Camp Edison — Hotel in Shaver Lake

What started off as a nice week of camping for 3 adults, 3 young kids (ages 4&5) and 2 dogs turned into a really disappointed and early ended trip. We tent camped and were supposed to do 3 nights. Some pros about Camp Edison - it's right on the water and the access to the marina and beach area was very easy! We rented a boat through the marina and while it was chilly - we had a blast! But on our third morning (end of second night) - we decided to pack up and leave early. At first, this was simply due to us forgetting our pillows and it being cold (we tent camped) which wasn't the camp's fault and entirely ours - but as we were headed out to the beach for an hour to let our kids run off steam, the camp host (who didn't introduce themselves at all) came by to tell us that we needed to control our pets. There was no good morning or anything - my GSD barked once as he approached and he said "that's exactly what the problem is". He proceeded to berate myself and my friend (our third adult and only male was showering and we know he waited until the male of our group left) on our pets saying they had warned us already about our dogs barking and our noise and multiple people had complained and if we didn't control them we would be removed from the camp. We said we hadn't been warned to which he replied "it doesn't matter they are barking". I replied that we were leaving early anyways and he replied with "that doesn't matter get them under control". My friend replied with "dogs bark it's how they communicate and we haven't been allowing them to bark constantly or excessively" to which he relied "people don't come camping to hear dogs - they come to relax" and walked away. While we have larger dogs - and they did bark at times - the barking was minimal unless another dog walked by - in that case all dogs started barking (including other sites) and while we were packing up another dog at a site near by barked almost consistently without being scolded at while ours sat quietly. His demeanor and tone upset us to the point we just packed up and left. We also went to bed quite early - 8 PM - well before quiet hours - and while we wake up early (around 6) we tried to keep the dogs quiet - but that was hard considering people traversing through our camp site to get to the bathrooms instead of the access road. Literally the night before we had someone right outside our tent walking to the bathroom. But we controlled them easy! But it seemed like if a dog barks at all, and you are not a regular here, they will berate you. This entire area didn't seem overly dog or family friendly. We got constant looks from older retired people when our kids were playing on the rock formation right behind our camp site. It felt very much like if you wanted to speak above a whisper at all you wouldn't be welcomed. If you tent camp - go somewhere else! If you have young kids - go somewhere else! The ground wasn't flat and our site said it could accommodate 2 large tents but that was a lie - unless you wanted a tent right next to the bathroom and on a hill. You really couldn't tell where one site ended and another began and it was packed! It seemed like we were the minority and everyone else there RV Camps and doesn't tent camp and NO young kids. The women who checked us in seemed annoyed and unhappy. The camp store didn't have anything we needed except firewood and no children's medicine - but a tone of adult medicine (which I know they don't need to carry but I would rather see children's Tylenol than 45 types of candy for kids). The store employees were super nice though! The best part was actually the hot (scalding actually) showers and clean toilets. But next time, we will go back to Dinkey Creek - which seemed to be more family oriented and more welcoming to diversity. FYI I counted a solid 5 Q-Anon stickers in a 10 camp site radius - so that should tell you the type of people...

Friendly and safe place to camp. We had an amazing time with our family at the site, hiking around, and down by the lake.

We brought our dogs, and they took some time to get used to it, but they had a blast! Bring long leashes and stakes for the pups.

The little store up front has everything you could need and want for actually reasonable prices.

They have kids programming!! Super cute and family friendly hikes, art, yoga, etc.

The lake is gorgeous! Lots of nearby hikes. You can see where the fire went through the nearby mountains. Luckily, the campsites here still have lots of trees.

The drive up the mountain is pretty windy, so be prepared for that. It's quick though, maybe 15 minutes. Just take your time and let people pass you.

I know it's camping, but the showers could do with an upgrade and a clean. We would wash the floors ourselves everytime we went in. New flooring, drains, and showerheads would go a looong way!

Another minor complaint that I'm only making because I had a one year old with me who was trying to sleep at the time: our neighbors were a huge family reunion. They were LOUD, and had multiple speakers for music and a microphone for their games. They only got louder up through and past the quiet hour start. It would have been nice for a camp host to enforce the quiet hour and ask them to respect the noise levels even before that. I would bet this would not be your experience though! I've been to this same campsite for years and have never had that issue before.

Tent or RV/trailer camping with water, electricity, bathrooms, and showers. Marina, lake, hikes, family programs like trivia and art We felt extremely safe. Take care of your fires! There are a few ice cream and coffee spots that are a bit pricey. There are some more eateries in the little town outside...

So I’m torn about my review because our trip was amazing but what we experienced with the camp host in the Dogwood area was terrible. We’ll call her Camp Host Karen. There were kids from 4 different campsites playing ball and having a good time. Exactly what you want. Kids outside playing while camping. This is about 2pm in the afternoon. Camp Host Karen comes out and tries to shush the kids. Keep in mind, the camp ground is empty and they weren’t even being loud. The kids came from 4 different sites and in our area and only 5 are occupied. The kids are all experienced campers (age range of 9-14) politely tell her “it’s not even quiet time yet”. She storms off. So because of that we later move the kids into an empty campsite to play in the driveway and out of the road. Well that didn’t work. Now Camp Host Karen is back out looking for “who’s in charge”. As one of our parents come out to her, she now says the kids are trashing the campsite. [sarcasm] Kids playing volleyball in a driveway is trashing a campsite. She’s asked what trash? Camp Host Karen can’t answer it, and starts to storm off and says she is calling the rangers. While she was storming off in her tantrum, she was ignoring the rest of the conversation where she was being told that the empty campsite was actually part of the group as well and the incoming family was going to be there within the hour. Well the rangers show up and obviously trying to stay neutral. Asking everyone to stay in their own site or sites that belong to the group. After informing them that we know the occupants of the site, they couldn’t believe she called them for all this. They were nice. We ended up chatting it up for a bit and they let the kids continue to play and went on their way. Beware of Camp Host Karen in the Dogwood area. She’s not a fan of kids...