Established Camping
Fish Creek Pond Campground
About
New York Department of Environmental Conservation
Location
Fish Creek Pond Campground is located in New York
Directions
From the Northway (I-87) northbound: Take Exit 30, Route 9 North, to Rte. 73; go north to Lake Placid. Take Route 86 North through Saranac Lake to Rte. 186 West; then take Rte. 30 South 9 miles to Fish Creek Pond. From the Northway (I-87) southbound: Take Exit 38, Rte. 374 West, to Rte. 3 West, to Saranac Lake. From Saranac Lake, take Rte. 186 West; then take Rte. 30 South 9 miles to Fish Creek Pond. From I-81: Take Exit 48, Rte. 342 East, to Rte. 3 & 30; take Rte. 30 North to Fish Creek Pond.
Address
4523 New York 30
Saranac Lake, NY 12983
Coordinates
44.30371105 N
74.35868282 W
Access
- Drive-InPark next to your site
- Walk-InPark in a lot, walk to your site.
- Boat-InSites accessible by watercraft.
Stay Connected
- WiFiUnknown
- VerizonPoor
- AT&TUnknown
- T-MobileUnknown
Site Types
- Tent Sites
- RV Sites
- Standard (Tent/RV)
- Group
- Cabins
Features
For Campers
- Market
- ADA Access
- Trash
- Picnic Table
- Firewood Available
- Phone Service
- Reservable
- Showers
- Drinking Water
- Electric Hookups
- Toilets
- Alcohol
- Pets
- Fires
For Vehicles
- Sanitary Dump
- Water Hookups
- Pull-Through Sites
- Big Rig Friendly
Kayaking paradise!
This is a gorgeous campground on the banks of Fish Creek Pond and Square pond close to Tupper Lake and Saranac Lake.
Very site has water access, and the water is super shallow all along the shoreline. It’s perfect for dogs, kids, and hanging out in the water. The bottom is sandy with some rocks, good to have water shoes but not essential. Sites 65-100 get a great view of the sunset! Our site was level and dry, as were the surrounding sites. There’s not much brush on the sites and there are lots of old, tall trees, so I had tons of places to put up our dogs tie out, my hammock, and the clothes line.
There were clean bath houses everywhere and one shower building on the west side of Square Pond. I was surprised by the number of bathrooms, you’ll never be far from one while camping here.
Over all, one of my favorite camping weekends ever, it was a gorgeous spot for water sports and great for a run or bike ride. Don’t sleep on this spot!
- (12) View All
Great location, right by the pond
Pretty buggy during the last week of May. Campsites we’re pretty close to each other with the exception of a few sites that were well dispersed. Would come back again. Toilet bathrooms are okay, and a separate shower bathroom (the only one the serves the whole campground) was nice, big, and clean).
Beautiful, serene, spectacular views
We loved our short stay just after Labor Day weekend, despite heavy rains. The lake view and wooded sites offer enough variety for every style of camping with one consistent plus: that view. Rain or shine, it was breathtaking. Peaceful, relatively private sites are well maintained and spacious.
One downside: the employee who checked us in was unhelpful and uninformed about something as basic as where to find firewood. She sent us 15 miles away when the wonderful gas station/food truck/quick mart one minute down the road had everything we needed, including a smile, a welcome and a very helpful staff.
This is why we love camping
We visited Fish Creek Pond Campground June 20 - 24th. We were told that this was just before NY children got off for summer vacation. It was beautiful and peaceful classic camping. After they play taps at 10 pm, it's completely quiet. All the sites are on the water and fairly level. We had site 110, which was great, but they're all good. The bathrooms are old, but cleaned every morning. The showers are newer, but in the next camp, so you have to drive there. There are no utilities. The staff is super diligent and helpful. An ice cream truck and a firewood truck made the rounds. There's a little convienience store just outside the gates (turn right), which turned out to be a real gem. They have a good assortment of the basics packed into their little shop and decent coffee at their little coffee bar. There is no canoe/kayak rental on Fish Creek Pond. There are two places nearby to rent them, but you have to haul them yourself. We visited Lake Placid (major construction all over - avoid it!), John Brown's farm, and drove around on one rainy day to see the nearby small villages. It depends on what you're looking for in a camping experience, but we enjoyed the simplicity and quiet beauty of this place.
Our favorite campground!
One of our favorite campgrounds in the ADK. Peaceful, every spot has a great view. Fairly central to all of the big tourist areas, will be making this trip at least once a year.
- (4) View All
Giant waterfront sites!
Beautiful and roomy site at 19. Unfortunately it was too cold and stormy for us to get our boats out on the water but we are looking forward to getting back here for the easy water access! Bathrooms are clean. There’s a beautiful accessible site at this campground and also a nice pavilion if you need to take a break from the weather. We didn’t get to go but they were showing movies the weekend we stayed, which was a fun family touch! Overall, we were very happy with our stay and want to return.
- (5) View All
Busy, but that lake and the loons!
Most of the campsites at Fish Creek Pond are along the waterfront, offering easy access to the pond. Some campers even build temporary docks that they leave behind for subsequent campers. Most of these sites are huge and provide areas that are relatively flat, even if some parts slope toward the pond. Sites in the low 130s tend to be narrower. The sites ring the pond; at night you can see the lights of campers on the opposite bank and listen to the call of the loons. At 10pm, Taps will ring out to mark the beginning of quiet hours. The firepits are deteriorating and do not have grates. Mine was half filled with debris, ash, and the previous campers discarded food.
Bathrooms throughout the campground provide toilets and running water in old CCC constructed buildings that have been renovated somewhat and are clean, but small with a single sink. They also come with a warning not to leave items plugged in because of risk of fire or theft. A newer, large, centrally located bathroom provides showers.
The day use area and beach were closed for the summer of’20 due to COVID-19 restrictions.
There are two entrances to the campground, but one of them is closed in the evening. Depending on the direction of your arrival, you may need to continue past the first entrance you reach. Signs will direct you even if Google doesn't!
There’s a trading post just over the bridge from the campground where you can buy gas, necessities, order a sandwich, pizza, or barbecue(daily menu posted in back by the deli). In the parking lot out front, there’s an ice cream truck that’s open in the afternoon. If you’re looking for paddling maps, check behind the counter at the trading post or at nearby Hickock Livery.
There's a bike trail in the campground and you'll see lots of kids on bikes. In addition to the numerous paddling opportunities in the area, several of the surrounding towns have created hiking challenges featuring 3-9 easy to moderate peaks in their vicinity. Tupper Lake offers not only a hiking triad, but a paddling triad. The reward for completing each series is a patch. Occasionally a single bar of coverage on Verizon, very spotty and random, so I left my phone on airplane mode most of the time.
On my last morning, I finally spotted through the mist the loons that had entertained me with their calls throughout my stay - 6 of them!
- (25) View All
Nice but not the nicest NY State Park
This is a HUGE state park campground with 355 sites (although a number of them were being restored when we were there). Most of the sites are on the lake; some have more of a direct view while others have a filtered view through the trees. The sites are very close together and some have trees to provide privacy, but many do not. We were fortunate to have an empty site on either side of us, otherwise it would have felt very crowded. Site 27 did not have an obvious “driveway” and it looks like the last rainfall caused the person in this site to get stuck in the mud as tire tracks remained. The sites are also littered with pinecones and tree roots, so you must be cautious not to trip on them. The bathrooms are clean but small and don’t have air dryers, hooks, or garbage receptacles. The showers had been shut down for the season, but we received a phone call in advance letting us know of this and the alternative available showers in a nearby park. There is one garbage/recycling area in the park. There is a paved roadway that goes all the way around Fish Creek Pond and Square Pond, making it good for bicycling or walking. Nice amphitheater. Also saw basketball and volleyball nets plus a very small swing set
- (11) View All
Amazing views!
This campground was hard to beat! All the spots are on the water with great views of the lake! Full bathrooms and showers available! 👍🏼
- (7) View All
The best beach sites
I just love the culture and sites at this place
Ultimate family spot
This place is my wife’s favorite place to go camping. She’s been going every summer since she was a baby and now we send our kids with our parents on their yearly trip if we can’t make it. Every site is on the water which is perfect for canoeing, kayaking, boating, etc. The atmosphere is unmatched for any site I’ve ever been to.
Great Views!
Waterfront camping available. Sites suitable for tents and for RVs
An amazing family campground
Deep in the heart of the Adirondacks this campground is huge and great for families, couples and groups of friends alike. Every single campsite sits on the water so you don’t have to fight to get a water site. You can dock your boat right at your site and fish off the shore too. The yoo hoo calls at dusk are really fun and listening to the loons call is amazingly peaceful.
Beautiful lake side sites
Visited in the fall after the summer rush. Very quiet and peaceful. Large sites. Lots of hiking space!
On the lake-Fish Creek Pond
This is a clean, well maintained campground. It was a little crowded but surprisingly quiet for the number of people. Lots of kids biking and a nice trail behind the sites to walk or run. There was a coffee vendor that came through in the morning, which was kind of fun. It is a pretty lake with lots of activity. Take a bike!
Fish Creek is a great place to take kids.
It has everything a campground should have. Make sure you bring your bikes. It has a great bike path. The swimming is great. It has an outdoor stage. The only drawback to Fish Creek Pond is that it is very difficult to get reservations. Our grandkids had a great time.
4 nights
the camp ground is beautiful right on the lake the water was 3 steps from just about every site there. very family oriented great for water sports or biking with kids. the reason I give it 3 stars is it's not very secluded and there is a lot of noise during the day, luckily I spent most of my day hiking the mountains near by. all in all I would definatly recommend it if your looking for a family vacation with a beautiful lake view and friendly people. but if solitude is what your looking for I would find a more private camp.
- (4) View All
Family friendly Adirondack escape
Bike path, kayak rentals, close to Lake Placid Olympic center, Wild Center in Tupper Lake
A little slice of heaven
I have stayed here many times over the years, usually for a 10-18 day stretch at a time. This is one of my favorite places. Most sites are right on the water. Square pond is a lovely little lake that connects to a larger lake (Upper Saranac I believe) by passing through a canal. This campground has great facilities. There are restrooms located convieniently throughout the park so you never have to walk more than a few sites no matter where you are. There are hot showers located at one end of the park and a dump station for RVs. The restrooms and showers are cleaned daily. There is a great little general store just outside the park that sells pretty much anything you could want. Sites are equipped with a table and fireplace (most have grates). There are vendors that drive through the park daily selling wood, ice cream (from an old fashioned wagon, get the moose tracks!), and ice. There is a boat supplier that travels the lake every morning and evening dropping off and picking up kayak and canoe rentals. If you love water front camping this is for you! The park is pet friendly but you need to show proof of vaccines. There are great things to do nearby like the Adirondack Museum, Lake Placid, and beautiful hiking spots. You can have power boats and jets skis on the lake as well as non motorized boats. Some of the best sunsets I have ever viewed happened right here. Quiet hours are taken very seriously and rangers walk the park at night warning rowdy fireside folks to quiet down. However, as dusk turns to night, you can always count on the chorus of yodels going back and forth across the lake. This is a wonderful spot! Check it out! You won’t be sorry! Oh, but sites go on sale nine months in advance through reserve America and the best spots wind up booked for the season pretty quickly.
Best of ADK
Probably my favorite ADK campground. Beautiful lake, semi-private sites most lakefront, tons of hiking and close proximity to some great Adirondack outdoor activities. A much more quiet place compared to its rowdy next door neighbor Rollins Pond.
Fish Creek
Campsite was phenomenal beautiful scenery and weather, the ground and tree cover were great and just enough privacy. Bathrooms, showers, and water were all accesable and the staff is accomodatin. Best site I have ever had I would return.
- (4) View All
Beautiful Lake
With most campsites sitting a few feet from the lake itself, it is perfect for those with a kayak, stand up paddle board or canoe. However, do not go here if you are looking for privacy. Campsites are very close together and there are limited trees or plants to create any barriers. Thankfully, everyone I encountered was very kind and welcoming. There are many lakes in this area so lots of opportunity for water activities. The bathrooms were adequate and they had recycling available as well.
- (4) View All
site 286
easy check in, nice site but a bit crowded. we lucked out with no neighbors for night two of our stay. sites huddle the shores of Fish Creek Pond, local general store very close can provide anything you need. additionally, small food trucks come thru with snacks.
Love This Place
My husband and I live about 3 hours from this campground and it's definitely worth the trip. All sites are water sites and there aren't many RV's. The fishing is great and there's a trading post around the corner that has everything you need.