Don Pedro Lake

Had a great time went on Father’s Day weekend 2016. Great family place make sure you visit the lagoon for swimming and bbqing. Take a canopy, large blanket and lots of snacks.

We stayed on campsite B in Fleming meadows on June 10−13^th and everything was nice, besides the crazy big bugs but what else do you expect while camping. The bathrooms stayed clean for the most part until Saturday night and weren’t cleaned by the time we left on Monday. I was pleased with our campsite but the other ones around us slopped down and didn’t have much tent space. We will for sure be back but maybe a different area.

We broke down at the lake last weekend 6−11−16 in our boat right out in the middle of the lake around 1pm for 5 hours. We tried waving down boaters and even patrol boats but no one would lift a finger to help. So we were left stranded mind you with no rangers in sight which was BS. So we improvised and tried paddling for a island for the night working our way through the water. Getting late in the day we were getting a little anxiety out on the water knowing the night was coming and far out from a island and still no rangers in sight. Maby we should have brought beer and whiskey and tip it up to get there attrition since they were no help in a good way. Our last hope was a fisherman in his boat heading our way so we flagged him down for help and he approached us with «You look like you guys need help» and yes we did. This savior of our day made our day and towed us back to safety and we can never thank him enough. When we got to the boat ramp 2.5 hrs later there were boat rangers all around the docks doing nothing. So my point is rangers are out to bust you, not help you and most other boaters will not give a dame about you. So my opinion about this lake is don’t brake down because there is no cell service and no patrol boats to help you. I would have gave it a 0 star but my option was 1 – 5

Made campsite reservation more than a month in advance. Called the separate line to reserve a patio boat and none were available on the dates of our stay. Decided against the trip after all and attempted to cancel the campsite reservation, still more than a month in advance, and was hit with an $ 80 penalty. Meanwhile, there was no mention of a cancellation penalty at the time of booking. When I tried to dispute the penalty with their representative, I was told that I was being unreasonable. This is bad business.

Buch of drunken, rude people. Blasting gangster rap. Others trying to overpower rap with country and Mariachi hammering from shore. This place needs launch/​DUI/​crowd control. Utter chaos. Drunk mouthy girls dancing and playing on the courtesy docks while people try to launch/​depart.

Don Pedro is one of several large reservoirs in the Sierra Nevada foothills. After a while, there’s not much to differentiate one from another. Whether you go to Camanche, Melones, Hogan, McClure, Tulloch, or Don Pedro, pretty soon they’re all the same, and the only differences are the contours of the golden hills holding in the water.
But if you like to fish or waterski across a big lake, you don’t care after a while.
I think we went here twice when I was a kid. The most memorable time, the temperature got way over 100, it was probably 110, and we kept our shirts on while swimming because we’d get burned after only half an hour if we didn’t. The foothills get very hot in the summer, so Don Pedro is one of the places people go to cool off.
Don Pedro stretches from Highway 132 to Highway 120. On our recent day trip to Yosemite (April), we camped at Moccasin, which is very close to 120. Don’t worry, you can’t hear the traffic noise. The campground is not especially scenic, and serves mostly as a sleeping area for boaters. Nice bathrooms, well maintained, with free showers. Three out of five camp areas were open, it was just over half full, and at least half the campers had a boat at their site. We went to sleep with turkeys gobbling, and were awakened at 6am by a roaring boat. Yep, typical reservoir in Central California.
How to enjoy Don Pedro: Know what you’re getting into. This is not a pretty alpine mountain lake. Avoid BWIs (boating under the influence). Drink a lot to stay hydrated. And relax, even if your idea of relaxing is waterskiing at 40mph.

Just take my word for it. This place has it all. Explore and draw your own conclusions as to what is the best. Note the proximity to Yosemite and wineries. Enjoy the adventure.

The ol’ swimming hole…
For those without a boat but who still want to beat the heat of a dry, foothills Summer, there is a rather nice Swimming Lagoon at the Fleming Meadows camp site. It is about two acres with a sand bottom, little beach and two fountains. People love (attempting) to climb and jump from the fountains. Deepest section is about 6 or 7 feet deep, but there is ample space for children to swim, play and splash in the more shallow section.
On Summer holidays it is a very popular destination for those from the Valley, but everyone gets along very nicely. It is quite heart-​warming and wholesome really.
Other amenities include a lawn, snack shack (hot dogs, chips, sodas, ice cream) and bathroom.
$ 10/​car or $ 1/​bike day use fee.

Our second camping trip at Don Pedro and we had a blast as always. Originally we reserved campsite D15 at the Fleming Meadows campground but there were way too many other campers too close to us and it felt crowded. Plus you couldn’t pull up and park your car at the campsite as there is a separate parking lot for the D sites. We were able to move to A18 where we had plenty of space and nobody next to us, and close enough to the bathrooms. I love that this campground offers free hot showers. The only disappointment was that because of the drought the water was quite low and ski boat rentals were completely sold out. We didn’t think we needed a reservation because the last time we came we got a boat with no problem. I’d advise a reservation just in case. We had a great time regardless and hope to return again soon!

We just stayed here (fleming meadows H28, even though we were tent camping) for a week and it was seriously the best family vacation time we have ever spent. Very nice, spacious, clean campsites, restrooms with flushing toilets and hot showers at no extra expense. The «lagoon» was so much fun and the water was just perfect! The staff at the entrance AND the trading post store were super friendly. I would make the 7 hour drive again in a heartbeat cause I can’t wait to come back!

we were here on the 4^th of july weekend. min of 3 nights to stay, whic is a rip off if you work & have to be there just for the weekend, but whatever. we stayed at the blue oaks. which is a 2 mile drive down to the actual lake. on the pictures on line during the reservation it showed that it had a grill & a fire pit. well to our surprise it only had a fire pit. the rangers are nice, but they do not care about the noise level. i came here with my 1 yr old daughter & my 9 yr old daughter & the people accross my site were drunk, guys were in the girls bathroom w/​their drunk girl friend who was throwing up. the campsites are waay too close together & it gets super hot! we went down to the lagoon which is nice, but it gets wayy to crowded & there is no were to gril unless you climb up a hill.
the worst part was that we rented out a boat. the boat was fine, but cassandra who was at the marina assiting us, had no customer service what so ever. she was rude! they ended up charging my account over $ 1,000 something that should have only been $ 454. i was told that i would have my deposit back in to my account the next day it is now day 4 and i have not received my full refund back. i have spoken to the general manager katie, (she was nice) but everyone else just doesnt seem to care or do anything about the situation. joyce who is the assitant general manager is basically just telling me to give my bank more time for this to be processed. more time? i’m sorry but i can’t say that to the bills i have to pay. i understand people make mistakes, but they haven’t even apologized for this! i am trully disppointed & will not be going back!!!
customer service goes a long way, but apperantly they can care less @ the marina! i do not recomend it!!!

This place is alright. It was pretty crowded on a weekend in June. We are in a serious drought so the water levels have been abnormally low, rendering muddy swimming water and rocky terrain. The check in staff was friendly and helpful. The bathrooms are typical for large outdoor camping facilities, they weren’t the cleanest I have seen and a large puddle of water was at the entrance to the Woman’s Restroom for several days.
The bear lockers in the campsites were gross, not sure I would want to store food in there, and the ground was very hard, so you can’t streak in your tent. Most people’s camps had tipped over tents from the wind.
Glad we saw the place, not sure we will be back.

Rent a boat and go fishing, also a good place to go looking for gold in the ravines that come into the lake, really beautiful place to camp and explore.

Camping venue was clean, organized, felt safe, way too many people for my taste though. If you’re into family camping with tons random of people around, this may be your spot.
My only significant let down. Someone had defecated in the shower…

We stayed at Fleming Meadows campground (spot A36) this past weekend. Beautiful lake view from our spot, BUT if you have a watercraft you are in for quite a hike to get to and from the water. It was about a 6 minute hike down a dirt, rock and wildlife infested pathway! Once down at the water there is very little apace to set up a day camp. People unfortunately have no respect and leave trash all over the place. We had to clean our site when we got there because there was broken glass and trash all over. The food locker came in handy as well as the picnic table and firepit. Although they were placed so closely together that we were worried the fire would catch the canopy we had over r he picnic table. There are nicely leveled spots designated for your tent in your camping spot. The bathrooms with showers were a short 3 minute hike up hill. 2 showers and 3 restroom stalls. There was a short wait for the showers each evening but not bad. Be sure to wear flip flops in the shower because they are questionable. I loved that the staff drove around about 3 times a day selling firewood and ice. It was like the ice cream man coming around! $ 8 each for a 20 lb bag of ice and a bundle of firewood. Nice trading post and the marina was large and fully stocked. Fuel at the marina was extremely reasonable at $ 5.35 a gallon.
The lake is huge and beautiful. Definitely more than enough water to explore. The 5mph no wake zone was agonizingly large and felt like it took forever to get to open water. All in all we loved this lake but probably won’t be back until the water is back up because the hike was killer and not fun to trample through the high brush to get up and down, especially with a little one. Great lake though don’t get me wrong.

This review is for the LAKE — we spent 2 full days out on the lake — and used Fleming Launch area due to the water levels being at 50%.
The lake is fantastic! We have gone to Camanche and New Melones from East Bay and its very much worth the extra drive time.
Awesome views to the north side of the lake — canyon areas protected from the wind great for skiing and knee boarding.
Water is clear! We will be back!

Okay my review is based on the Lake and Campground
Don Pedro is a great place with good Campsites, Camps come with the fire-​pit, A grill and storage for belongings. There are bathrooms and showers which are great
Here are my Pros:
Don Pedro’s lake is a great place to go exploring on a boat whether it’s for fishing or rafting they offer Rentals if you do not own a boat
The Campsites are great, most have shaded spaces, nice trail to hike up and down. They maintain and keep the sites clean. It’s no deal breaker but your average camp ground
Here are my Cons:
Don Pedro itself was a great place to camp, I don’t have much complaints of the place it’s self other than the Bathrooms which should be maintained more
The biggest issue I had at the site was the fact that there were no enforcements on quiet hour. I read some reviews saying the same but I didn’t think it would be that bad.
The people I camped by literally stayed up all night, 3am they were telling and revving their engines and at 4:45 they started screaming «good morning» all around. I understood it’s memorial weekend and people like to party but they had no type of courtesy for other campers. If they enforced quiet hours rules better I would honestly give this place ⁴⁄₅ stars.
Conclusion:
All in all Don Pedro is a great place for camping but I’m iffy on returning primarily because they don’t enforce the quiet hour rules. If they improve on that then I would love to come back. The Lake and campsite is great! It’s the Management that seems to need improvement.
Thank you for reading my review

I wanted to give this place a negative review before arriving being that after my neighbor booked the site I was made aware that pets aren’t allowed.
The sites were decent, the bathrooms were in need of more attention as they were covered in garbage by the end of the weekend and out of toilet paper.
All in all, it was a nice trip. No critters, no yellow jackets, no mosquitos at the camp site.
I wish they posted signs about rattlesnakes we had a run en route to the boat and would have made sure to be more careful had we known in advance.

This is the second year we go and we love it! This review is for Fleming Meadows campsite. We have reserved #D10 but D13 is the best site (near the water lagoon, easier to get your camping equipment to, close to the restrooms and just one neighbor).
Our family loves this place because our two young boys can spend the entire day playing in the lagoon (we just walk up to our site to for lunch and then it’s back to the lagoon), we can take walks, the bathrooms are kept clean and there are warm showers. Wait, there’s more… there’s a trading post where you get a bite to eat, ice cream, beer, ice, firewood, etc. This is a fabulous place to take your kids for a fun camping experience and the best part is it’s only ~2 hours away!!!

THIS REVIEW IS BASED ON THE CAMPGROUNDS AND NOT THE LAKE ITSELF:
came here during memorial day weekend (big holidays require a min. 3 night stay). we stayed at Blue Oaks campground (fleming meadows was all booked) at site C37. our campsite itself was fine, everything was leveled, paved parking to fit two cars, fire pit, grill, and big enough for 3 medium sized tents. the campground itself. well, thats completely different. here are some cons:
–campsites were pretty close to each other and there’s not a lot of trees in between the campsites so you can definitely see what others are doing.
–rangers do not enforce quit hours so everyone has their music blasting, hooting and hollering, even chopping down trees to make their own firewood. it was 2 AM and neighbors were inconsiderate loud ass drunks
–there’s two areas where you can stock up on food/​alcohol (trading post and marina. all in fleming meadows campground about 8 minute drive from blue oaks) expect most items to be overpriced. especially firewood and ice. word of advice: stock up on alcohol and firewood before you arrive. there’s not a lot of choices either in terms of food and alcohol
pros:
–free hot showers that are spread pretty evenly throughout the campground. we went to shower around 12 midnight and there wasn’t any lines. no duh.
–bathrooms were «do-​able» as in it was stocked and didn’t have urine or used maxi pads lying around the floor. 2 stalls.
–water spouts and dumpsters were evenly spread so we didn’t have to walk a million miles to take out trash or get water
–rangers at the entrance gate were super friendly
–easy to navigate and we had no problem finding our campsite number. it was painted large on the ground
we were lucky that the weather averaged mid 70’s.i hear it gets very hot in summer. we drove to the lagoon, which wasn’t SUPER crowded and just hung out there drinking and swimming. there’s not a whole lot to do if you don’t have a boat. hiking trails are minimum (if you even call them hiking trails). i’m sure it would have been super fun if we rented a boat or jet ski (at the marina), gone fishing, or did something at the lake itself. overall, if you’re looking to «be one» with nature and have a need for some wanderlust, this is NOT the place. if you’re going with a big group and planning on staying up all night drinking and playing games without rangers on your back, this is the place.