Ross Lake Resort

Terrible communication for a place that provides the only way to shuttle kayaks into the lake for campers without entering another country. It doesn’t say anywhere on their portage site about SEASONAL CLOSURES and they are not associated with the National Forest. Meaning the rangers do not know when the shuttle is operating and when it is not. They will give you a permit to boat-in camp on the lake with no access to it. We got a permit to camp on Ross Lake over night this weekend. We stayed on Diablo the first night with plans to kayak up the lake and take the shuttle to our final camp destination the next day. We got to the phone and called and it just kept ringing and ringing. Finally a ranger pulled up in a boat, having no idea why they weren’t answering and was nice enough to radio in to find out that they were “probably not open for the season yet.” Luckily I had a satellite communicator and was able to message my wife to confirm what was going on. She called and there was voice message saying the water taxi was still closed for the season (nothing about portage, which is a separate service) at this point, because camping is strictly prohibited on Diablo without a permit, and because we were dropped off for the weekend we were stranded and had to abandon the weekend. Again, luckily we had a communicator and was able to message for an early ride home. Better communication is needed. Come on post a sign up at the phone or at least update your portage site WITH OPENING DATES.

1. Office workers seem like don’t know what is hospitality and always have a serious problem face. No welcoming and no smile, not friendly during check-in and check-out. People coming here for vacation not for your benefit approval. Guests pay for the service. 2. One-way boat transfer is $4, not $3 on their brochure and $8 for round trip will be billed to your credit card, also they don’t recommend you to hike there and strongly recommend using their boat service even it says you have alternate hiking routes on their brochure. After I called them to pick you up from the dock, I’ve been waiting for 15 mins to get a boat to pick me up. And they don’t check who comes first, you will be not lucky when you meet someone don’t know what is a queue when boarding. 3. The only Hiking trail to the dock really sucks, you will be easily went to the wrong direction and enter into a no-trail area, no sign to remind people to keep on the right route. Be aware of the steep hills.

Always an amazing experience at Ross lake resort. Not only is the location stunning and there are so many fun activities to do, the staff are awesome. Everyone you meet are over the top helpful and fun to talk with. Passion for what they do shines through in every interaction. Night at Ross lake are just as magical as the days. Satellites and shooting stars streaking the sky. The ever present mountain just beyond the dam never leaves sight even at night. Truly a magical place.

I had a horrible experience with the water taxi service at Ross Lake Resort. After emailing back and forth we finally had a phone conversation, while on the phone our trip was booked as we were talking ensuring it’s was correct. When we arrived at the resort we were told we were supposed to be there at 9:15, which was not true based on the phone conversation I had with Jared. We then spoke with the office manager who double checked our return trip, which was also not correct. We were dropped off and backpacked for three days. We arrived at our final pick up spot an hour early and waited. We continued to wait for one hour passed our pick up time. Thankfully we had a Garmin and were able to text someone to call the resort only to find out they again had the location and time incorrect. They finally came to get us 2 hours passed our pick up time. It is unacceptable to leave people stranded on the side of the lake and then act like they didn’t know whose mistake it was. And finally after all that, they went ahead and charged us the full amount. The service here is atrocious and I will not be returning and if you are looking for a water taxi shuttle, I would reconsider.

We were a little confused when we first arrived because we didn't realize that we had to hike down to the resort. This wasn't an issue though, the hike was gorgeous. We rented a kayak for just the day and although the winds were crazy strong, we stayed on the lake for about an hour. We didnt stray very far from the resort as we did not want to end up needing to be rescued, but it was worth it anyway! The views we're incredible and the entire experience was so unique. Everyone who worked there was so friendly, but we wanted to give a shout out to Edward specifically! He was so cool and kind and took awesome photos of us in front of the mountains. We heard it's extremely difficult to get a lodging reservation at the resort, but it's on our bucket list now!

Terrible communication for a place that provides the only way to shuttle kayaks into the lake for campers without entering another country. It doesn’t say anywhere on their portage site about SEASONAL CLOSURES and they are not associated with the National Forest. Meaning the rangers do not know when the shuttle is operating and when it is not. They will give you a permit to boat-in camp on the lake with no access to it. We got a permit to camp on Ross Lake over night this weekend. We stayed on Diablo the first night with plans to kayak up the lake and take the shuttle to our final camp destination the next day. We got to the phone and called and it just kept ringing and ringing. Finally a ranger pulled up in a boat, having no idea why they weren’t answering and was nice enough to radio in to find out that they were “probably not open for the season yet.” Luckily I had a satellite communicator and was able to message my wife to confirm what was going on. She called and there was voice message saying the water taxi was still closed for the season (nothing about portage, which is a separate service) at this point, because camping is strictly prohibited on Diablo without a permit, and because we were dropped off for the weekend we were stranded and had to abandon the weekend. Again, luckily we had a communicator and was able to message for an early ride home. Better communication is needed. Come on post a sign up at the phone or at least update your portage site WITH OPENING DATES.

1. Office workers seem like don’t know what is hospitality and always have a serious problem face. No welcoming and no smile, not friendly during check-in and check-out. People coming here for vacation not for your benefit approval. Guests pay for the service. 2. One-way boat transfer is $4, not $3 on their brochure and $8 for round trip will be billed to your credit card, also they don’t recommend you to hike there and strongly recommend using their boat service even it says you have alternate hiking routes on their brochure. After I called them to pick you up from the dock, I’ve been waiting for 15 mins to get a boat to pick me up. And they don’t check who comes first, you will be not lucky when you meet someone don’t know what is a queue when boarding. 3. The only Hiking trail to the dock really sucks, you will be easily went to the wrong direction and enter into a no-trail area, no sign to remind people to keep on the right route. Be aware of the steep hills.