Ice House Resort

Do not listen to the poor reviews, they are from flatlanders who expect to stay at an all inclusive resort while «camping». This is not an hoity toity tourist campground, it is a place to stay, refuel and grab a quick bite in the middle of the Crystal Basin And National Forest. This place is great for a mountain «resort» with a store and a bar. The staff is great, the store has all your small items that you need, and the campground is good. I am completely satisfied with Ice House Resort. The staff has ALWAYS been helpful, courteous, and nice. I have been stopping by and camping here for years and I will continue to do so. Thanks especially to Justine! Take Care.

I recently stayed here with friends of mine and was treated so poorly. I have never experienced worse customer service than what we received here. We arrived in the middle of the night due to car troubles and awoke to a blonde girl driving a white jeep demanding a receipt. I explained that the store was closed and that we were unable to pay until the morning and I asked her where I could find the dumpster and she replied «once you pay we will tell you where the dumpster is»…really? So of course I went and paid and we went hiking that day and had a good time in other areas. That night we made friends with our neighbors (two nice military guys and their kids) and had a bon fire. The next morning we were all too tired to cook so we decided to go eat breakfast at their café while we decided what we wanted to do for the day. During the middle of our meal a white older lady with blonde hair (possibly the mother of the other girl) interrupted our meal to yell at us demanding that we clean up our camp site (in front of the other customers that were in the store)! She then accused us of not paying for two additional people (who were our neighbors). I was so upset and told her that she needed a lesson in customer service and left immediately. We left the campsite way cleaner than we found it. I will never go back.

I wouldn’t even give this place 1 star. The worst customer service I have ever encountered. Our group arrived very late and set up camp around midnight. The next morning the staff was very rude to us about paying for the campsite, in which we were already going to do soon, considering it was only 8 AM.
The rest of the day was lovely, until the next morning. After a normal night of camping (marshmallows/​campfire/​eating/​talking), we decided to visit the café for breakfast. MISTAKE! Not only was our food terrible, but our orders were taken wrong and there were MULTIPLE HAIRS in our food. I did not say anything to our waitresses about my plate; however, after my boyfriend almost ate an entire hair we had to say something. Not only did we receive attitude from the waitress/​owner, but we heard her talking in the back about how it was our fault for the incident! Oh, also, they did even bring out a new dish for him. They simply took it away and didn’t replace his food!
Shortly after, I was taking care of the bill when another owner come out and yells to our table in front of the entire (tiny) café, «You all need to clean up your campsite now because you trashed it!»
Hold on… I cleaned up last night… And that morning.
As the lady turned to walk away, my friend suggested she needs to learn a little more common courtesy, customer service, and that is no way to treat your guests, AND PAYING CUSTOMERS. The staff member threatened to call the cops on us and demanded we finish our food and leave the café??? Everyone left.
I took care of the bill, and as I was speaking with our waitress/​owner, she claimed, «You have no idea how many times we get STIFFED and ripped off.»
My only response was that we paid for our campsite, we spent money in your gift shop, we ate at your café… So what would make you think we are trying to rip you off? Her argument made zero sense. They did not like us and we did not give them a single reason to treat us like dirt. And I will tell everyone I know about this experience and why they should avoid Ice House Resort at all costs.

We only went to the restaurant. I guess it would have been edible if I was starving. For $ 12, I expected meat not an overcooked frozen patty. They didn’t even bother to ask why I didn’t eat it. The fries were ok.

A run down «resort’ with crappy, dirty campsites and RV hookups, a ridiculously overpriced store, and I diner I was afraid to even enter. Possibly the rudest people I have ever met run this placed. The boss is worn out blonde of large proportions and miserable demeanor assisted by a younger unpleasant woman of similar proportions and attitude. I will forever aviod this place

This review is for the general store only. We recently camped at Union Valley and stopped in a few times at the Ice House Resort General Store. I’ve been camping up there since I was a little kid and have been to the store more times than I could count. I’ve never had any issues until this last time. It is what you would expect from a campground store, coals, lighter fluid, marshmallows etc. It is crazy over priced, which is expected. The big issue was the service. It was some of the worst service ever! There was a large brunette woman working there who was outlandishly rude every time we came in. So rude, I walked out the last time without the stuff I was intending to purchase. I guess she has the attitude she can treat people how ever she wants because there is no where else to go, but Ill tell you what, next time we go camping we will stop for last minute supplies elsewhere in Pollock Pines, no matter how far out of our way we have to go!

This review is for the campground… well not Ice House campground, but just past Ice House at Northwind Campground. Northwind gets 5 stars. Awesome campground, HUGE campsites, awesome swimming, super cheap, great hiking, and BEAUTIFUL. Ice House campground gets about 2 stars, way too jam packed, EXPENSIVE, and small campsites. If you ever head up this way for some camping, skip the main campground and drive back to northwind or strawberry… on second thought… don’t…I’d like to keep these campgrounds for myself!

After taking showers at the Sunset/​Fashoda Campground, we decided to try to find a place to eat rather than go back to camp (at Loon Lake) and cook. We ended up at the only restaurant in the area, which was Ice House Resort. We didn’t go into the store or buy gas, so I can’t comment about their other services.
The menu was pretty limited, so we ordered hamburgers. I mean, how could you mess up a burger? When it arrived, the bun was soggy and the meat patty could be likened to those at McDonalds, only just a tad larger. The fries were just ok. When you’re the only game in town, you can charge what you like for mediocre food and they do. The burgers ranged from $ 9 to $ 12 each.
I miss the fantastic food at Robb’s Resort!

Firewood is cheaper here than at safeway. pretty cool. they have fishing poles if you forgot yours and the bare essentials for most camping trips i.e. beer, hotdogs, rockstars, bait… however the bartender didn’t know what makers was when my wife ordered a shot… wtf?

This is a dive bar/​diner/​café/​store/​hotel located a bit up Ice House Road, in the El Dorado National Forest.
Quite literally the only place that offers any real services in this area for a good ways. They’re open May 15’th-Oct 15’th, I’m told, but I’d bet that’s more dependent on the snow levels than any real set dates.
Place has nothing really special to offer, aside from the basic services. Single gas pump, expensive and basic hotel rooms (all 5 of them), a small bar area (few classic arcade games inside), a small store for booze and basic necessities, and… that’s it.
The bar is simple, and the menu for food is likewise simple, and it’s all on the pricey side. But what can you expect, it’s not like we’re going for a real competitive market here.
So why the 4 stars? Because, as mentioned repeatedly, this is the only place. Really, the atmosphere is pretty run down, but the owners take good care of the place. They’re in stock, and always open during the summer, plus the bar is a nice place to get a drink after a weekend of hiking, camping, off-​roading, whatever. The food might not win any awards, but it’s always tasted good and the beer is definitely cold.
Beware the other patrons, as this place draws ALL sorts in (with nowhere else to go, not really a surprise), and be prepared to pay out the nose a bit.