Thousand Trails Lake Minden
1256 Marcum Rd, Nicolaus, CA 95659
Full view
View all photos(163)163
Pool & Beach (8)
Room & Suite (5)
View prices for your travel dates
Contact accommodation for availability.
There are similar hotels available.
View allDid you already book this hotel?
About
4.0
#1 of 1 campsite in NicolausLocation
Cleanliness
Service
Value
The beautiful Lake Minden RV Campground is located in the grassy plains of the Sacramento Valley. Our private 41-acre lake is circled by eucalyptus trees and offers great fishing and boating adventures. The atmosphere of this RV campground in California is relaxing, the staff is friendly and helpful, and there is something for everyone. We are centrally located to several major cities and are a quick getaway as well as a convenient stop-over on the main North-South traveled highways 99 and 70. The area offers many local attractions and things to do. Cal Expo (State Fair), Arco Arena (home of the Kings basketball team) and Sleeptrain Amphitheatre are 20 minutes from the preserve. Old Sacramento is also close by Lake Minden RV Campground and offers the railroad museum and other nostalgic and historic sites as well as shopping and several eateries. Old Sacramento hosts an annual jazz festival, which is a huge event every year.
Read more
Suggest edits to improve what we show.Improve this listing
Property amenities
Children Activities (Kid / Family Friendly)
Pets Allowed ( Dog / Pet Friendly )
Self-serve laundry
Good to know
HOTEL STYLE
Budget
Family
Location
1256 Marcum Rd, Nicolaus, CA 95659
Getting there
Sacramento Intl Airport
23.2 km•
See all flights
Sacramento Executive Airport
43.4 km•
See all flights
Rental Cars
2 Restaurants
within 10 kilometers
Reviews
4.0
676 reviews
Reviews summary
This summary was created by AI, based on recent reviews.
Powered by AI
Thousand Trails Lake Minden has received mixed feedback from its guests. While the park's cleanliness is consistently lauded, with travelers highlighting the immaculate bathrooms and spacious sites, its value has been questioned due to outdated amenities and a perceived mismatch between cost and services provided. The rooms are noted for their tranquility and the staff's friendliness, yet there are calls for renovations, particularly concerning the laundry facilities.
The amenities offer a range of outdoor activities and full hookups by the lake, but some visitors mention challenges with water and WIFI consistency. Despite occasional issues with service and communication, the hotel's staff is often commended for their helpfulness.
Rooms
Run-down
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Immaculate
Service
Friendly
Amenities
Limited
Was this helpful?
Tripadvisor is not responsible for this summary or the opinions in it. For more information, please read the traveller reviews and learn more about how the site works.
676Reviews7Q+A15Room tips
Traveller rating
- 257
- 187
- 111
- 63
- 58
Time of year
Traveller type
Language
Selected filters
- Filter
- English
Popular mentions
Sort by:
Detailed Reviews
Very nice park with only one drawback, the 50 amp full hook up sites were extremely small and very cramped. The 30 amp W-E were very nice and there were accessible dump stations to empty as necessary. Just a bit of an inconvenience to have break down and set up. 1st world problem. The grounds were well maintained although some of the permanent folks were somewhat neglectful of the rules of car repair and stuff stored around their site. Plenty of shade spots and wide roads to maneuver a big rig.
Read more
Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: June 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 Lake Minden
Responded Jun 21, 2021
Dear alfredandvickis, We appreciate your comments and will share them with our management team. We regret any inconveniences. Thank you for the 5 star rating. We value your feedback and strive to provide you with the best customer experience possible. Come back soon.
Read more
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Met some friends with our 5th wheels for The Weekend. The campground is set up In multiple sections for small to mid sized RVs, tents and big RVs(D-section). The path to the section for the bigger RVs is tight and had some low hanging tree branches but none that could do any damage. Once we got to our spot we had to hose down the power pedestal with wasp spray since there were 2 big nests inside. The 30amp(no 50amp) worked and had no issues. Water pressure was pretty good. No sewer waste dump at the sites but they do have a honey wagon that will come by if needed. The sites are gravel( varying from the size of a marble To a golf ball) and fairly level. The space between sites is pretty good. The lake was kinda cool(it’s only about 3-4 feet deep and has variety of fish). The wooden picnic tables at the sites could use some TLC as they showed their age. AT&T service was slow and would lose signal throughout the day. (Supposedly Verizon was the best).. streaming was not an option. no cable hook ups at the site but more than enough over the air channels to watch. I’d stay there again if I was passing through that area but not sure I’d seek it out for a weekend get away. The staff was nice but I had minimal contact with them.
Read more
Date of stay: July 2020Trip type: Travelled with friends
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.
A lot to digest? Read an AI-generated summary of recent traveller reviews.
My stay at Lake Minden is always the same. The workers speeding in their golf carts. Guests speeding in the park, campsite 48has looked like a homeless camp for 2 months and is mostl of the time occupied by dogs. The showers need new curtains at least every 3 months considering the amount of people that use the showers.
Read more
Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: January 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 Lake Minden
Responded Mar 3, 2021
Dear bestgirlever290, Thanks for your feedback. We continually work to improve our resort to meet our customer expectations. Your satisfaction is important to us. Your comments will be shared with our management team.
Read more
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Over all the place is well maintained. RV sites are first come first serve when choosing a site even with a reservation. RV sites with full hook ups are very close with only a few inches between you and your neighbor for that reason w choose a partial hook up site (no sewage). Very quiet and staff is friendly. Unfortunately due to Covid most amenities were not available.
Read more
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 Lake Minden
Responded Apr 29, 2021
Dear MichaelS10457, We appreciate your feedback. Your comments will be shared with our management team. Thanks for the 4 star rating. We work hard to meet expectations like yours, and we’re happy to hear you enjoyed your stay with us. Come back and see us soon.
Read more
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
we had reservations in april but they got cancelled because of the virus, understandable. then we had reservations for may 12th thru 26th but again they were cancelled because of the virus, again I understood. so we kept calling to see when the park would be open. finally Saturday through friends that the park would be the 15th. so Saturday may 9th we contacted lake minden Sonya answered the phone. she informed us to call corporate for reservations. why did she tell us that when she knew that corporate was closed, because we tried to call and the answering machine told us that. Sunday we called lake minden again and they told us that the park was booked solid. How did the park get totally booked in one day when we just found out about it Saturday. Monday we called lake minden and max informed us that we had to contact headquarters to get a reservation. it took us over two hours to get them to answer the phone. they informed us that there were no openings. How did all those spaces get booked in two or three hours. it seems as if they will take your membership money and your monthly dues yet provide terrible service. we got an apology from the reservation clerk at headquarters but no explanation as to how the park got completely booked in such a short time when no one knew the oark was going to be open until Saturday when Sonya informed us that the park would be open on the 15th. I hope headquarters investigates this because either someone is breaking the rules or maybe worse. either way you can see lake minden has a very bad problem concerning reservations and other areas of concern like not enforcing the rules, some people can go the wrong way around the lake, or they fish without a license or they convert the adult lodge to everyone letting young teenagers ruin the pool table which hasn't been fixed in over a year now. bad management all around if you ask me. About the reservations, wouldn't it be standard policy that the welcome center help their customers when asked. instead of just saying call corporate.
Read more
Date of stay: May 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.
A quiet place to come for a couple of nights in the RV especially during the fall and winter months.
Perfect location for hiking the perimeter of the lake with your pets and the sunsets are fantastic on the west end of the lake.
The weather is usually very mild with spacious level RV sites.
The staff is very helpful and friendly.
(Nancy went out of her way to help with a reservation issue)
Improvements:
1. Would like to see more fresh consumables like milk/cheese/meats/breads etc in the store rather than frozen foods.
2. One more doggy station for pickup bags at the far end of Section D for convenience.
(The dog run has one station in front of the gate)
Perfect location for hiking the perimeter of the lake with your pets and the sunsets are fantastic on the west end of the lake.
The weather is usually very mild with spacious level RV sites.
The staff is very helpful and friendly.
(Nancy went out of her way to help with a reservation issue)
Improvements:
1. Would like to see more fresh consumables like milk/cheese/meats/breads etc in the store rather than frozen foods.
2. One more doggy station for pickup bags at the far end of Section D for convenience.
(The dog run has one station in front of the gate)
Read more
Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: December 2020
Value
Location
Cleanliness
Service
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.
Evereything was great. The water was kind of strange. Bathrooms were cleaned paper towels were empty over night. Store was nt open often do to the Covid which was a little difficult. But that is our way of living at this time.
Read more
Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: July 2020
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.
This was my 2nd time at Lake Minden but 1st staying in their cabins. The cabins were clean, comfortable, well stocked and extremely reasonable for the price. We arrived a few hours early and Lynn at the check-in desk was friendly, helpful and offered us activity’s to do until our cabin was ready. We checked out the clubhouse played a little pool and board games. That clubhouse was the most beautiful set up I’ve ever seen at a campground, you can tell it’s being updated and feels brand new. It honestly felt like adult summer camp. Extra bonus, our dog was allowed inside with us instead of having to tie her up outside. We grabbed dinner at the cafe to heat up later (they closed at 4:30pm on our Thursday night) and it was very tasty. All of that areas were extremely clean and whenever I was outside, I would see cleaning staff running around getting everything just right. I honestly wish we had more time to stay. Breakfast at the café was good and we had lakeside seating. We played a little mini golf and checked out.
Read more
Date of stay: March 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip: Cafe closes early some days so if you’re planning on dinner order before 4pm and reheat in your...
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 Lake Minden
Responded Jun 22, 2023
Dear eileen d, 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.
Read more
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
While the staff is amazing here, the management is horrible. All the "amenities" are broken. The air hockey table does not blow air so it's useless. The pool table is leveled with cardboard under the legs and the table itself is ripped to pieces. The air conditioning in the lodge does not keep up with the typical heat of the location (just window AC and an added swamp cooler). The golf course is falling apart and always is covered with leaves and debris.
The lake has warning signs all over about harmful algae. Doesn't really make you want to go near it or even fish in it. The docks have been closed all summer long due to negligence of maintenance.
The sites themselves are ok. A gravel pad with a grass patch and a picnic table if you're lucky. (They do not have enough picnic tables for all the sites)
As a member of Thousand Trails, I was dismayed when I was told I couldn't get a site because they had to hold a certain amount of sites for "retail". Everytime I have been here there have been plenty of sites open but unused, I assume, because they are holding it for that phantom person that may book a site.
The maintenance and other staff has always been so helpful. They are very responsive when help is needed. Yet they are so understaffed that they are unable to do the preventative maintenance needed to keep the park at it's best.
I really see the potential in this park but doubt anything will change with the current management in place and with the new ELS company taking over.
The lake has warning signs all over about harmful algae. Doesn't really make you want to go near it or even fish in it. The docks have been closed all summer long due to negligence of maintenance.
The sites themselves are ok. A gravel pad with a grass patch and a picnic table if you're lucky. (They do not have enough picnic tables for all the sites)
As a member of Thousand Trails, I was dismayed when I was told I couldn't get a site because they had to hold a certain amount of sites for "retail". Everytime I have been here there have been plenty of sites open but unused, I assume, because they are holding it for that phantom person that may book a site.
The maintenance and other staff has always been so helpful. They are very responsive when help is needed. Yet they are so understaffed that they are unable to do the preventative maintenance needed to keep the park at it's best.
I really see the potential in this park but doubt anything will change with the current management in place and with the new ELS company taking over.
Read more
Date of stay: September 2022Trip type: Travelled with family
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 Lake Minden
Responded Sep 19, 2022
Dear Kabadaba22, Thank you for your comments. We regret our camping resort did not meet your expectations. Your feedback will be shared with our team so that we can work to improve the experience of future guests. Customer satisfaction, along with providing a safe and enjoyable environment for our guests, is very important to us.
Read more
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Very Relaxing place to stay with peaceful days and cool nights, thanks to the well placed trees around the property. Sites are spacious enough across the lake and though there are no sewer hook-ups, there are a few different places to dump, so no big deal. Sunsets are wonderful here and fish like to bite, so bring your gear, get a fishing pass at the gate and enjoy.
Read more
Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: July 2020
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.
Lake Minden is part of the Thousand Trails RV Resort system. To stay there, there are many price structures, the cheapest is to be an actual Thousand Trails member. However, under current rules, you will not be able to stay at this park for 365 days a year. I believe the current maximum is 210 days. You can reserve the same spot, pay an annual fee, to hold it, but only personally be at the site the maximum time period. After your annual TT membership fee, an annual site rental fee can vary, park to park, but think in the $3000 range. There are some sites that have full hookups, most do not. We have been full timing for 7 years, and move around the country. But we know many that just move back and forth between a few nearby parks to maximize their time in a particular area, and minimize their costs. As a full-timer, there are numerous associations and memberships you can join to get substantial discounts on park rent. Good Luck to you.
My botherinlaw is there right now and he has not said anything and he would tell me if there was a problem there
Very Few. Most are water & electric
Can you swim in the lake reading all the reviews no one has mentioned swimming, only fishing.
Thanks
Yes you can swim in the lake. It is only 3 ft deep and you can actually walk across it if you so desire. There are a couple of beaches for kids and adults to swim and sunbath.
The Lake Minden Campgrounds are equipped to handle three types of camping: 1) tent, 2) Recreational Vehicles (RVs/motor homes), 3) Garden Home rentals. The grounds are well kept and the staff members are conscientious and caring. Great place for 'easy' camping get aways.
"Section A has the only full hookup sites, and the spots can be pretty tight. Section D has larger parking spots and upgraded restrooms."Read full review
"Section A is the only one with full hookups but if you want more room D is your best bet."Read full review
"Make sure to write down the gate code and have it readily available in your car. Bring fishing poles and quarters for laundry."Read full review
PRICE RANGE
C$184 - C$204 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
United StatesCaliforniaNicolaus
NUMBER OF ROOMS
323
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.
Is This Your Tripadvisor Listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim Your ListingThousand Trails Lake Minden - UPDATED 2024 Prices, Reviews & Photos
Frequently Asked Questions about Thousand Trails Lake Minden
Which popular attractions are close to Thousand Trails Lake Minden?
Nearby attractions include Shooters All-season Paintball (1.1 km) and South Sutter Little League (2.3 km).
Are pets allowed at Thousand Trails Lake Minden?
Yes, pets are typically allowed, but it's always best to call ahead to confirm.
Does Thousand Trails Lake Minden have any great views?
Yes, guests often enjoy the lake view available here.