Camper submitted image from Watkins Glen State Park Campground - 1

Camper submitted image from Watkins Glen State Park Campground - 2

Camper submitted image from Watkins Glen State Park Campground - 3

Water

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People

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Facilities

Established Camping

Watkins Glen State Park Campground

83 Reviews

About

State Park

Watkins Glen State Park is the most famous of the Finger Lakes State Parks, with a reputation for leaving visitors spellbound. Within two miles, the glen's stream descends 400 feet past 200-foot cliffs, generating 19 waterfalls along its course. The gorge path winds over and under waterfalls and through the spray of Cavern Cascade. Rim trails overlook the gorge. Camping near Watkins Glen allows you to enjoy the Olympic-size pool, scheduled summer tours through the gorge, tent and trailer campsites, picnic facilities and excellent fishing in nearby Seneca Lake or Catherine Creek, which is renowned for its annual spring run of rainbow trout.

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Location

Watkins Glen State Park Campground is located in New York

Directions

From I-90 exit 42 to Rt 14 South or from I86 exit 52A to Rt 14 North. Main entrance is located in downtown Watkins Glen on Rt 14

Coordinates

42.369289506861946 N
76.88098023117215 W

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Access

Drive-In
Park next to your site
Walk-In
Park in a lot, walk to your site.

Stay Connected

WiFi
Available
Verizon
Unknown
AT&T
Unknown
T-Mobile
Good

Site Types

RV Sites
Standard (Tent/RV)
Group
Cabins
Tent Cabin
Yurts

Features

For Campers

Market
ADA Access
Trash
Picnic Table
Firewood Available
Phone Service
Reservable
WiFi
Showers
Drinking Water
Electric Hookups
Toilets
Alcohol
Pets
Fires

For Vehicles

Sanitary Dump
Sewer Hookups
Water Hookups
Pull-Through Sites
Big Rig Friendly

For information regarding reservations, contact this campground directly.

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Contact

General Info

Mea H.

Ranger

Reviewed Sep. 16, 2023

Love the location!

——REASONS I STAYED HERE——

The see Watkins Glen, of course! And go paddleboarding nearby.

—————BASIC FAQ—————

[Tent camping with a Subie]

Dump station? - Yes

Water fill or hookup? - Water fill at dump station but no water hookups. Water spigots are scattered throughout each loop.

Electricity? - Yes, some loops have it but not mine

Clean site? - Yes

Clean bathroom? - Yes

Flush toilet? - Yes

Showers? - Yes

Laundry? - No

Dish washing sink? - Yes, in the bathroom

—————PROS—————

→ The access to Watkins Glen! My site was in Loop D (Onondaga Village) which has a direct hiking trail to the trail along Watkins Glen! I highly recommend going early to beat the crowds. It’s peaceful and easier to enjoy and take photos.

→ Proximity to Seneca Lake! We went paddleboarding. We put in at a boat launch at the very southeastern corner of the lake near Seneca Lake Kayak. You can paddle down to Hector Falls and see it from the water.

→ You can drive to the many waterfalls nearby. I recommend Havana Glen Park for a short hike to the waterfall. Also, drive to Chequaga Falls.

—————TIP—————

→ There’s a power outlet in the bathroom. It was very common for people to charge phones while showering. Or leaving a battery in there to charge.

—————OVERALL—————

5-stars - Speaking for Loop D, of course. Clean site, clean bathroom with hot water, access to Watkins Glen, no issues while staying there.

—————INTERNET—————

Verizon via iPhone 12: 20 mbps down and 0.03 mbps up with 74 ms ping.

Site171

Month of VisitAugust

(4) View All

Terry K.

Ranger

Reviewed Sep. 14, 2023

Beautiful park in the Finger Lake Region

We stayed at site 184 which was great. The trail to get down to the Gorge Trail was just a few sites away. Bath house was clean but out dated. No camp store, but fire wood & ice were available at check in station. Pick a site on the outside of a loop and you’ll be good.

Site184

Month of VisitOctober

(19) View All

Sara B.

Ranger

Reviewed Sep. 2, 2023

Excellent Campground, Great Hiking

We spent three nights in Watkins Glen SP and will definitely be back. The sites aren't private, but are well kept, as are the bathrooms/showers. We enjoyed our hikes and if it had been a bit warmer, we would have checked out the pool.

Site018

Month of VisitSeptember

(5) View All

Taylor H.

Guide

Reviewed Jun. 8, 2023

Endless Adventure

We originally booked for three nights at an electric site(52) and we enjoyed everything from the bath house to the overall privacy of the site. After the first night we decided to extend by two more nights which involved us moving to another site(215) which didn't have electric but still was a wonderful site. Both sites were large and mostly private. We spent every day hiking and biking. The Gorge trail is especially great after 5pm when the tourists have left for the day. There is also the Finger Lakes North Country trail which is dog-friendly. Towards the end of the loop there is a private stream with clean water that our dog loved. We can't wait to return many times. Verizon cell service was excellent in the Mohawk Village loop and decent in the Onondaga Loop. It was fine to work from the RV all week using our Pepwave BR1 Max with a Verizon data plan.

Site52 & 215

Month of VisitJune

(5) View All

Terry K.

Ranger

Reviewed Dec. 27, 2022

Beautiful wooded campground

Pros= Beautiful, wooded campground. Sites are big enough for a bit of privacy. Bathrooms were clean and updated. Cons= primitive sites only(no hook-ups). No real camp store, fire wood was available at check-in desk

Month of VisitOctober

(4) View All

Marc S.

Traveler

Reviewed Sep. 8, 2022

Crown Jewel of NY State Park System

Worth it for the Gorge hike alone - approx 1 1/2 mile hike down the gorge complete with 19 waterfalls, some of which you pass behind. Hike itself isn't too strenuous, with the exception of the final ascent, which is called, aptly, Jacob's Ladder - 180 or so steps up to the end of the trail, it will get your heartrate going! Do wear at the very least good sneakers, your feet will get wet.

As far as the campground goes, sites are level, if somewhat rocky. I thought they were maybe a bit on the smallish side,, but maybe that was just my site (site 70). Some sites seemed tough to back into, due to lack of maneuverability. Bathrooms - showers were clean. Olympic size pool and restaurant on premises.

The campground entrance is about 1/2 mile up a hill around the corner from the park entrance. I imagine MANY campers, like I did, pull their rigs into that parking lot wondering where the heck the campground is, getting out & going into the office to ask, only to be told where to go - maybe there should be a more visible sign in that lot telling campers where to go.

SiteMohawk trail, site 70

Month of VisitSeptember

(10) View All

Douglas

Traveler

Reviewed Jul. 31, 2022

Quiet relaxing evening

Great place to stay to visit Watkins Glen and the Gorge. Very clean grounds and bathhouse. Mostly adult crowd on Wednesday and Thursday evening. Very quiet. If you want to hike, stay in Onondoga Village loop. A trail down into the gorge is across from the bathhouse.

SiteCayuga Village 026

Month of VisitAugust

Bob R.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 20, 2022

Can’t Miss

We had seen recommendations to visit Watkins Glen but until you’ve visited it’s difficult to explain the amazing area! We hiked the gorge (bring GOOD hiking shoes/boots, plenty of water and a dose of stamina), stilled through the village, visited one of dozens of wineries and stopped by Watkins Glen International Racetrack. But there’s so much more to see and do that we committed to come back again. Beautiful campground with spacious sites, lots of tall pines and deciduous trees to give shade and easy access to the gorge, swimming pool and the village. The state park is essentially right off the main drag downtown but you don’t even notice since the campground is on top of a ridge above town. Two thumbs up!

Site88

Month of VisitAugust

(8) View All

Patrick W.

Ranger

Reviewed Jul. 19, 2022

Great spot

Nice campground, super unique hiking and really close to Watkins Glen.

Month of VisitSeptember

(5) View All

Marissa V.

Scout

Reviewed Jun. 27, 2022

Great Spot with big Sites

Only went for a long weekend with some friends who were beginner campers. This was the perfect spot to meet up and had water readily available and restrooms/showers. Also dog friendly. We booked 2 sites next to each other we all had our dogs and had a grand time. The only thing we wished to improve our experience would be for more dog friendly places for them to swim. We thought the creek running through the campground would be perfect , but alas it was dry. Don’t buy the firewood here it was very expensive. Bring rabies proof if you are bringing your dog.

Site208

Month of VisitJuly

Roy H.

Traveler

Reviewed Jun. 19, 2022

Fantastic !!!

Everything was great. Had a little room between sites. Was wooded enough so you didn’t see everyone. Great hikes very close by.

Site10

Month of VisitJuly

Kasey E.

Scout

Reviewed Jun. 8, 2022

Great trip

Very spacious and the bathroom are very nice. Would recommend

SiteSeneca

Month of VisitJuly

Benjamin A.

Ranger

Reviewed Jun. 3, 2022

Quiet, clean, and close to everything

Spacious campsites. Check in was simple with online pre-registration. Walking distance to the gorge

Site79

Month of VisitJuly

(11) View All

Kim C.

Scout

Reviewed Sep. 29, 2021

Fantastic facilities

Okay, we all get that there is awesome hiking, scenery, wineries, racing, and more in the Watkins Glen area. So let’s just chat about the campground.

The bathhouses were A+. Clean, well maintained, newer…just overall impressive!

There were water fill up stations EVERYWHERE! We camped in the dry camping loop - it was the only one available to us in our 35’ class A. We didn’t miss anything!

The playground was OUTSTANDING! All adults in our party and we couldn’t help but jump on some of the swings. It’s a newer type playground and is hands down the best I’ve ever seen!

Last, and certainly not least…personnel.

We had the opportunity to speak with the campground ranger, facilities engineer, and gate attendants. Everyone was accommodating, friendly, warm, helpful, and more. :).

One of the BEST campgrounds out there! Thank you New York State, the NYState park system and all the folks at Watkins Glen State Park Campground who make the magic happen!!!

One mention: our site was rated for a 25’ RV, we were 35’ long and fit nicely. Other sites rated for 35’ RV were NOT long enough. (We had to switch sites).

SiteTuscarora Village site 268

Month of VisitOctober

Matthew & Sheri N.

Scout

Reviewed Aug. 10, 2021

Crowded Camping

We had a good time here but was very crowded. We found some more sites through Hipcamp. Highly recommend Pooh’s Corner for a more private campsite.

Month of VisitJuly

HappyCamper

Scout

Reviewed Aug. 6, 2021

Great access to gorge trails

We have stayed here twice and at the nearby KOA once.

This campground has walkable access to both the gorge and rim trails. The highlight of this area. There are many things to do in the area so I will plan to stay at least 5-7 nights next time.

The sites are spacious. It is in an old growth forest so there aren’t many bushes to provide privacy.

Bathrooms were clean and well maintained. Water access was well spaced and more than sufficient for the number of campers.

A bit noisy in our loop due to a large group with lots of children. Avoid sites on cut through routes to the bathrooms. Other campers apologized but cut through anyway.

Would be better to visit sometime other than the high season.

Month of VisitSeptember

doug

Scout

Reviewed Jul. 2, 2021

Unique beautiful park

Clean restrooms, quiet park with electric hookups. VERY glad we visited

Site56

Month of VisitAugust

Mike M.

Scout

Reviewed Jul. 1, 2021

Crowded summer nights

On my 1st trip to Watkins Glen campground it was very crowded because it was summer time and in my opinion it felt like there were a lot of city folk who brought the city with them with, a lot of barking dogs and a lot of horns constantly going off but otherwise the campground was fairly decent

Site033

Month of VisitJuly

Nicholas F.

Traveler

Reviewed Jun. 28, 2021

Go for the Gorge

Nice lively campground. Open field between some sites where people were playing frisbee. Bathrooms were quite clean with really nice showers.

The actual gorge itself is astoundingly beautiful. Definitely go and do the gorge walk, it's worth it.

Month of VisitJuly

(4) View All

val

Traveler

Reviewed Jun. 20, 2021

Peaceful stay

Beautiful wooded campground. Electric sites available with water available from numerous spigots throughout the campground. The trailhead from the camp to enter the gorge trail was at least a half mile from our site #82. Enjoyed our time here!

Site82

Month of VisitJuly

(4) View All

Marc

Scout

Reviewed May. 22, 2021

Beautiful

Overall great experience,

Month of VisitJune

Louis R.

Guide

Reviewed May. 9, 2021

love it

perfect camp ground, fun place to hike and relax, we drove a little further to go kayaking

Month of VisitSeptember

Esther L.

Guide

Reviewed Oct. 28, 2020

Beautiful!

We went during shoulder season and it was beautiful and quiet.

Month of VisitJanuary

(4) View All

Taylor H.

Scout

Reviewed Sep. 16, 2020

Itching to return already

We spent 2 nights at Tuscarora Village in the Six Nations campground. More than impressed. The sites were unique, huge, and well maintained. Very family friendly with a 10pm “shhhh” time which is the only drawback, and only because we don’t have young kids. If you are looking for a safe, easy, comfortable place for you and your family or some quiet time, I highly recommend. Within a short walk of the trails and gorge. Stunning. Also, less than 10 mins from the cutest town and Seneca Lake (and Walmart when you forgot your air mattress pump...)

Hillary E.

Traveler

Reviewed Aug. 23, 2020

Kid friendly, beautiful.

We (family of 5) stayed at Watkins Glen State Park 8/12/20 to 8/16/20. We were tent camping in Seneca Village and had an absolutely BEAUTIFUL site. There was a good mix of tent and RV campers. The bathrooms were clean, the showers were nice and warm. Quiet hours are enforced from 10pm to like 7 or 8am. Firewood and ice are available at the ranger station. Each “village” has a playground for the kids in addition to the large playground near the pool at the entrance to the campground. We didn’t use the pool (though it was open) but got plenty of use out of the playgrounds. The nicest playground was in Tuscarora Village. Tuscarora and Seneca had very nice sites. Onondaga felt like the sites were a little closer to each other or closer to the road. I did not explore any of the other villages but most sites are wooded and offer privacy and seclusion. We had an amazing time hiking and exploring the area and can’t wait to go back.

(4) View All

Lee D.

Legend

Reviewed Oct. 17, 2019

Beautiful Gorge

After spending several very quiet nights in sparsely occupied campgrounds, we arrived at Watkins Glen to a full campground. The Six Nation Campground is comprised of six loops, each named after a tribe, with a total of over 300 sites. It looked like some of the sites were being rehabbed. The Mohawk Loop is the only one with electric hookups. There are also cabins, but I did not see them. Rates vary depending on how many nights you spend, whether you have an electric or non-electric site, and if you are a NY resident or not. Although the sites are spaced a decent amount apart, most do not have trees or any other barrier to separate them. However, despite our loop being completely full, we did not feel too close to our neighbors. The bathroom/shower facility was reasonably clean. There are two shower stalls and four toilets, and I feared it might be overwhelmed when the loop was full, but I never had to wait.

There is a large day-use area with some nice playground equipment and there are additional playground areas (not as nice) in the loops. There is also a swimming pool but since we were there in October, it had already closed for the season (despite temperatures hovering near 90 degrees)! Normally, there is a trail that leads from the campground to the South Rim Trail, from which you can access the Gorge and other trails, however, due to recent heavy rains, this trail was closed when we were there. There are three access points to the trails: south entrance, upper entrance, or main entrance. From any of these, you can do a loop or just part of the trails. The most popular Gorge trail can get very crowded. We arrived at 10 am on a Tuesday in October and by the time we left at noon, the trail was much more crowded. I can only imagine how crowded it could get on the weekends (judging by the size of the parking lot).

We travel a lot around the country and as such, trash and recycling policies can vary greatly. There was a sign on all the dumpsters listing materials accepted for recycling so we assumed we should use one dumpster for all garbage and recycling (this is how it was in Acadia NP). It wasn’t until later that we saw on a bulletin board that there is a recycling bin near the camp office. This could easily be confusing and could easily be remedied with additional information on the sign indicating where to bring recyclables!

Site92

Month of VisitNovember

(11) View All

Rebecca A.

Ranger

Reviewed Sep. 20, 2019

Nice place to camp!

Very large campground with a lot of spots! The park is nice and has a beautiful gorge trail close to the campground. Right outside the park is the town of Watkins glen, which has cute stores and restaurants! The Watkins glen international is close by and we got to see some racing , which was really neat! Would recommend this spot.

(7) View All

Casey E.

Scout

Reviewed Aug. 28, 2019

Great campground

Beautiful scenery, great campgrounds, hiking trails, historic town and area to go site seeing for the day. If you like Watkins Glenn road course right around the corner

Month of VisitJune

Kate C.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 15, 2019

Quiet oasis near busy trail

We stayed in the Tuscarora village loop. The sites there were non-electric. There was one central bathroom/shower house, so if being close to a restroom is important, choose your site accordingly. Some of the campsites were quite a walk from the facilities. Many of the sites back up to the woods, making them feel more spacious. There are also sites that are very close to together and we saw several extended family groups using adjoining sites - one for cooking, one for sleeping and one for hanging out. here is a wonderful playground in the Tuscarora loop. There’s another great playground next to the swimming pool. The town of Watkins Glen is adjacent to the park and has lots of little restaurants and shops - even a Ben and Jerry’s scoop shop! The town itself gets very crowded with people arriving on tour buses to see the waterfalls, and the bottom half of the Gorge Trail can be very busy. The rim trails and the upper half of the Gorge Trail were much less crowded.

Site285

Month of VisitSeptember

Angie G.

Ranger

Reviewed Aug. 13, 2019

GORGEous campground in NY

We went looking for waterfalls to hike and the Gorge hike is located in this state park. We camped for 2 nights at site 166 in the Onondaga Village camground. The site is spacious and has a picnic table and fire ring. Although it was gravel, there are some sites with grassy areas. Our site was right behind the shower house which had clean, hot showers and restrooms. There are water spigots to fill containers located throughout the campground. Most sites don’t have electric and water except on one loop for RVs. We hiked through this park and the Gorge, and unfortunately we lost our camp photos when one of our phones fell in the Gorge and we couldn’t retrieve it. This is a great Basecamp for neighboring parks and trails. We will definitely be back again. Check the website for closures and hours as some things are weather dependent.