Wilmington Notch

Beautifully wooded with hemlocks right off of 86 (a bit too close). Sites are spaced out, but little privacy. Luckily I had a water bandit, as the water spigot does not have threads for a hose. Very clean facilities. Quick drive to all the stuff to do in Lake Placid.

We stayed at Wilmington Notch for a night prior to backpacking. It has a great location (beside Whiteface) and is open to both tent campers and RVs. Campsites are nice but not huge and all in a circle so you are definitely seeing your neighbors. This is a great spot for a car camping/ stop over but I would not consider it a destination. Not much going on besides fire pits and fellow car campers.

Definitely make reservations in advance during the summer!

This is a typical KOA with lots of sites and people. Campsites are pretty close, especially near the front and all the activities. There is a huge range of sites from full hook-up campsites to rental cabins and cottages. And, in typical KOA fashion, the park busy with lots of activities. What we liked was the location of this campground. 

Loved how close it was to Lake Placid, Wilmington, and other great Adirondack towns. Especially, loved the proximity to the AuSable River which provided amazing fly fishing. If you like to fish, hike, and paddle this is definitely the place for you. 

The park has lots of mature trees which provide nice shade but doesn’t allow for much grass to grow so sites are gravel and can be dusty. All roads are gravel. While we were there, the area was devoid of rain and the roads were extremely dusty, especially with all the speed demons in the campground. Since the park was so big, people tended to speed around trying to get back to their site. Some of the facilities were old and tired. Especially the bathhouse near us. It was dirty and overused but that could have been since we were there on a busy weekend and the park was full. The tennis courts were old and did not have a net and it looks like they were converted to a basketball court. Near the front of the campground is a game room that is really nice and opens to a community fire pit, playground and the pool area. 

The roads are really tight for big rigs. Between the trees, rocks, and low hanging branches, you have to take it really slow. I recommend unhooking your tow car at check-in so you are free to back up. Don’t make a wrong turn or you will get stuck and down a road you can’t turn around on. Some of the things we liked about this park was that it was well-marked from the main road and easy to find. The lodge and store were really cool and well-stocked. There is a restaurant on-site so you can get a quick bite to eat without leaving the property.