Ponderosa State Park
Nestled beneath the grandeur of a Ponderosa Pine forest, just outside McCall, lies one of Idaho’s jewels and most popular playgrounds, Ponderosa State Park.
Covering most of a 1,000-acre peninsula that juts into Payette Lake, the character of the park is molded by its diverse topography, ranging from arid sagebrush flats to a lakeside trail; from flat, even ground to steep cliffs; and from dense forest to spongy marsh. Nature trails and dirt roads have been developed so visitors can enjoy these areas and currently, campsites and yurts are available for seasonal use within the park, accommodating over 200,000 visitors annually.
One of Idaho’s most popular weekend destinations, the existing amenities within Ponderosa State Park are too few to accommodate the need presented by Idaho’s growing and more diverse population.
Improvements are being proposed for Ponderosa State Park that will unlock the parks potential, as identified in the parks General Development Plan (GDP), adopted and approved by the Idaho Park and Recreation Board in 1994. The proposed improvements will address needs for amenity diversification, expanded day-use and lake access, group accommodations and resource stewardship.
The architecture for improvements within Ponderosa State Park will be as special as the park itself and will reflect a clear and distinct image that hopefully is unified by various developments within the park. Specifically, the developments within Ponderosa State Park will be conducive with the areas rustic charm. Local, natural materials will be used whenever possible to bring out the authenticity and create connectivity between the landscape and the structures.
The conceptual proposals for the developments within Ponderosa State Park show the structures within dwarfed by the soaring forest and nearby lake. The structures of Ponderosa State Park will match the impressive scale and texture of their settings.
Supported by the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation (IDPR), the Idaho Park and Recreation Board and Governor Kempthorne’s vision for the park, improvements to Ponderosa State Park include:
• the creation of a regional administration, learning and retreat center
• renovation of church camp into modern Kokanee Cove cabin-camp
• expanded day-use, visitor service facilities and redesigned park entrance
• implementation of RV group campsites