Campsite #6 at Ponderosa Campground, CA

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$35

Campsite #6

2 reviews
8 people
30 ft Back-In
2 no signal
6
7/14
7/18
Campsite #6 Features: Back-In parking, RV Site, Tent Site, Trailer Site, Pets Allowed

Campsite Reviews (2)

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@AnaMayH948 · Camped on Jun 25, 2020 at Campsite #6
If you enjoy being away from civilization and just old-school dry camping, this is the place for you. If you don’t like that there are no hot showers, just vault toilets, no cell signal, this is not the place for you.
Pros of our campsite: huge, quiet, secluded, Next to the creek, the stars at night are beautiful.
Cons: bugs, bugs, and more bugs. I know that’s part of camping but this place has the most I’ve experienced to date. They also have limited trash area so garbage doesn’t get collected regularly.
Things we did: drove to Prewitt ridge, played by the creek - set up little fish traps for catch and release. There are hiking trails around the area although we didn’t do much of that apart from following the creek trail.
@EllieP568 · Camped on Aug 28, 2019 at Campsite #6
It's a good job that ability to review campgrounds arose a few months after our stay at Ponderosa as it definitely would not have been a positive review if written in September 2019.

*** I ought to preface this by explaining that I am Scottish and in Scotland, "off grid"/wild camping is legal. Thus, you would only pay to camp should you wish to experience the luxuries. For £30 ($40), you can get a 3-4 nights, fully equipped bathrooms with showers and hair dryers, laundry rooms, dish washing facilities etc. So visiting a Californian Campground was a shock to the system. ***

After the long windy drive from Highway 101 to Ponderosa (and the incredible views that it gifted us as we drove up during a sunset). We arrived at a smelly Ponderosa campground littered with trash and the odd dead animal body part and thousands of flies. In hindsight, we should have been better prepared for flies considering the still forest setting. It was a very quiet night, with only 2 other occupants the night we stayed (Late August 2019) and for $6 or so, was fine for the night. I would, however, recommend the following:
* Light a fire on arrival in the designated fire pit - this can held ward off the flies (make sure to pack in your firewood).
* Make sure you have a good flashlight - it gets really dark after sun sets.
* The flies can make preparing and cooking food a nightmare. If possible, wait until sun set before beginning your dinner - you will have far more success.

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