Pardee Recreation Area

Stayed at Site 209 on the 4^th of July weekend in 2015.
Reserved a site about a month before visiting. Once I got to the campgrounds I was not completely happy with the site I had reserved. The staff was very friendly and nice about letting me pick a new site with no hassle at all.
The Lake View Campground is the side of the campsite when you first enter the grounds. This area is closer to the pool, general store, marina, is generally more shaded and closer to one of the only flush-​able toilets. If you have kids that want to use the pool this is definitely the side you want to stay on. If you might be the less prepared camper that might need a couple runs to the general store this is the side for you. If you can not handle not having shade, this is the side for you.
The Oaks Campground is a small drive over the hill once you enter the grounds. This area is not within walking distance of the pool, general store or marina. This area of the grounds is in general a little less shaded by trees. There are no flush-​able toilets on this side with everything being a port a potty. If you would like a little more secluded area and might be a little more experienced camper, this is more likely your side.
More shade is needed throughout the campground, which it looks like they have started to plant some of the Lake View Campground side. More planting are definitely needed on the Oaks Campground side.
Some strategic brush could be cut down to give better views of the lake throughout the campsite. With some work a couple of sites with lake view could possible be created too.
A flush-​able toilet on the Oaks Campground side would be nice and could take some of the use off of the port a potty’s.
There were a number of squirrel/​rodent holes that would effect a number of campsites and pitching tents. Would be nice if they could tackle this problem to some degree.
Ants were also somewhat prolific and could put a large damper on someones party if they ended up in the wrong spot.
Good stay overall.

Friends of ours decided to have a family camping trip. We thought by the area and views; we would have a positive camping experience. That was not the case on this trip. As a group we had a good time. But a member of the staff was rude and impatient. A white male staff continuously harass our campsite about misc scattered debris on the ground; which was going to be cleaned up as we were cooking. He voluntarily went near our dog that was chained up to the tree and made false allegations about dog to other staff members. The worse part of the trip was infront of the Pardee Café witnessing the same unruly staff member speaking nasty and using bad words to describe our friends and other non-​white campers at the pool swimming and camp site to another staff member that was agreeing with him. I was more afraid this particular staff, then the spiders and snakes biting me. I will not be returning.

We went here last minute on a friends suggestion, and so happy we did. The people there were friendly and helpful, and even though you can’t swim in the lake, the amenities and camp sites are nice and clean. We rented a boat to go fishing which was great and affordable. I would recommend coming here to anyone who likes camping and or fishing

This place is very over priced. Day use is $ 10 per car. Not bad. But $ 5 per person fish fee (so they can restock the fish) $ 8 to launch your boat. I made it to the gate & won’t ever be back

Terrific experience. We camped here first time — 4 families with kids. 2 days of fishing trouts in the lake, fire cooking them and eating. Life couldn’t get any better than this. Nice, clean facilities. We picked up our fishing permits and ice, firewood, propane from Marina. All of us wanted to stay there longer.

This place is so cheap. After we got kicked out of Lake Camanche, we searched the area code and found Lake Pardee. I mean with a name like Lake Pardee, how could we resist!
It was about 20 dollars a night but with the 6 cars which meant 3 campsites, we had it totaled to being 160~ dollars for 2 nights. This place has probably the cleanest facilities you will ever find at a campsite. Hot water too unlike Lake Camanche and security is not as uptight either.
This is a beautiful area at night. You can see the stars and also you can see the amazing moon on the lake.
But be warned, conservatives and hardcore trailer park people are here. My friend and I used the male’s restroom because of the long line for the females and was declared unworthy. We were given bad stares and the man announced to this posse how appalled he was that people like us come here.
Come on man, we live in the 21^st century. Women and men are equal (Or at least we should be.)!!
There was also 2 fights we saw between the trailer park people. I went into the diner and for some reason I was sitting on some man’s original seat that he sits on every day. MYYY BAD, home boy. He rudely told me to leave but I stayed seated making my coffee.
Also at the swimming pool there was another fight that broke out between 2 alpha males.
But overall if it weren’t for those incidents it would be a perfect 5 stars.
Cheap price. Good location but scary bugs and critters.

I have been coming to Lake Pardee for many many years. I took my family here for our kids first camping trip. We got in late Saturday afternoon got the tent and camp set up and then hit the lake for some late afternoon fishing. 2 hours and 2 limits of Kokanee later we were back at the campsite making dinner. Lake Pardee has some of the cleanest facilities you will find. I have never used a cleaner blue porta potty than the ones I have used at Pardee, even the floating ones are cleaned multiple times a day on the weekends. The morning bite was great too with 2 more limits of Kokanee before 10 AM.
The one weird thing was the local cows there, I was woken up by this crazy noise that I thought could have been a bear but figured out it was a couple of cows. Who knew that cows could growl and howl.
Minus one star because half of our campsite was infested with fire ants. We just stayed away from those areas and we were fine.
Lake Pardee I will always come back to you!!!
That’s my story

GO TO LAKE CAMANCHE INSTEAD. I repeat GO TO LAKE CAMANCHE. Me and 19 of my friends decided to come here to camp… what a mistake.
Camping here does not feel like camping at all, our spots were near the highway and we heard cars zooming by the whole day. There is absolutely no body contact with the water, you cant swim in it, you cant dip your feet in it, you cant even touch it. They have 2 SWIMMING POOLS. What’s the point? If you are looking for a CAMP site try Camanche, my friend went camping again a week after we went together and he said it was WAY better — a lot less restrictions. We ended up driving over to Camanche and paying to get in to swim at their lake instead during our stay at Pardee.
The one good thing about this place I would say is the fishing. There were a lot of fisherman here and I’ve heard stories about people catching a lot of fish, but even so my friends were not able to catch any. I guess it was just bad luck for us the whole weekend.

This is a gem of a lake nestled in the Sierra Foothills outside the town of Ione. It is mainly for trout and kokanee fishermen, but there are some huge bass in this lake as well.
The campsites are clean and spacious. The restrooms and showers are well-​kept and clean. Most of the campsites are shaded, some more than others. The launching facilities are nice and easy access ramps.
This looks to be a great kokanee year at Pardee. In the past the kokanee have been small, but those fish are starting to mature. The early spring trout fishing has gotten off to a great start.
According to what I have heard and read, boats from Santa Clara County will be allowed this season, though boats will be inspected for the Zebra Mussel prior to launching.