Camp ObserverPonderosa Campground
Camp site features
Across 23 camp sites:
- Pets allowed: all 23 sites
- Longest rig: 40 ft
- Largest party: 8 people
Directions
Campground is only available to access via the 101 side, the Highway 1/ Nacimiento Road Access is CLOSED.
From Monterey, Take highway 68 to the 101. Accessible through Highway 101 exit Jolon Road.
From Los Angeles/South take highway 101 to the Jolon Road exit, follow until campground.
Stay Limit
Check in from 3 PM, check out by 12 PM.
Reviews
Joseph M
Loop:Ponderosa Campground
Site:
Reviewed 6 days ago
I don’t see the use in making reservations or paying if people just take whatever spot they want anyways. Arrived to our site with someone already set up, they said they reserved another spot but didn’t like it so moved into our spot, forcing us to look for another site. No camp host on site, no services, only vault toilets. Honestly, if you just show up without reservations or paying, you can probably get away with staying for free. Only recommend as a last resort.
Hailei K
Loop:Ponderosa Campground
Site:
Reviewed 10 days ago
Tons of flies, not well kept, trash everywhere.
Anika C
Loop:Ponderosa Campground
Site:
Reviewed 13 days ago
Beautiful campground despite a few drawbacks. Creek was mostly dry when we were there with pools of standing water that meant LOTS of bugs. Mosquitos, small flies, and larger biting flies. Bug spray, citronella candles, and fans didn't do much against them and they bothered us pretty much the entire time. The site itself seemed accessible but the bathrooms were not at all. There's no way a wheelchair could have fit in any of them.
We reserved sites 21 and 22 as a group of seven people and it was shaded and spacious. Beautiful nature and wildlife, lots of stellars jays and acorn woodpeckers, gorgeous stars at night. There was potable water at the entrance of the campground and at one of the bathrooms farther away from us. Vault toilets were not the worst I've seen, but definitely contributed to the amount of flies at our sites.
I'm sure this would be a perfectly lovely place to stay in the spring when the creek is flowing and it is cooler with less bugs, but the heat and extremely determined bugs were unpleasant for all of us.
Alexander B
Loop:Ponderosa Campground
Site:
Reviewed 15 days ago
Bathrooms are not great, lots of non biting bugs. Trash needed to be picked up almost no water in the river in August. Weird sites be prepared to lug your stuff around.
Linda R
Loop:Ponderosa Campground
Site:
Reviewed 19 days ago
We had booked two nights but only stayed one because of the flies. Beautiful place but nowhere to swim or cool off. No nice toilets. We want our money back.
Ethan W
Loop:Ponderosa Campground
Site:
Reviewed 21 days ago
Great secluded campsite with beautiful stars. Some campsites seemed to be marked as "closed" and did not have potable water but were still available for booking on Recreation.gov. Other campers happily let us use their spigot but something to note.
