Ice House Campground

I made reservations here a week prior to our trip because I was looking for a warmer place to camp. I previously had reservations at Pinecrest, but it was going to be in the 50s during the day and 30s at night. Which isn’t ideal since I have a 7 month old and a 3 year old. But it ended up getting pretty chilly here as well - high 50s, low 40s. I do not recommended campsite 3, where we camped. It is a double site and is spacious enough for two families. But the campground had 3 bears that were visiting every night. One huge black bear, and a mama black bear with her cub. It was disappointing to learn this by getting a visit by the black bear who comes down from behind our campsite (which is why I do not recommend campsite 3). Luckily, our kids were asleep when the black bear came around 9pm. The camp host never came by to check us in, even though we were right next to their site. They did not inform us of the three bears that would be coming by. Obviously we are in bear country, so precautions were taken. But it would have been nice to know, since we have little ones exploring the area behind us (where one of the bears was coming down). When my husband informed the camp host of the bear that came by she wasn’t surprised at all and said “oh there’s three that come every night. One big black bear who is about 4.5ft tall on all fours - he’s a big guy! And a mama bear with her cub.” This was very strange to me that she didn’t come by and tell us this, nor did she tell the other campers around us. We went and informed the two sites by us so that they were aware of this. Aside from that, the campground is beautiful. You can chop your own wood, since there was a couple of dead trees around. The walk to the reservoir is short and sweet. The water isn’t freezing either, our dog enjoyed her daily swim. I recommend this campground for its beauty but be prepared for a bear visit.

Boulder loop is very hot. Meadow loop has more trees and shade. Several sites in each loop have lake views and direction access to the lake. Can pull up your boat and leave water toys. Pit toilets and central shower at boat launch area.

At 5000 feet elevation, it’s real mountain camping but with amenities. Easily accessible from highway. Plan ahead , it fills fast in summer.

Love this lake/reservoir! It’s large enough to explore with a SUP and small enough to keep the motor boat and jet skis to a manageable amount.  Nice wild life viewing. I saw Bald Eagles and Comorans with their babies. Butterflies, chipmunks and a few squirrels. And that was just on and around the lake. I didn’t hike this trip.

Camp Host was great. Bathroom clean and smelled good for a vault toilet. Site was large and shaded for part of the day.

We've used other campgrounds since, but we always wind up coming back to Ice House. It's far enough away without being a all day drive, and it's right on the water.

The boat ramp is right in the middle and you can get anything from walk in tent sites to family sites big enough for an RV and a large group. There's a resort a few miles down the road so you can get ice and supplies.

Most of of camp sites have pretty good shade, and with a little strategic placement you can make sure your tent isn't baking in the evening.

They've been installing bear boxes, so if you're a motorcycle camper you don't have to worry about where you're going to store your food overnight. Water spigots are rarely more than a short walk from any camp site.

Really, all that's missing is RV hookups, so people tend to run their generators. The 10:00 noise cut off is usually well enforced, so the nights are very peaceful. I've even seen a few black bears roaming through my camp sites over the years.

All in all, Ice House is a great, well maintained and peaceful campground that keeps me coming back.

We arrived on a Monday and the campground was almost empty. Every site around us looked reserved but no one was there. The place is small and sites are tight. So if you happen to be here on those days that it’s full, I would think you will not have some sort of privacy at all. But because our timing was perfect, it felt like we had the whole place for ourselves. The lake was great! Very clean shores except for some dog poop.

A very popular place for those who love to spend their time on the water. I was not impressed with the campsites. They were small and barely able to handle a single large tent let alone two tents. Sites were close with no landscaping on forest grounds to give privacy.

If you are seeking a quiet place this isn't it.

We went up and stayed one night to fish. Didn’t catch anything but the reservoir and the camp grounds are beautiful. I plan to return

We had a nice family campsite (53) very large, flat campsite. Across our site was the reservoir. This year the water was a bit high still however we heard typically they have nice beachy areas. Fishing was excellent! Overall a great campground in the El Dorado National Forest.

Lots of space to spread out under the trees, easy lake access from all campgrounds, great for boating if that’s what you’re into, could be a drawback if you’re a long distance swimmer as there are lots of boats.

Ice House is a great family friendly campground. The camp hosts are really nice and helpful. They keep the campgrounds and restrooms clean and ready for the next guests. The water is freezing cold all year long but everyone still gets in it to either ski or fish. On holidays the lake is never crowded, but the campgrounds are full. When our kids were young we were up there every holiday weekend. Great place to camp for all.

Tent camped in spot 72. No shade what so ever, and it was a hot day! However loved the spacing of the campsites. Neighbors were close, though not so close to be crowded. Spot was very close to the restroom, advantage and disadvantage when a strong ordor would breeze on through. Short walk to the lake which was beautiful, spent the day floating and drinking. Have visited before, and will visit again!

Ice House Reservoir is a great camping spot for those wanting to kayak, canoe, SUP, or fish. There isn’t a lot of great hiking in the area. There are a few out and back trails, but nothing that compares to some of the spectacular hikes a short driving distance in just about every direction from Ice House. The one exception to this rule that I am aware of is the hike to Big Hill Lookout. This hike is about 7.6 miles round trip with a total elevation gain of about 1,250 feet.

I do believe there are a number of OHV trails in the area, but don’t know about the accessibility of those trails from Ice House or your ability to store trailers at Ice House.

Ice House Reservoir is great for fishing, kayaking, canoeing, or stand up paddle boarding. The reservoir gives you plenty of places to explore on the water and plenty of great spots for fishing.

The campground itself is pretty developed and sites are relatively close together, but not too bad. Lots of nice tall trees, but not a lot of low growth making the campground feel pretty open.

Water is cold but you can paddle board, kayak or just fish. Very quiet and nice campsites.

This campground is amazing. Beautiful pine trees everywhere. TYhe scent is amazing. Some of the campsites are right on the shore of the reservior.

Numerous trails to hike and bike on.

a wonderful and stunning campground . on the the lake , great fishing and cold swimming.