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Eldorado/Ice House

Overview

Nestled within the expansive Eldorado National Forest, the Eldorado/Ice House area serves as a premier destination for RVers seeking a true mountain escape. Located near Pollock Pines, CA, this region is defined by its towering ponderosa pines and the sparkling waters of the Ice House Reservoir. It offers a rugged, authentic camping experience that contrasts sharply with urban RV parks, providing a peaceful retreat into nature for those looking to disconnect from the digital world and reconnect with the outdoors.

Location & Surroundings

Situated at an elevation of approximately 5,400 feet, the surroundings are characterized by the dramatic landscapes of the Crystal Basin Recreation Area. The park is surrounded by granite outcroppings and dense evergreen forests, offering cool summer temperatures and crisp mountain air. Its location provides a convenient base for exploring the western slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains while remaining accessible via the scenic Ice House Road, which winds through some of California’s most beautiful forest terrain.

Amenities & Park Features

Most sites in the Ice House area are designed for those who appreciate a more rustic style of travel. While you won't find luxury resort features, the campgrounds provide essential amenities such as paved parking spurs, picnic tables, and fire rings. Many locations offer access to piped water and vault toilets. For additional supplies or a hot meal, the nearby Ice House Resort provides a general store, restaurant, and fuel, ensuring visitors have access to the basics during their forest stay.

Nearby Attractions & Things to Do

The primary draw is the reservoir itself, which is a haven for trout fishing and motorized boating. For those who prefer land-based activities, the Ice House Bike Trail offers a scenic three-mile paved path that winds along the northern shoreline. Hikers can easily access trailheads leading into the majestic Desolation Wilderness, while photographers will find endless inspiration in the sunset views over the water and the local wildlife, including bald eagles and osprey.

Who This Park Is Best For

This destination is ideal for self-contained RV travelers who prioritize outdoor recreation and natural beauty over modern hookups. It is a perfect fit for families looking to introduce their children to the great outdoors and for adventurous couples seeking High Sierra solitude. If your travel style involves kayaking, mountain biking, or simply sitting by a campfire under a star-filled sky, this park provides the perfect backdrop for your next mountain adventure.

Amenities

- Recreational Facilities

• Lake
• Swimming
• Fishing
• Ramp
• Body Of Water (Ice House Reservoir)
• Watersports

- Policies

• Pets Welcome
• Pets $
• Day Max Stay (14)
• Tent Camping Allowed

- Other Amenities & Services

• Pit Toilets

- Recreation Nearby (within 10 miles)

• Fishing
• Hiking
• Boating
• Mountain Biking
• Watersports

- Facility

• Type (National Forest)
• Partial Handicap Access

- On-Site Rentals

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- Sites

• Spaces Available (70)
• Paved Sites (70)
• Max Length (38)
• No Hookups (70)
• Back-ins (11 x 38)
• Fire Rings

User Reviews

Esmeralda Sandoval

October 03, 2025

Campground is beautiful! We loved it. The only and worst part about it though was the toilets. These were the worst and filthiest bathrooms I’ve ever been too. They had maggets on the floors, around the toilet and flies all over inside too. They lasted like that a whole day and without toilet paper too!! Next day maggets were sorta swept but this really threw off our overall experience

Kimberly Hayes

September 10, 2025

The entire drive into the campground says that it is a cashless campground. However, you have to pay to take a shower in quarters. They say that the shower is closed at a certain time but they actually close at about 10 minutes to 15 minutes before closing time and do not care. Also, the camp hosts were Off duty the entire time of my stay and we’re absolutely no help. They were also completely rude when I went to ask a simple question. The area is nice, but there are a lot of bears and the bathroom smells to high heaven. Probably would be a better area if there were better camp hosts

Laysha Ostrow

September 09, 2025

One of the best camping experiences of my life! Campground is fairly remote and the sites are spaced well, with mounds and trees separating them so that every site is pretty good. You can swim in the lake which is right there! Camp host is friendly and has a cute Chihuahua.

Lttldevl0

June 11, 2025

The camp hosts at Boulder Loop were very nice, and informative with regards to future opportunities, The camp hosts at the boat launch were also very friendly. The bathrooms were very clean and had trash cans. We absolutely loved the fact that there was a shower available. What a gorgeous view. We stayed in number 65, which was right next to the camp host, We were very happy that it was quiet and that we could enjoy ourselves and relax. When it was time to be quiet, we could still sit outside and listen to nature. The whole reason why you go camping.Loud music... just peace. The campsites are a bit away from the water, a little walk but definitely worth it. We appreciated that they were animal-friendly. We will absolutely go again!

Brian Caines

June 09, 2025

Great camping spot! We spent a lot of time on the lake with our paddleboards. And it was great that people seemed to leave everyone's stuff alone at the beach areas. Vault toilets were pretty clean as far as I could see, but no hand sanitizer or soap. I tried the shower at the boat dock and it was pretty good too. Only complaint on the shower was there is no timer to know when your 4 minutes for $3 is going to be up, so I ended up putting in $6 for one shower. It only took 30 seconds or so to start getting warm. We used the bear lockers pretty well but never saw any bear activity unless they were very quiet. The pictures were from the double site 60. It was relatively close to the water. We got a few sites next to each other which worked out ok but might have been better if we got adjacent one back to back. Only complaint about the bear locker is that the knockout holes in the back were still covered. This made it difficult to put our electric cooler in there and leave it plugged in.

Charlie Vanness

April 09, 2025

Went early April and the road was plowed, very nice campground, would recommend for sure.

Jadmin Sutorius

October 02, 2024

First time camping here. The area was perfect nice 👍 but the bathrooms are nusty lots and lots of flies and yellow jackets 🐝 flying around. Got scared to used their bathroom. The staff lady was RUDE first wen we come in she came with her golfcart at first i said its okay? The next day we were singing ( karaoke) we weren’t breaking any rules? We are not singing in the middle of the night? It was 10am? We just wanted to do something while our other friends preparing lunch? And here she comes saying we have to low our singing like just only us can hear? WHAT? Then that night the white people who where accros us they where doing loud music and never see that lady staff came? I feel like she is RACIST? My sister actually clean the toilet for us to used! So I say never recommend ice house camp ground? Please don’t go there? Staff lady was Rude! Bathrooms are nusty and no hot shower there is one but you pay by coins and its far away!

Byron Shaw

September 19, 2024

I'm not sure how smart Google is at this point. I can't really rate the rooms and service at a campground. I AM the service, so, I'll give it 5 stars. We surely ate well. Neighbor campers left a cooler out, and a bear made a lot of noise getting into it. Anyway, use the bear lockers for food. Even the drip tray on my Blackstone was in the bearproof lockers. Beautiful campground, clean, host was available for questions.

Why don't You ask

September 10, 2024

I’ve been going to icehouse with my family since I was 8 years old I am now 28 and bring my car 😂 All in all it is well kept everywhere you go, they have places to fish, and swim. You can set off in a boat, and usually there are a lot of boats. The rangers are usually nice but they’re just aching to give you a ticket for whatever they can. Had one give my dad a ticket on the way back from a week long trip for a cracked windshield that happened while we were camping so I don’t see how we could have had it fixed before we had even left the forest.

Katie Coolidge

July 16, 2024

This campground was fantastic! It seems like it was recently renovated. The campsites are well maintained with spacious parking pads and lots of room for camp gear. There are multiple pit toilets well located throughout the campground, so that no site is very far from a bathroom. The water spigots are similarly well distributed. The campground hosts were on it and checked on us right away upon pulling into our site. The lake has great mountain views and lots of room for recreation. I earnestly look forward to coming back.

Map for Eldorado/Ice House

Contact information