Ponderosa State Park Campground Idaho

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Ponderosa State Park Comments & Reviews

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2 Comments on “Ponderosa State Park”

1. Michelle says:

   Aug 22 2022 at 9:25 pm

   Ponderosa State Park has two camping sections, the Peninsula Campground and the RV Campground. The spaces in each section are not uniform in size or spacing. In the Peninsula Campground, most have adequate distance between the spaces, but the trees are sparse in some so the neighbors feel close. There are some spaces that are close to the road and feel exposed, but it never felt noisy. The trees here are tall, but lack foliage at the trunk, so you get the shade but not the privacy.
   The sites that are near the restrooms are so close that it feels like the restrooms are in your site. I would not recommend a site near the bathroom.
   The Peninsula Campground is closer to the water and has a lot of families with kids and water toys. This section has a busy feeling with a lot of comings and goings as people go to the beach and picnic grounds. Many of the sites are very large and long, but there are boulders in some areas making it difficult to back in to some sites according to campers I spoke with. The camp host has acknowledged that even if the driveway is long, the boulders could be trouble for some. The sites are gravel and mostly level. The sites have one or two picnic tables, water, power and a fire ring. There is a dump station that serves this part of the campground, but there is no sewer at each site.
   Of all the space at Ponderosa, the Peninsula Campground is not my favorite, but this is a beautiful and well-maintained campground by most standards. You will have a great experience here.
   The RV Campground has two loops. Either of these loops is a safe bet for space, privacy and ease of getting in and out with rigs of any size. This is my favorite part of Ponderosa State Park Camping. This section appears to serve larger RV’s. The roads and sites are paved. A street sweeper keeps the loops clear. There are tenters here, but with sewer on each site, the motor homes and trailers do well here. These sites are very deep, almost all of them, and the companion sites are huge. There are no boulders to get in your way of backing in. There are a number of pull through sites as well. Taller rigs will not swipe the foliage from trees.
   The trees are different at this section. They provide a lot of shade and a lot of privacy between the generously spaced sites. There is a group day-use gazebo with a BBQ. The restroom building is extremely clean and has a number of free shower stalls. The camp hosts do a great job of grooming each site after a vacancy. This is normally a mostly-full campground, but if you only stay one or two nights you might be able to find something. If you want to stay longer and have a certain site in mind, book early in the season.
   Definitely bring your bikes. There are a number of biking trails as well as walking paths. Dogs are allowed on a leash, but they are not allowed on the main beach. However, I saw dogs off-lease on some of the shoreline away from the beach. McCall is a short drive for ice, supplies, dining, etc. There is so much to do at this state park.
   If possible, try not to park directly under a pine tree. The squirrels begin shaking the trees at 7 am to drop the cones to collect later. It is a little unnerving listening to cones hit your car. For sites near the road, it is very quiet at both campgrounds.

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   • Campsite Photos says:

     Aug 23 2022 at 7:29 am

     Awesome write up/review Michelle! Thank you!

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