Saddle Mountain Carmel

I recently stayed at Saddle Mountain Ranch with my husband and 3 children, and unfortunately, it was a disappointing experience. We rented cabin 8 for two night and our cousins rented cabin 9. Overall, the property is very small and hard to navigate or park especially with a larger vehicle. The hills there are pretty steep, and we just so happened to be there in the rain, so they were incredibly slippery. Check in was pretty smooth, but beware you have to arrive before 8 or no one can help you. On our second night, we arrived late at night (9:30pm) and no one was in the office at that time. All the parking was taken. It really felt like a safety hazard, especially for families or anyone with mobility issues. I found the cost of renting a cabin to be extremely exorbitant. Additionally, the cancellation policy is pretty inflexible. If you need to cancel your trip, you will be charged a steep fee. The hosts were another letdown. They were far from welcoming, which created an uninviting atmosphere. They seemed more focused on enforcing their strict rules than offering any help or hospitality. Every little thing felt like it was under scrutiny. From how we parked our car to how our children were playing, we were made to feel like we were breaking some unwritten code if we weren't following their exact instructions. It quickly became clear that relaxation was the last thing on their minds. Lastly, the policies at this campground are overly strict, making it feel less like a vacation. It was difficult to truly unwind and enjoy the outdoors when it felt like we were constantly being monitored. We even checked out early due to the strict policies. Overall, this campground has the potential to be a nice place if it weren't for the dangerous terrain, unwelcoming hosts, and stifling rules. Unfortunately, it didn't allow us to relax or enjoy our time in nature. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone looking for a laid-back camping experience. Thankfully, our experience at the Carmel River RV resort down the hill was the complete opposite. My in-laws rented an RV space there, and thankfully we were able to go enjoy that property for the weekend. The camp hosts were more than hospitable and welcoming. Based on the other negative reviews of this place I’m expecting some sort of snarky reply to my review, blaming me and my family for any issues we experienced.

We stayed here at Saddle Mountain in our camper for quite a while and absolutely loved it! Beautiful grounds, wonderful office staff, camp hosts and maintenance crew, very accommodating people and just a great place to park for a bit. Recent upgrades to the exit making it less scary for bigger rigs as well. Would highly recommend!! Loved our time here!!!

I had a really bad experience camping in Saddle Mountain Ranch. This place was long on my bucket list. We stayed there in a camp site, with my 3 young kids for a night about three weeks ago. The camp site was TINY even though in a booking form I asked for a larger site. The assigned camp site can make a huge difference on your overall experience. Ours was small and very high up the hill. We had to walk up and down steep hill every time we needed to use restrooms, showers, pool and playground. I thought the site was not kid friendly. It didn’t feel safe for the kids. We had to always watch their every step so they don’t fall down (the hill) once they leave the tent. There was no room to freely walk outside of the tent - just the steep hill leading down to office. Pool was nice but my kid stepped into a broken glass, I complained and they had the pool cleaned. There was also a ping pong table and clean restrooms. Our camp site neighbors (who stayed there for a longer time) were drinking alcohol and swearing terribly, and because sites are so small and there was no privacy, it felt like they are sitting at the same picnic table as us. We left ASAP. Camping there doesn’t worth the money and I am upset that management is not planning well for accomplishing families. It’s a rip off.

This was so close to Monterey, yet still tucked perfectly in the mountains. The levels of campspots make it to where each campsites view is not impeded by another campsite. The views are terrific. The pool and amenities were nice also. We came for Mothers Day 2024. I'm making this my Mothers Day tradition from now on. This was such a peaceful, enjoyable campsite. Thank you for all the hard work you put into this location! It's perfect!

My partner and Ioved Saddle Mountain Ranch! We stayed in a luxury tent and it was perfect, had everything we needed and we were very comfortable and cozy at night! The location is great there is a lot to do in the area. The staff was very welcoming and friendly, we will be back again!