Best Cabin Camping near Walnut Grove, CA

I love this place because it is about 45 minutes from the house.  There's plenty to do with lots of great sites.  The first time we went, they didn't have any annual passes because they lady was out that day. But the other day, we were able to finally get a season pass.  You can fish, hike, or swim here. The campsites are spacious and you don't feel over crowded if there is a family next to you. It's pet friendly. The store was recently redone and they offer a wide variety of items, from keep sakes to any necessity you may have forgotten ( lighter, logs, clothes shoes, etc... )  There also boat rental that are a fair price, plus you get them for an hour or so. ( You will have to check the prices and availability. ) There's a dog park for the dogs to roam free off the leash, which also has access to water/ beach area for the dogs only.

 WELCOME TO ASCENSION RANCH Ascension Ranch is an off-grid paradise tucked away in an oak savanna along Folsom Lake with a unique and ever growing list of features and activities. Family owned, we're a small operation with big dreams. Offering a serene environment, an abundance of farm animals, and good old fashion ranch activities, we invite you to spend some time with us out on the ranch! Come play for the day or reserve a private campsite, and see what all the fuss is about. Some of things you'll come across at Ascension Ranch include baby farm animals, sheep, goats, cattle, horses, more horses, ranch dogs, puppies, chickens, equestrian activities, secluded campsites, amazing views, access to endless trails around and of course, good company.

General: This is a HUGE RV park (a Sun Resort) with back-in, pull-through sites, and cabins. We called a day ahead to see if there was room and on a weekday in early May, there was plenty of availability. We even received a Spring Flash Sale (40% off) rate which, although more than we usually spend to camp, was reasonable. As is typical of RV parks, there is a small patch of lawn between sites but virtually no privacy. There are trees throughout the park and although it is located right on the road, only the sites that back up to the road hear road noise. There is a small pond in the center and we saw some ducks. All camping sites have full hook-ups and a picnic table but no fire ring or grill. There is a large laundry room and a café. We were assigned a site at check-in. 

Site Quality: Pads are paved and level. The back-in sites in the center back up to each other with no divider between them. I saw several large RVs look almost like they were touching! 

Bathhouse: Two bathhouses each with three stalls, two sinks, and two showers. Although there is a curtain separating the showers from the rest of the bathroom, the bench is outside of the shower stalls, which could be awkward. However, in the time we were there, I never saw a single person in the bathroom(assuming most people use their own bathrooms in their RVs). The shower had good water pressure and hot water.

Activities: There is a pool, playground, rec center. Shuffleboard, horseshoes, and beach volleyball. It is a half-mile around the perimeter, so I was able to enjoy a short run.

This is not our usual type of camping experience, but since we met friends at a nearby winery, this worked for us since we did not want to drive far.

This is a wonderful spot to stay for a few days in the off season. We stayed in February. Summers would be very hot and I imagine the area would be packed with day use folks. 12 miles from I-5 out in the country. Very quiet.  21 water and electric sites with a dump station on the way out. Some pull through sites. About 50 tent only sites, some just feet from the lake. RV sites are farther from the lake on mostly level gravel pads with picnic table, fire rings, and a trash can at each site. The grounds are very attractive and very well maintained and all of the staff we encountered were friendly and accommodating. There is one marked hiking trail that follows the lake shore for the first mile then through a field with cattle.

I wanted somewhere not too far to go and stay when my 5-6 year-old had 5 days off from school. This was perfect in so many ways.

Positives

- Amenities! I love how everything was themed, from the street names to the signs. Two nice playgrounds, ball courts, pool and hot tub. Watching your kids play red light/green light on the jumping pillow put a smile on every parent's face.

- Seasonal programming (weekends only). For October, we did an outdoor movie, magic pumpkins, costume contest, trick or treating, hay ride, and haunted house. My daughter loved everything except the haunted house, which she said was "too scary!"

- Clean, comfortable facilities. Lots of ways to stay. We car camped and found the hook ups really easy to use. Water, drain, 3 types of electricity, picnic table and firepit at every site. We used their bathrooms and showers and was impressed by how clean they were. Most of the time we had them completely to ourselves and they were even climate controlled.

- Restaurant. I cooked breakfast and lunch most days at the campsite, but for dinner we splashed out at the kid-friendly Waterfront Grille. Friendly staff, good food (lobster and prime rib, yum!), amazing views of the sunset.

Negatives

- Water park was closed. Call ahead to see if it is open when you want to go. I heard that it is never open because of some issue with permits or drought. If so, the promotional video is misleading and I almost deducted a star for this.

- Expensive. For camping, it is expensive, but think of it more as a theme park/resort, than true camping. We saved on the cabin and RV, and spent on the optional activities and the fancy meals.

Bottom line, I would totally go back and stay as long as I could. I hear it is super crowded in the summer, but it would be worth it if the water park is open.

Checkin process a little hectic but wonderful camp hosts and overall nice facilities. A ton of great hiking and horseback riding trails. Literally 5 mins outside of the town of Napa. Ate at an amazing Brazilian Steakhouse and came to camp in just a short drive. Sites are free form and come as you are, basically you’re assigned to a section and you camp where there room to do so. Sites backs up to Wilderness and saw a doe within 10 mins of setting up camp just a few steps away. Level sites, water, picnic table and grill at each spot. All close to restrooms and showers, needs some updating but very clean. You’ll need to make sure you have a tent, no car-camping. All-in-all, felt like going to summer camp in the city but left with a smile on my face!! :) Would stay again for sure! Enjoy!