American River Resort

A few weeks ago we spent a couple of nights in one of the cabins. It had a wonderful view of the American River, a deck to hang out on with a gas grill included, and a full kitchen. We drove through the campground and it looked well kept. We never did see a staff member for the entire time we were there however. Even for check in and check out, the main office was closed.

Only experienced the camp sites. Very well maintained, flat camping areas with nearby parking and easy access to clean water and well maintained bathrooms. Really nice being near the river...great natural white noise for excellent sleep. Looking forward to the next opportunity to camp here and maybe check out the cabins. Rooms rating would be n/a at this point because I only experienced tent camping.

My group of 7 adults had to make a last minute shift in plans for our recent camping trip. American River Resort turned out to be a great option for us. The Platform Tents along the River were clean and comfortable, and we were able to set up our cooking, dining and relaxing areas easily. The sound of the River was amazing white noise at night! Bathrooms and shower facilities were clean, but the 1/4 mile walk required planning! A quick drive to restaurants, nightlife and history.

We utilized the American River Resort for several different aspects of a recent family reunion. 36 people total.

Positives: Location! The location is ideal for anyone looking for time by the river and easy in and out for rafting the American River.

Rafting! Mostly positive, initially we spent the first mile or so on the river worried about our guide who was irresponsible in her decision to still guide a raft while ill and having difficulty breathing. There were moments where our boat felt very concerned and very unsafe. The guide made the smart decision to pull over and let another guide step in. That is where we met Luke. Luke turned the trip around and made the experience better than we could have ever imagined. We had 5 boats total for our large family and every single one had a great time with their guide on the river.

50/50: Food, Cabin Lodging, Service

The food situation was not at all as advertised. We were under the impression our large group would be dining as such, with our own space and able to enjoy our meals without a time limit. We sat at outdoor picnic tables with the rest of the resort, or whoever has signed up to eat the meal being provided. The initial lunch of hot dogs and hamburgers were fine (how would anyone mess that up), but other meals had questionable cuisine.. including a gray potentially molded frittata of some sort for breakfast. They advertised beer and wine for dinner but, there was no wine. We felt very rushed and often uncomfortable at times due to the staff pressuring us to arrive and leave within certain time limits, again not as advertised. We were told completely different times than what we were provided when we booked. We are a large hungry family and were often rationed on the food and members were told they could not have a second of something. Totally not what we were expecting and not worth the money to eat at the resort.

The service provided was about 50/50. Some members of the staff were friendly, eager to help and informative. Others were rude, unfriendly and one in particular we avoided due to the way she treated myself and my wife.

The cabins: fantastic location and spacious, the air conditioning units inside the cabins cannot keep up with the heat, if you’re worried about the heat the river does bring some reprieve thankfully but the cabins turn into saunas.

Nice location close to the River but the R/V sites have voltage problems. Lost power throughout our stay. Which is absolutely ridiculous. Nothing running but lights and the power still goes out. Called the host and the response was that can happen when everyone is running their A/C. The place was nearly empty only 4 other trailers. Thousand Trails is down the road I’d recommend checking them out first.