This RV park is a KOA and is by far one of the nicest parks we have ever stayed at. Wide sites, great views, great staff, tons of trees and grass, good Wi-Fi, recently paved roads, great laundry room and nice walking paths. The signage does suck and thankfully our GPS had it listed so we found it with ease. I believe this was once a 55 plus park and might still have that legacy. I do know it is a recent addition (2009) to KOA. I do have one gripe. The W-iFi was fast but the inactivity time out was very short. So much so that it timed out while typing this review!! This was not enough of an issue for me to lower it from a solid 9 as the owner promised to address it ASAP. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
This RV park is a KOA affiliated park, however it is not very family friendly and is much more suited for older campers. Campfires are only allowed in a couple of the group fire rings. Individual campfires in portable fire rings are not allowed. The river view sites are more expensive, but really do not give you a view of the river. Check the power and sewer hook-ups first before completely setting up. Our sewer was clogged and the 50 amp connection was only putting out 25 amps. The sites are a little close and might seem a little crowded when the park is full. The grounds are clean and well maintained. The concrete pad is nice, however, does not provide enough room. The grass areas are watered every night, so any thing left on the grass gets wet. The RV park is next to the airport and the US Forest Service McCall Smokejumper Base is easily within walking distance. The Forest Service offers a very nice tour of the facility. Access to the bike path leading to downtown is good. The rates seem high for what is provided. Ponderosa State Park offers the comparable amenities (with Wi-Fi) for half the price. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This park could be a nice park but they are grossly overpriced and the signage leading to the park in almost non-existent. $47.00 plus tax are the CHEAP site with gravel mud, unless you want to spring for an additional amount where you get the gravel. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Paid for a premium site for Wi-Fi but it was only available near the lodge. The lodge was booked for private parties both nightx we were here. Site was paved but not level. Recommend cheapest site that you will fit. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Review Rating
[ 7 / 10 ]
July 2009
$48
What a missed opportunity. River view? We were parked on the river, but could not see it. Showers were a hike to the lodge. All facilities were only at lodge. No restrooms or shower in camping areas. WI-FI did not work! Excuses, but not operational. Nice views from camp site. Friendly people. McCall is a nice town. Enjoyed the area. We would stay here again. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This is a fairly new RV resort in McCall which is still being developed. Signage to campground is not very good. We had to go through industrial area to get to campground but once in the campground there is good ambiance. There is a good area to park and register. Office staff was friendly but not that efficient. Access roads are wide and paved. There is mixture of sites some paved other gravel with grass. Services are in a good location for easy hook-ups. It appears to be a quiet location but that maybe a function of the time of year. There is a big club house with swimming pool and hot tub. Trash pick-up from site should have happened daily but this did not happen and attracted a fox who ripped open the bags. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This park is very large and expensive. It's more like an "RV city" than an RV park. It is also located near the local airport, so expect to be awakened early in the morning to the sound of small aircraft. Customer service is a foreign notion to the camp hosts and management and our experience was less than satisfactory. There are many, many less expensive, and much more pleasant campgrounds in the area to choose from. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Very clean and new park. Sites have plenty of room, we parked a 36' opposing slide MH here with plenty of room. Workers are friendly and the owner is everywhere in the park working on, or checking on something. We will definitely stay here if in the area again. The town of McCall is just a short drive away with cute stores and a beautiful lake where kayaks, which we rented, or boats and jet skis can be rented. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This is quite a fancy place but as the previous campers said, way overpriced. McCall is a neat town with a beautiful setting, worth touring. Best to try the state park first. This $$$ park has a very nice lodge with a swimming pool they claim is heated, but is not. The spa was quite hot though. The RV sites are quite a mixture- some are too close together and very short. Others on the perimeter are nice long pull thrus. But the sewer placement was so distant, we couldn't use it. They also claim free wifi- ha! Only works by or in the lodge; the VZ cell phone and aircard reception was weak but functioning. Cable tv was average and not very extensive. Shower rooms were gorgeous but floors were very wet . While the park has a lovely setting among the pine trees, with the river running nearby, it's still not worth the minimum $50 you pay. Premium sites cost even more. No wonder there were so many expensive big rigs there- guess they can afford to stay more than a night. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Very nice place, but did not like the way sites were laid out. They have some "courtyard" sites and that would be great if you are with a group, but all patios face each other. We stayed in a river site,at our request. All we could see was the trees behind our RV and that was the only place there was trees, there was no shade. By the river they have special sites for motor homes where they pull in. Our site was a back in, so the two patios faced each other. WiFi was not available at the site. Would probaby go back if in the area, but don't want a river site. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Nice setting, mostly decent sites, good facilities, but overpriced. Other parks in the area are not as nice but cost $20 less a night. This park is not worth almost twice as much as the others. Nice, but not great, park. I would not stay again for $50 a night. We camped here in a Motorhome.
New and very nice, the folks were quite friendly and accommodating. We were close to the clubhouse and our WiFi worked great. Good location. We must have been sleeping well, we did not hear the airplanes, etc. We love McCall and found this to be a nice place to stay. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Although the park is still under construction, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The sites are very nice, and they have a unique layout for some of their pull-throughs that result in RV'ers being positioned around the four sides of a square of lawn - each rig in a pull-through. This is a particularly nice set up for groups and allows each unit a lot of space and privacy. The club house is beautiful, management is very friendly and accommodating. Our only complaint is that the pool wasn't very clean and there are no picnic tables at the sites. We camped here in a Motorhome.
If you want quite this park is not for you. McCall airport is across the street and the US Forest Service airforce is stationed here at this airport. Everything from helicopters, crop dusters and fire retardant bombers are stationed here. At times I felt I was back in Viet Nam with all the overhead aircraft noise. Then of coarse there is the park's frontloader tractor that seems to run 12 hours a day doing whatever. We parked in the back row and wi-fi didn't work no matter what they say. Rules are not enforced i.e. kids in the pool after they are not suppose to be and outside guest speeding around the park. The park has the largest multipurpose hall in McCall hence just about every weekend they are hosting birthday parties, reunions, wedding and wedding receptions etc..this allows many non-campers into the park making security a joke. While we were there a couple of cars where broken into and a GPS system and cameras stolen. On the good note however, the staff is wonderful. Very pleasant and helpful. Park is overpriced for what you get. We camped here in a Motorhome.
It is hard for us to review this campground. There are things we love and hate about it. We have a 45' Motorhome and we fit in MOST sites, but not all. Many areas are in a state of flux (i.e. some don't have sewer, others don't have water). Wi-Fi comes and goes. Many sites are not complete and way too many things are untidy (tools laying around, pipes for construction, pavestones, mulch, unused wooden pallets, sod etc). Way too much traffic after hours at the 'clubhouse' on outside events (weddings, reunions, plays etc). However; the potential is great in the long term when they get the resort finished. In the short term it's a 'work in progress'. We did see lots of wildlife in or near the campground (deer, fox, moose etc) and the park is located on the lovely Payette river. We just wish they'd get their act together on some of the unfinished projects or at least remove all of the construction items, carts, machines, tools, vehicles, materials to one isolated location. The work campers here are first class. We camped here in a Motorhome.
First, know that they do not have Wi-Fi throughout the park, so if that's important make sure to specify. Also, their phones are not Instant On. They are available if you are staying long term and want a phone hookup. Their advertising is a little misleading on both. This seems a work in progress. Some sites very nice, others just regular. Expensive, but this is a resort town. Lovely pool and spa (inside) and lodge. We camped here in a Motorhome.
WiFi in the lobby. Pool, showers, and bathrooms were very nice. Some newer camp sites viewing Payette River. Staff was very friendly and make many recommendations for supplies, restaurants, and fishing tackle. All RV sites had plenty of room for slide-outs and large pull-thru. We have little travel trailer and connections were set back a little too far for us to utilize the paved areas for chairs and patio equipment. Very peaceful and would hope to stay there someday soon. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
This is a beautiful park but the layout is a bit odd and it seemed a bit expensive for what is available. There is a three tier pricing system and the pull thru sites are more expensive. The staff is very friendly and helpful however and the pool and spa are very nice. We would stay here again if we were in the area. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Has regular, premium and deluxe sites. This RV Resort is still under construction. Will have sites all the way down to the river some day. Has park models. A swimming pool, hot tub, spa. Really nice lodge where there are weddings and parties, nice patio out back with a gas grill that can be used by people staying there. The airport is near by so will get some air traffic noise. But overall is a very quiet place to stay. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Beautiful new campground in the park with huge back-ins and pull-throughs. Spacious sites with great spacing between them. Has firepits, tables, and large spaces. Located about 2 miles from town on a peninsula on the lake. We spent 3 days, but could have stayed a week. We camped here in a Motorhome.
We moved to Ponderosa State Park halfway through our week-long stay in McCall. We had been planning to drive down to Cascade and stay there for the second half of our trip, but when we were riding our bikes through downtown, we rode through Ponderosa to see what it was like. Once we saw it, we decided to change our plans and stay here. It is beautiful, clean and close to (an easy bike ride away) downtown and the lake. We were able to get two sites next to each other easily, though we were staying mid-week. We heard from another camper that they had to make their reservations 6 months prior, though they were staying over a weekend. The sites were big and most have a rectangular sand pit next to them where the picnic table and fire pit are located. Big plus for our kids who loved digging in the sand. The park also has some beautiful trails to hike, bike and drive on. A walk across the main road from the campground leads to the visitor center and a nice little beach on the lake that is buoyed off for swimmers. Bathrooms and showers were clean and an easy walk from our site. Overall, we love its "foresty" feel, more rustic than the KOA we stayed in at the beginning of our week there. We definitely plan to stay at Ponderosa again. We camped here in a Motorhome.
I generally agree with the previous posters but with one exception. Despite the tree lined environment, this campground is more or less a subdivision. That means that there isn't much space between sites. If your neighbor plays loud music or is offensive in other ways, you will be very aware of it. I was impressed with the cleanliness of the park, professionalism of the staff, and that all sites were level. Being surrounded by lake access is a bonus. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Stayed in the newer RV section of this state park. Had full hook-ups, the site was paved and very close to level. Paid a bit more for a companion site. The park was very clean and quite. This was before the busy season and for two nights we were the only unit in the loop. Access was very good with good clearance around the large Ponderosa trees. Most sites have some shade. Idaho parks have been given a significant budget cut for 2009, about 50%, and their ability to maintain their standards may be impacted but it sure did not show at Ponderosa. Staff very friendly and helpful but visitor center hours were limited. If you have a boat, including canoes, Idaho now requires an “Invasive Species Sticker” which can be obtained from the park office. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
This is a real gem! There are two separate camping areas of this park, we stayed in the newer "RV Park". Sites were huge, well laid out, and had good spacing between sites. WiFi and full hookups at this beautiful location is a bonus. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Have to agree, this is a great place for camping. Nice to have clear, dark skies above instead of streetlights, and to be surrounded by pine trees instead of big RVs on either side. It's important to note there are different RV-friendly campgrounds within the park. We stayed in the new addition, at the entrance and closer to town: Lakeview Village. These are FHU sites, with many pull-thrus, and one central bathhouse. Close by is the older cg, with W&E sites, or just E. Those seem to have more shade, but more tents and campfires. In any case, the Village (sign says Group RV) has strong 50 amp, and my VZ aircard and cell worked from here. Fun bike ride into town, Park has activities too. Too bad reservations are $10, but we were able to choose a nice site on a weekday, just showing up, and stayed 3 days. Wish it could have been more. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Our experiences with Idaho state parks have been very favorable and Ponderosa was no exception. It is always busy it the summer but does not feel overly crowded. The park has recently under gone quite a few up-grades including new visitor center and group sites. The group sites have sewer hook-ups the rest of the park does not. Staff is very friendly and given the level of use the park was very quiet at night. Our location was a large site and priced higher than their normal sites. We camped here in a Motorhome.
If you like camping this is for you. It's on the lake with hiking and biking trails, a boat ramp, fishing and town is close by. We camped here in a fifth wheel with slides on both sides and had plenty of room. The sites on both sides were far enough away to feel private. We recommend My Fathers Cafe in McCall for hot fudge sundies. We loved it here and will deffinently return. They now have a section that is full hook up for a little more per night. We stayed here for a week and it was real quiet but fills up on the week ends. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
This State Park is set among a beautiful ponderosa pine forest on a peninsula that juts into Payette Lake. Just about any kind of outdoor activity that you might enjoy is available: fishing, swimming, boating, hiking, mountain biking and, in the winter, cross-country skiing. During the summer there are ranger programs. If you want some city activities the town of McCall is just a few miles away and offers good shopping and dining opportunities. The Park is open year round, with limited services in the winter. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This is a popular CG and it fills almost every day in the Summer. Reservationa are an absolute must. Site size and separation varies greatly. many sites are too tight for big rigs. The restrooms and showers are showing their age and could be maintained better. Sites are gravel and most require leveling. Access roads are paved. Idaho State Parks now charge an additional day use fee of $4.50/day for "toads". We camped here in a Motorhome.