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Ice House Campground is surrounded by a mixed conifer forest on the shores of Ice House Reservoir. Just 12 miles from Riverton, CA, the campground offers hiking, biking, jet skiing and fishing. Ponderosa pine is a pleasing part of the surrounding region. The trees fill the air with a vanilla aroma and it's the tallest known pine tree in the country. To date, the tallest Ponderosa measured was an impressive 268.35 feet tall. Recreation Enjoy swimming, fishing and boating on Ice House Reservoir. Rainbow, brown, and trout swim in these waters. A boat ramp is located on-site. Hike or bike on the Ice House Mountain Bike Trail, which stretches for 3.1 miles along ridge tops and shaded northern slopes. The trail boasts views of the reservoir and the Crystal Range. Facilities Amenities include a picnic area, drinking water faucets, vault toilets and a dump station. Firewood is sold on-site and a nearby resort offers a restaurant, gas and limited groceries. At the RV-only campsite area, there is a shared cooking area with tables and grills. This is the only place those staying in the area may grill. Natural Features Some campsites at Ice House are right on the shoreline while others are set back just enough for plenty of shade from towering ponderosa pines, cedars and Manzanita bushes. The reservoir spans 700 acres at 5,500 feet elevation. The area is part of the Eldorado National Forest, which stretches across the famed gold mining territory of the 1800s. Its climate is similar to that of the Mediterranean, with warm, dry summers and cold, wet winters. Nearby Attractions Head to Bassi Falls, which can be reached via a 1.2-mile hiking trail. The glorious waterfall cascades over a 109-foot granite cliff. ADA Access: N
From Pollock Pines, CA, take Route 50 east 8.3 miles to the Crystal Basin Recreation Area sign. Turn left at sign onto Icehouse Road and go 10.8 miles to the Ice House Campground directional sign. Turn right at the sign onto Forest Route 32, then go 1.1 miles to an intersection with a campground/boat ramp sign. Continue straight to campground.
One of the best trips I've had!
Lak was immaculate and staff was very helpful and kind. The renovations done to the park has been much appreciated!!! New bark and wood chips surround your site so grabbing kindling is sooo easy.
Renovations to the bathroom was super needed and I'm glad it got worked on its a huge improvement.
If you're planning a trip to ice house I recommend these sites:
28 & 29 are nice and a little more secluded from most other campsites.
6 is awesome if you have a huge group, the site had 2 fire pits and 2 bear boxes. If you have a huge 10+ group I highly recommend 6.
7&8 super nice sites off to the right side of the site that have a great view of the lake and takes you 2 minutes to be at the "beach".
This place is an absolute treasure!! The campground is perfect. It has bathrooms and showers, and there are tables and storage containers at every campground. Two tables and two storages for a double campground and one for the single ones. We camped in #41, it was a double and was first come first serve, by the way. It had plenty of room for two tents and had a beautiful view of the lake and the mountains. It was $56 a night for a double. You can pay with cash to the camp host/pay post or there is a kiosk by the boat launch that you can pay at. The boat launch is where the showers are as well. Definitely will be back. Such a great experience, minus seeing a bear but he seemed to mind his own business.
So our group of seven had 2 sites next to each other. The first of the group arrived with their older dog and 8 month old puppy. Within minutes of them arriving, the puppy was excitedly barking at a squirrel when the camp host showed up and demanded that they make the puppy stop barking or they would have to take him back home... WITHIN MINUTES, he came over and said that! The next set of the group arrived Friday night with their 2 dogs, and us 3 stragglers arrived Saturday evening. I brought my husky, who was the quietest of them all. Lol. Sunday morning (around 7:30 am) as we are getting ready to make breakfast the grouch old man camp host comes and asks us to "move" our Jeep. Thinking we were parked out of the lines we readjusted the car to better fit the spot. Then the camp host comes back and says no you need to move it out of this spot, I need to bring in a mini excavator to move that boulder so my gold cart can go down the path... Okaaaay... Jeep is moved, and the excavator shows up and moves the boulder so he can use his Lil golf cart on the path... mind you, it's about 9 am at this point. Once the excavator is gone and the parking space is still clear... the camp host NEVER comes back. Well... that's interesting because he just HAD to make us stop cooking to go move a car... but then never shows back up. Anyways, aside from the crotchety old camp host, we all had a blast... probably won't come back if he's still around next year, though. Hopefully, he retires, although his wife was nice. Knocked off stars because of his attitude. I've camped at a multitude of state parks, and I've never met a camp host this mad at life.
I love this campground! The sites are spacious, the night sky is easy to enjoy, and the hosts are so so kind. There are a lot of bugs but thats a given during hot seasons. They also have a beach where the shore is sandy and that's a big plus considering most other camp grounds have rock shores. This camp ground is also very dog friendly and the dogs here are very well behaved. I stayed at site 35 and I highly recommend that site as it is close to multiple restrooms as well as a water faucet and the beach.
