Thousand Trails Ponderosa
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About
4.0
#1 of 2 campsites in LotusLocation
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Located in the beautiful foothills of the Sierras, Thousand Trails Ponderosa RV Campground is ideally situated on the South Fork of the American River, the most popular whitewater river in the western United States. Rafting, kayaking, fishing, swimming, gold panning and sunbathing are favorite pastimes for customers of our RV campground in California. Boasting more than 2,000 feet of river frontage, the sites at Ponderosa offer excellent RV camping with 30-amp, 50-amp, sewer, pull-thru, and tent spots. Come hook up with us at this popular RV camp in the California mountains. At Thousand Trails Ponderosa RV Campground, our local attractions include award-winning wineries and vineyards, Red Hawk casino gaming, world-class skiing, Folsom Lake, and numerous golf courses, just to name a few. Whether this is your first experience at our RV campground in California or another of many, we suggest venturing out into our local and surrounding areas to get a taste of the wonderful flavors and cu
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Property amenities
Free parking
Pool
Children Activities (Kid / Family Friendly)
Pets Allowed ( Dog / Pet Friendly )
Good to know
HOTEL CLASS
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
River View
Great View
Location
7291 Hwy 49, Lotus, CA 95651
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
Grade: 56 out of 100
56
Sacramento Intl Airport
61 km•
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Sacramento Executive Airport
61.2 km•
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Rental Cars
14 Restaurants
within 10 kilometers
540Reviews3Q+A12Room tips
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Detailed Reviews
Lovely property! The sites by the river don’t have septic hook ups. They offer a honey wagon service only twice a week for $30 a dump service. You have to arrange through the office which is really dumb in my opinion if you have a credit card on file. The honey wagon guy had a personality of a rock. He wasn’t helpful and pointed us to the office which is inconvenient for my 84 year old father to get to unless he drives. The honey wagon man had a walkie radio and could’ve easily radioed in and had his card charged and pumped us out. He was t helpful and literally appeared to be completely burned out. The rest if the staff we had interaction with were all friendly. Maintainance man needs some more enthusiasm and pep in his step.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: August 2020
Value
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Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
After my last thousand trails experience I was hesitant to stay at another "resort". However this was an exceptional experience from the rangers at the front desk to the facilities to the RVers!!!!
The folks at check in were so pleasant and helpful with each interaction. It is such a secure resort with a gate and code and no one gets in unless they are registered which made me feel safe as I as traveling alone on this trip.
The grounds are clean and recently upgraded. They have a dog park, a children's park and a lodge. The sites on the American River are premium sites and well worth the extra fee and they patrol frequently.
They offer wifi, and full hookups. The dumping station is on the way out when you exit and it is kept very clean. They also had a station for air and propane.
I will return to this resort and look forward to the stay.
Thank you
Patty Labell :)
The folks at check in were so pleasant and helpful with each interaction. It is such a secure resort with a gate and code and no one gets in unless they are registered which made me feel safe as I as traveling alone on this trip.
The grounds are clean and recently upgraded. They have a dog park, a children's park and a lodge. The sites on the American River are premium sites and well worth the extra fee and they patrol frequently.
They offer wifi, and full hookups. The dumping station is on the way out when you exit and it is kept very clean. They also had a station for air and propane.
I will return to this resort and look forward to the stay.
Thank you
Patty Labell :)
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Date of stay: January 2020
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Our stay (Dec 26-29 2019) was nice. There are a few things not mentioned on their web. The cost of the sites varies depending on the area in the park. Only a few sites have full hookup, so make sure if you need this, you reserve a site with full hookup. There is a dump station and they also offer a Honey Wagon service for $25.
There is no AT&T reception at the park. This is not mentioned on their web. There is also no over the air TV in this part of California. Again, this is not mentioned in on their web page.
The park just installed a new WiFi system that provides high-speed internet throughout the park. This service is run by a private company and the cost is not included in the daily rate. You have to go on line and sign up for internet service. The provider offers daily and weekly rates. Unfortunately, when you sign up for one of these rates and it expires, you cannot renew it on line, you have to actually call the internet provider to extend your internet service.
There is no AT&T reception at the park. This is not mentioned on their web. There is also no over the air TV in this part of California. Again, this is not mentioned in on their web page.
The park just installed a new WiFi system that provides high-speed internet throughout the park. This service is run by a private company and the cost is not included in the daily rate. You have to go on line and sign up for internet service. The provider offers daily and weekly rates. Unfortunately, when you sign up for one of these rates and it expires, you cannot renew it on line, you have to actually call the internet provider to extend your internet service.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: December 2019Trip type: Travelled with family
Value
Location
Cleanliness
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Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The sites were well laid out and offered some nice variety. Amenities seemed nice, but were all shut down due to COVID. People were helpful and friendly. The river adjoining the property was beautiful. We refilled propane which they made easy and the pizza place across the highway from the location was a nice walkable getaway
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: March 2021
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
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Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Somewhat rustic, but with all the services. Sites are close together. Great base camp to explore the area. Negative, only one person could have person could have complimentary internet, the person had to pay for each day.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: March 2021
Value
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Encore Thousand Trails, Owner at Thousand Trails Ponderosa
Responded Apr 1, 2021
Dear jcnmac, Thanks for your feedback. We apologize for any inconveniences. Our guests are important to us and we want everyone to enjoy their stay at our campground. Our team continually strives to maintain a balance that meets everyone's needs. Your comments will be shared with our management team. We hope you will visit us again soon.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
On the site utility post there was a message advising that site was a premium site and extra fees would apply. Also not all sites are the same extra fee. I'm not sure where the extra fee amount is posted. Our neighbor paid $15 extra per night, Our extra fee site featured a view of an overgrown dry creek bed (site H4) I paid $5 extra. Be sure to check utility post for designated extra fees sites.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: January 2022
Value
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Encore Thousand Trails, Owner at Thousand Trails Ponderosa
Responded Jan 20, 2022
Dear Jim D, Thank you for the 4 star rating. We value your feedback and strive to provide you with the best customer experience possible. Your comments will be shared with the management team. We hope you will visit us again.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We love the area and the river is just beautiful. There is a nice beach area and lots of big rocks for kids to climb safely. Kids are able to enjoy bike rides and walks around the park. I felt very safe and it was very quiet. It was a very relaxing trip for my family.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: February 2021
Value
Rooms
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Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Encore Thousand Trails, Owner at Thousand Trails Ponderosa
Responded Mar 4, 2021
Dear cristinapena04, We are glad you enjoyed a 5 star experience at our resort. Your comments will be shared with our management team. Please come stay with us again soon.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Leaky water faucets and broken ones. Out of control scrubs. Roads not water down. Terrible dust. The rotating members saving favorite spots so we can not ever get them. This is my favorite place to go and the main staff are good people but it is out of control.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My family of 5 stayed in one of their cabins for 4 days, it was perfect, it was fully stocked from kitchen to bath to bedding. We enjoyed nature walks with our little ones where we saw squirrels, lizards and lots of cool pinecones, plus a playground onsite. It is walking distance to a taco shop and more. It is tucked away but a tiny drive you can walk through a historic gold rush town. The best part is this is dog friendly with a river front access!
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: April 2021
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Encore Thousand Trails, Owner at Thousand Trails Ponderosa
Responded Apr 27, 2021
Dear Marci M, We really appreciate you taking the time to share your customer experience with us. We are committed to providing the opportunity for you to make some wonderful memories during your visit with us! You are always welcome here.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Tucked away in a private Valley in Northern California's Gold Country is PONDEROSA PRESERVE. You will absolutely love the stay here. Whether for a weekend, a week or longer, it's a great stay. There are many site options including tent camping next to the river and power, water and sewer is also available. The site I was at was in a tree protected area next to a creek and since sewer was not available at the site. I did a dump on my way 0ut. You can walk all over the Preserve and find lots to do and the staff is great to deal with!
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: October 2021
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Encore Thousand Trails, Owner at Thousand Trails Ponderosa
Responded Nov 4, 2021
Dear Ken G, Thanks for your feedback. A 5 star customer experience is important to us. We are glad you enjoyed your stay! Looking forward to your next visit.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
there is a post office right across the highway from resort.
There are some sewer sites
"lots of things to do nearby - sutters fort, hiking, river rafting, pizza across the street"Read full review
PRICE RANGE
C$303 - C$336 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
United StatesCaliforniaLotus
NUMBER OF ROOMS
170
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect nightly room rates, including any mandatory fees. Taxes not included. Please see our partners for more details.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Thousand Trails Ponderosa
Which popular attractions are close to Thousand Trails Ponderosa?
Nearby attractions include Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park (1.7 km), South Fork of the American River (0.3 km), and Hooverville Orchards (7.2 km).
What are some of the property amenities at Thousand Trails Ponderosa?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include a pool, free parking, and kids activities.
Is parking available at Thousand Trails Ponderosa?
Yes, free parking is available to guests.
What are some restaurants close to Thousand Trails Ponderosa?
Conveniently located restaurants include Sierra Rizing Cafe and Bakery, Cafe Mahjaic - Lotus Inn, and The Argonaut Farm to Fork Cafe.
Are there opportunities to exercise at Thousand Trails Ponderosa?
Yes, guests have access to a pool during their stay.
Are pets allowed at Thousand Trails Ponderosa?
Yes, pets are typically allowed, but it's always best to call ahead to confirm.
Are there any historical sites close to Thousand Trails Ponderosa?
Many travellers enjoy visiting Wakamatsu Colony Farm (5.2 km).
Does Thousand Trails Ponderosa have any great views?
Yes, guests often enjoy the river view available here.