ponderosa state park

N5645MSdavidm

Way back, McCall had a horse race track on the south edge of Ponderosa State Park--owned by Johnny Carico, if memory serves. Back then, there was a steamer, Miss Payette Lakes, which carried folks from Lakeview Camp to the pavilion built over the water across the lake below the Payette Lakes Inn. Dances were held in the evening on the paviilion. Times were more gentle then, and more romantic, I think. The old landmarks are mostly gone now; however, the park is well managed, and it is still a wonderful place to spend one's vacation, or just to spend a day visiting. David Maule, Rancho Cordova, CA 95670-3727 (916)-635-2496

SLWL

We travelled in October so there weren't too many people. I expect during the summer the trails would be busy.We hiked through the middle of the park. It's gorgeous! In some places the trails were a bit sketchy, but generally well marked and maintained.The park is relatively untouched by humans (considering how much use it gets), yet close to civilized amenities. Just the way I like to travel.

macnaim

I loved snowshoeing in Ponderosa State Park. $5 fee & bring your own equipment. The trek to the top and overlooking the lake was spectacular. Beautiful, quiet & serene. I highly recommend.

wdlander

We parked and walked the park. Snow shoeing, and cross country skiing were available, but after a long drive, what we wanted was a stretch of the legs, and some fresh air. This is a fine place to do it. It was not our first visit, and we have seen fox, deer and elk about the place. Why would anyone want to walk here?

DCTraveler187

I stayed in the Wolf Cabin for a weekend last year. It was great. The area is quiet and provides scenic views of the lake from your cabin porch. Inside the cabin was clean and well-appointed. Downtown McCall is very close--perhaps a bit of a hike on foot, but a quick 5 minute trip by car or bike. I highly recommend Ponderosa State Park's cabins.

stephaniel765

I love this park. There are miles of trails. If that isn't your thing you can always drive. The way the park is set up is for people of both interests. The road winds and turns with the lake. There are some beautiful views from the road. If you hike it the views are amazing! The trails go deep into the forest then come out at various parts of the lake! It is sooo beautiful especially in the fall!! When we went there the fee shack wasn't open so we didn't have to pay. But it looks like it was $5.

RobL107

We did not stay overnight, we had a suite at The Shore Lodge. But, we will.The drive. While rough, the Scenic Drive loop was stunning. We were in a Jeep Liberty, so a non-issue for us. The signage advises trailers, RVs, etc, may not want to continue. I'd say, if you are in a truck, a REAL suv, anything with some clearance, do it. Grandma's Lincoln, maybe not. At one point, we came to a stop, rolled down the windows, and said "hello" to the 4-point whitetail buck that was happily munching away, 6-8 feet from us. In the next half-hour, that happened three times. The facilities looked great, although we did not shower, or anything like that. There are full hookups all over. Yeah, we're going back. Let's see. $300+ per night fancy suite, why? No RV? No sweat. All kinds of sites available. Remember Tahoe, Northshore, in the 50's -60's? It's even better in Idaho

techies

If you find yourself in MaCall be sure and take time to ride through the park. Can't wait until we can come her for a camping trip. Just beautiful!

mamacroc

We've found the entrance unstaffed every time we've been, so make sure you have exact change. The park is beautiful with lots of places to park and hike. If you don't have a high-clearance vehicle though I wouldn't try to drive too far in.

bmonson

A beautiful park with easy access. Hiking, fishing, camping, snowmobiling, and all the outdoors you could ask for.

yorkiemom61

Took a walk thru the Park and felt it was well kept up and lots of trails and places to walk, & bike.I will definitely visit again.

JeckyBean

We spent a week in McCall at a condo and made three day trips to Ponderosa State Park. Great hiking - trails of varying difficulty. We say deer on every hike. There are wonderful biking trails - easy one for kids and mountain biking trails too. A beautiful part with lots to do.

nelgnoT

This is a beautiful state park that I had fun biking around in. The proximity to McCall is good. The views from the cliffs at the far end of park are wonderful. We looked into camping here, but found that the prices were very high. It was only a few dollars more to stay in a cabin at a hot springs a few miles out of town. So, that is what we did.

NancyH394

Large campsites, each of which had a large tent pad, nice picnic table and room to move. Nice walking/biking trails with no motorized traffic. Off the main road, so quiet, but close to a great small town with good shopping. Only complaint is the restrooms should be scrubbed down with Clorox or the like everyday to keep germs and mold at bay. Lovely facility.

canstacker

Well, at least the boys did more mountain biking than we did... we stayed on the easier trails. Ponderosa State Park was a good place for us to go Biking on trails for the first time and offered a variety of trails for the parents and the more adventurous teens. It is a beautiful park and well worth a visit. There is a fee for Cars but if you ride your bikes into the park, there isn't a fee.