About two hours north of New York City, Lake Taghkanic State Park Campground sits within forested terrain alongside its namesake lake in Columbia County. The campground operates from early May through mid-October, offering sites ranging from basic tent spots to full hookup options for RVs.
Campers consistently mention the facility's cleanliness and well-maintained bathrooms with hot showers. The campground provides multiple accommodation types, including tent sites, platform sites, RV spots with electric, water, and sewer hookups, plus some cabin rentals. Sites vary considerably in privacy—some cluster closely together while others offer more separation. Kurt S. notes the sites "on the hill, nearest to the bathrooms" tend to be "generally very well maintained."
The lake serves as the main draw, with a designated swimming area, boat rentals, and fishing opportunities. A beach area sits about five minutes by car from the camping loops. Hiking and biking trails wind through the park, and a small camp store stocks essentials like firewood and ice. The facility includes a recreation room for rainy weather and enforces a 10 PM quiet policy that campers report is well-followed.
Access roads to tent sites can be rough and rocky, particularly challenging for low-clearance vehicles. Don R. warns "the roads to the tent sites are quite rocky and can be difficult to navigate." Site boundaries aren't always clearly marked, and some fire pit grills require adjustment to function properly. A Walmart 25 minutes away provides resupply options.
The campground works well for families seeking lake access and RV campers needing full hookups, though tent campers should prepare for potentially challenging road conditions and close site spacing during busy periods.
Description
Lake Taghkanic State Park, nestled next to Lake Taghkanic in the rolling hills and lush forests of Columbia County, offers a wonderful variety of recreational activities. The park has tent and trailer campsites and cabin and cottage camping facilities, two beaches, picnic grounds and a boat launch. In addition, the park has hiking, biking, cross-country ski and snowmobile trails. Ice skating and ice fishing are permitted when conditions are appropriate. Environmental education programs are offered year round.
General Information:
CABINS & COTTAGES:
- You must be 21 or older to reserve and occupy a cabin or cottage. ID is required.
- All cabins and cottages are SMOKE and PET FREE.
- Cabins are 7 or 14-night reservations only from end of June to the end of August. Saturday to Saturday only.
- Cottages are 7 or 14-night reservations only from the end of June to the end of August. Friday to Friday only.
- ACCESS PASS AND LIFETIME LIBERTY PASSES ARE NOT ACCEPTED FOR COTTAGES.
- No tents allowed in cabin or cottage areas.
- There is a two night minimum stay outside the time frames listed above.
- Check-in time for cabins and cottages is between 3PM and 9PM.
CAMPSITES:
- Campsite check-in time is 3PM. Check out time for all sites is 11AM. There is no admission to the park after 9PM.
- You must be 18 or older to reserve and occupy a site. ID is required.
- Tent sites allow for 1 large tent or 2 small tents per site.
- There are hot showers and flush toilets available.
- Each site allows for 2 vehicles. Additional vehicles will be charged an additional fee.
- Quiet hours are 10PM to 7AM and is strictly enforced.
- Firearms, fireworks, tree cutting, and gasoline boat motors are not allowed.
- A permit is required on all private boats, available at West Beach office. No gasoline motors allowed.
<font color="red"><b>ATTENTION PET OWNERS:</b></font>
- Current proof of rabies inoculation is required at check-in (metal tags will not be accepted).
- At any time during your stay, pet owners may be required to provide proof of rabies inoculation upon request. Be sure to have this information available to present to park staff.
- Where pets are permitted, there is a maximum limit of 2 pets per site.
- Pets must be on a leash no longer than 6ft and under control at all times.
- Do not leave pets unattended and always clean up after them.
- Pet owners/permit holders are liable for any damage, personal injury, or nuisance caused by the pet.
- Pets are permitted in the East End Camp 1 and East End Camp 2 loops, parking lots, and hiking trails only.
- NO pets allowed in cabin and cottages.
SWIMMING: Each year the campground makes every effort to provide safe swimming opportunities by testing the water and by keeping the swimming areas staffed with lifeguards. Please be aware that if the safety of our swimmers is compromised due to lack of lifeguard coverage or water quality issues, swimming will be prohibited. Swimming cannot be a guaranteed activity; therefore, we cannot offer refunds on camping stays. We apologize for this inconvenience as it may occur with little advance notice.
Looking to reserve a campsite for just 1 night? If you make your reservation within 3 days of your arrival you can book a 1-night stay online or through the Call Center. *Applies to campsites only.
PRE-REGISTRATION: Have an existing reservation? Don't forget to PRE-REGISTER!! Two days prior to arrival you can sign into Reserve America and pre-register. IT SAVES TIME.
LENGTH OF STAY: A camping party and their equipment may occupy a site for a maximum of 14 continuous nights. After which, the camping party and equipment must leave the site and facility for 48 hours before registering again for another site.
Please Note: To ensure fairness for all NY customers, any reservation with departure dates outside the 9-month Maximum Window cannot be changed or cancelled until 18 days after the reservation was made.
Warning 1 Alert is In Effect
There is 1 alert for this campground. Camp safely!
Warning 1 Alert is In Effect
There is 1 alert for this campground. Camp safely!
New York State Park Campgrounds: Same-day reservations are allowed until 3 p.m. on day of arrival; this applies to campsites only. Reservations can be made online or through the ReserveAmerica Call Center: 1-800-456-2267. Walk-ins are permitted on campsites only.
RV Road Trip Guides
Map & DirectionsLake Taghkanic State Park Campground is located in New York near Ancramdale
Directions
The park is located 11 miles southeast of Hudson in the town of Gallatin, NY. Passenger cars can access the park from the the Taconic State Parkway, one mile south of the Route 82 Hudson/Ancram exit. Visitors can also access the park from State Route 82, approximately two miles south of the hamlet of West Taghkanic. Large trucks, RV's and campers can enter the park from the State Route 82 entrance. 518-851-3631
Address
1528 State Route 82
Ancram, NY 12502-9731
Coordinates
42.09400088 N
73.708 W
Connectivity
- T-Mobile5GExcellent Coverage
- VerizonLTESome CoverageVerified by 1 user
- AT&T5GExcellent CoverageVerified by 2 usersLast on 6/15/26
Connectivity
- T-Mobile5GExcellent Coverage
- VerizonLTESome CoverageVerified by 1 user
- AT&T5GExcellent CoverageVerified by 2 usersLast on 6/15/26
Access
- Drive-InPark next to your site
- Walk-InPark in a lot, walk to your site.
- Hike-InBackcountry sites.
Site Types
- Tent Sites
- RV Sites
- Standard (Tent/RV)
- Group
- Cabins
- Tent Cabin
Features
For Campers
- Picnic Table
- Reservable
- WiFi
- Showers
- Drinking Water
- Electric Hookups
- Toilets
- Alcohol
- Pets
- Fires
For Vehicles
- Sanitary Dump
- Sewer Hookups
- Water Hookups
- Pull-Through Sites
- 30 Amp Hookups
- 50 Amp Hookups
Contact
General Info
Reservations
Drive Time
- 35 min from Kingston, NY
- 45 min from Albany, NY
- 48 min from Pittsfield, MA
- 1 hr 22 min from Waterbury, CT




















