located if you want to explore both the Yosemite Valley area and the less-visited Hetch Hetchy Valley. We also found a cabin with a nice view...sitting on the deck, it felt very rustic, with pine trees around us and off in the distance. Wonderful woodsy scent. As a place for recreation, however, PML leaves a lot to be desired. Walking on the streets isn't much fun; most of them look largely suburban with maybe more space and trees than most, but not really rustic. The association rules also make it hard to enjoy the property. There are a couple of specific places you can swim; they're roped off and the size of a large-ish swimming pool. and on weekends in summer, they're crowded. The crowds kick up all the silt in that little area, and my daughter, who happily swims in teh ocean and clorinated pools, found that the silt stung her eyes so badly, she didn't want to go in. You can also only fish in a couple of areas. And the way they work fishing rentals, you basically have to pay for two days to get to fish at the time anything will be biting. The horseback rides weren't very good; the trail leader somehow felt it was his responsibility to treat everyone to a tirade on his Tea Party politics. The rides at Yosemite are way, way better and more beautiful, and actually slightly cheaper per hour. You have to bring your own archery equipment to use the archery range! Renting a kayak was very fun, though. And if you like sighting deer, you'll be in heaven. PML is at an elevation that is particularly hot in summer, up close to 100 on many days. It might be nice for families with young children who don't mind the limited swimming areas of the lake. I'd suggest avoiding weekends. They won't even let renters park by the marina, the biggest swim area and where you can rent boats. You have to park out on the street, up to a half mile away, lugging your stuff in the 95-degree heat. There's a swimming pool, but the hours for renters are limited there, too. It's supposed to be a rustic, activity driven retreat that has managed to take the rustic and the activity out of the whole experience. read more

Don't come here in the winter. They bill it as a great, less expensive place to stay that is close to Yosemite. We liked the idea of having a rented cabin to serve as home base for our winter Yosemite vacation. But in the winter you are not allowed to even take a walk, due to liability. Seriously - cannot step foot off of the property you rent. They say people can sue if they slip & fall on the icy snow. We love the Yosemite area in the winter, but made a HUGE mistake staying at Pine Mountain Lake. There are other places nearby that allow you to take winter walks and enjoy your surroundings. read more

I did not even know about the existence of this lake till my Russian friends invited me to stay with them in a cabin by the Pine Mountain Lake. Apparently it is a small gated community by an equally small lake where you can swim, kayak and do some wakeboarding. It is a very pretty area only 26 miles from Yosemite. However, if you do not have a family or a bunch of friends traveling with you, it is going to get very boring after a day or two. If you want to relax with a book and maybe do some easy kayaking - this place is for you. The cabins here are much cheaper than in Tahoe and the lake is actually much warmer. Another benefit - it is only 2.5hrs from the Bay area making this place a nice getaway for a weekend. read more

I spent many days as child here fishing off my mothers friend's dock. I have fond memories of spending 4th of July on the lake watching fireworks, trying to spot the white doe that roams with her family, eating some of the BEST PIZZA in California. Pine Mountain Lake is probably one of the best family friendly places to spend time in if you're looking for a moderate wilderness setting. Its not too remote and close enough to the important amenities so it serves well as both a vacation destination and permanent residence. Things I love about Pine Mountain Lake: Private airport shooting range fishing for bass and trout in the lake Golfing at the club Riding horses Playing Tennis Hiking the nearby trails exploring mid 19th century buildings ......I could go on and on. Coming from Modesto Im still very shocked, yet slightly relieved that there are still many people around here who have no idea where this is or that it even exists. ;-) read more

The new website has an updated contractor list for preferred PML vendors, well done! They are also doing more outreach through facebook for new community announcements. They are moving forward to 5 stars in 2015. read more

I have been visiting PML for over 10 years every single year. To have one subjective opinion "boring" but everything else was great then give it 3 stars is just simply unfair, misleading and simply incorrect. This is a beautiful place to spend time. Ignore the boring twins comments, you will have a good time and relax under some very pleasant conditions. Great place to stay and only 26 miles from the west entrance to Yosemite. Then we have "getting sued" in winter. Not sure where you heard these ideas, but there is no such rule. You are not prisoner of your cabin. lol... This is a five star location and there is peace here. There is much to do there by the lake and much to do within a short drive. Great place to spend time! read more

We've owned a house in PML for over 20 years -- got invited by friends for a holiday weekend and starting looking at houses right away. Great lake, golf course, tennis courts, and other amenities. Only 2.5 hours from the Bay Area. Half an hour to the north gate of Yosemite. Lots of rentals available for vacationers. Elevation is 3000 feet, so its below the snow line most of the time in winter -- especially great for winter golf! Summer holiday weekends are really crowded, so maybe avoid those. And some cell carriers have no coverage up there -- like T-Mobile. Otherwise, it's all good -- boating, fishing, golfing, riding, hiking, swimming, etc., etc. Can't beat it. read more

We rented a house in the country club for my father's birthday in August because of its proximity to Yosemite. This lake is on the smaller side, but fun none the less. It is very family friendly with the water trampolines and launch pad which were fun for all of us! We rented a sailboat, motor boat, and a kayak, I would definitely suggest the sailboat, it was our favorite part. We really enjoyed walking around the airplane landing strip and looking at all the houses built on the taxi way and the large hangers instead of garages to house their private planes, very nice residents also who didn't mind showing us the planes they were currently building. We are already planning next years trip back! read more

I'm a PML property owner and whoever wrote the review stating that "you are not allowed to walk outside in the winter" is full of crap. PML is California's best kept secret. The place really sucks, so please don't come up here :) read more