So we go camping once a year, and every year we try something new. This year we found Cherry Valley…read moreCampground. It's about 29 miles past Sonora, Ca, but forewarned the drive is very curvy. But...once you arrive...OMG...the campground is amazing. There's a manager on site for any help, they sell firewood and have Potable water if you need it. The bathrooms are super clean and smell good, which is not normal for a campground. Now one thing you must know is that the lake is accessible at multiple points, but it's all rocky. So no matter where you go there's no real beach. However if you drive to the boat launch area which is like 5 minutes away, there is some sand and rocks to enjoy the water. We took some kayaks and we're able to explore the water, even saw a Bald Eagle. The scenery was great. Camping here was awesome, we will def be back.

The camp host was great! Made sure we were okay when a snow storm hit. The location was beautiful.read more

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!

Visited Yosemite Falls on May 1st, and it felt just right…read more No crowds, perfect weather -- not too hot, not too cold. The waterfall was powerful, full of life, rushing down like it had something to say. Yosemite National Park felt wild and peaceful at the same time -- clean, untouched, and deeply beautiful. Grateful for everyone who takes care of this place

Visited Yosemite National Park for the first time in a while on Easter weekend! Definitely…read morerecommend coming on a weekday/non-holiday time or arriving early as the park gets pretty crowded - we waited about 30 minutes to get through the entrance on Saturday. Park is well maintained and very prompt on trail closures. There's something for everyone here from straightforward and short paved walks to more intense ones like Half Dome. We hiked the Vernal Falls & Nevada Falls trail on Friday, and part of the John Muir trail was closed due to snow so we had to do it out and back instead of a loop. Views were stunning and there was a lot of water in the falls this time of year! Took us a little over 4 hours to complete. Only downside was that this is a very popular trail so we were having to move slowly and wait behind people on some narrow portions. We stopped by Lower Yosemite Falls on Saturday and it is a simple, easy stroll with a great view, but super super packed. We weren't able to find parking so one person had to keep circling the lot until. Gift shops were nice and I picked up a couple of magnets as souvenirs. Overall, I would definitely return, and will plan my next visit around the crowds. Pro tip: find accommodation inside the park if possible. The roads leading into the park are very windy and going back and forth made me a bit car sick. All the lodges were already completely booked, so next time I will plan well in advance.

We reserved site 25 here for a few days Thursday-Saturday. It was full sun which was a bummer cos…read morewe didn't bring a pop up tent. The road down is paved so fine for most vehicles though it is windy and probably difficult for some camper vehicles. Our park ranger on site was a volunteer named Jim who was the absolute BEST. Personable, knowledgeable, interactive, and kept things in order in the friendliest way. No showers, well maintained bathrooms. No water sources (sinks or spigot) so you need to bring all your own water. Trails from the site including an 8 mile one to El Capitain. About a 40 min drive to the valley or 1 hour to Hetch Hetchy. You still need to pay the park entrance fee ($35 or use your parks pass) You're fairly close to noghbors so be prepared for some noise.

Tamarack Flat Campground was the location for our Cousin Bonding Trip. With my last visit to…read moreYosemite back in '91 with my family, I had pretty high expectations on what this trip was going to consist of. The distance from this campsite is pretty far from the main entrance to Yosemite. The drive itself from the gate is about 10-15 minutes, and if you get stuck behind a slow car, you can pretty much double that driving time. The actual camping site sizes are large with a ton of parking spaces and enough space to really spread out. There is also enough space between the campsites so that you don't have to worry about loud neighbors. While everything sounds all good - this campsite lacks alot of trees for shade in the camp sites. In the morning when you have the sun blazing down on your face, it's worse after a night drinking by the fire. You just wake up hot and sweaty - it's not the bizz; it's quite miserable...waking up hot and sweaty. Let's talk bathrooms, because that's really what is important when it comes to being away from home and being clean. So this campsite has OUTHOUSES, yes you read that right! Basically a small outhouse with a huge hole in the ground for number 1 and number 2. These outhouses smell, they are infested with flies ... did I say them smell? They are no running showers, so be sure to pack a lot of baby wipes and anti-bacterial cleaning supplies. We saw a couple baby bears during our stay here so be sure to use the bear cabins for your foods. Everything needs to be locked in so it doesn't attract the bears.

I feel like this community wants to be owner only so has made life unnecessarily difficult for…read morerenters. 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!

We loved our cabin and the Owners were wonderful but we would never stay at Zou e Lake community…read moreagain. 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.

I stayed at the backpacker's campground the night before hiking from Porcupine Creek Trailhead back…read moredown into the Valley. It's only $5 per person, has a lot of room, and doesn't require (nor take) reservations. We stayed on a Thursday night in the summer and had to share our site which ended up being fine as there is plenty of room. The guys that shared our site were cool and we stayed up and drank a few beers and chatted until about 10 pm. There definitely aren't enough sites for everyone to have their own, but considering how difficult it is to make reservations, the backpacker's site was great. There are porta-potty style bathrooms in there, and potable water is located in the upper pines campground which is only a five minute walk away. One great feature about the backpacker's campground is that the parking lot for backpacker's is about a 10 to 15 minute walk away, so if you want to bring some stuff to use and leave in your car before heading out on the trail you can. Curry village is about a 10 to 15 minute walk away which provides many dining and shopping opportunities. We filled up at the buffet and grabbed a six pack to enjoy the night before heading out to the high country. 4 stars for no water in the campground and primitive bathrooms. However, I will definitely stay here next time I go backpacking in Yosemite and I recommend it to any other backpackers.

I cannot begin to tell you just how much great times i had at Don Pedro, i went here everyday for…read moreabout a week, i had not been here since i was a teenager . There was this guy Ray working at the marina. This guy helped me out on everything i needed and his demeanor couldn't be more welcoming. He made me feel like i was family, seriously very considerate, very personable. He helped me with even giving me a ride, cause it was a long way to my car. Thanks Ray Ray for making my visits the best i had a great time, and love that you made me feel great coming there. Your a great asset to the marina...... i hope to see you next time...... Thanks

Todo en mi experiencia es excelente,,lo recomiendo, al 100% muy buena área para disfrutar en familiaread more

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.

What a unique find! We were looking for a vacation within a few hours of home and stumbled upon TH…read more Looking at the rentals we noticed some had access to this private lake, which sounded great, so we decided to check it out and found it was totally worth it. At first the long list of rules and the $8 fee per person may be a bit off putting, but once you get there you'll understand the benefits that come from them. The beach is incredibly clean and large enough to accommodate quite a few families and there is ample parking. There are large trees shading benches along a well kept concrete path, all perfect for resting your belongings on less busy days. The trees also cast shade a good distance onto the beach, so you have some options for shade. I would still say a good umbrella is recommended, as the shade could fill up. The water feels cool when you get in but once you're under it's really nice. The water and lake are also very clean, with a nice sandy bottom. If you go out a little further you may encounter some algae as it gets deeper, but all in all it's a fantastic lake to swim in. There are water slides, sunning platforms in the middle if you swim out that far, great space for paddle boards and kayaks, and even a diving board in the deepest part and granite beach next to it. After 6pm it's free to enter and you can fish along the dam too. They said it's stocked with trout but we didn't find any. We did catch some bluegill though!

You have to have a membership to enter but this is the little piece of paradise we've dreamed of…read more Bring your own rafts and chairs. Just spent two days for my hubbys birthday. It was hot out and the lake was perfect.