We visited October 18th 2020 and the previous days rained pretty heavy so when we arrive at site #20, there were caution tape to the east of our site for the trees that had fallen. No biggie but this site is also a ditch..we hiked downwards into the site. Everyone driving / walking down the main road can look into your site. This site I would give a 1 star for zero privacy, small space for a campsite, between 2 cars & 2 tents, we did not have space to put up a hammock. We went to check in to see if we can relocate & they did offer a spot where it was shared with another site which had a party reserved. We didn't want to intrude in other parties and esp during times like these so we just stayed in our ditch. We only for 2 nights but I can see other campers getting upset if they showed up to a ditch. We can hear the trucks driving by at night, if this is a bother for you, try to get a site further in away from the entrance. 

On the other hand, our friends were at campsite #21 and it was 5 stars compared to site #20. It was a hike in but very secluded from the rest of the campers and very clean kept.

4 Stars for this campground because :

Pros - short drive from NYC, the hike around the pond is easy and beautiful, there's a beach nearby. 

Con - we just had a bad campsite so we'll know to choose another one next time.

So close to the city you just can’t beat it. We found a cancellation for one of the group camping spots—63—(at half capacity due to Covid precautions), which was pretty delightful, if not that private. Sites 43 and 45 seem to be some of the best locations and most private while still near the bath house. Plenty of firewood to forage if they run out at the (charming, storybook) reservation cabin. Walk across the road down to the “beach” and take a dip. We’ll be back on a less crowded weekend.

The beach is closed after Labor Day to the public, but open to people staying at the campsite. Clean and beautiful. Great hikes. Bathrooms and dishwashing… UGH. So old and dirty!!!

My wife, 14 month old, two dogs and I did an overnight trip on site 77n on a Wednesday evening. We had a very nice time. The site was mostly clean other than small camping detritus. We had a good amount of space between us and the other sites and we had no disturbances other than our son wanting to play all night.

The site had one picnic table, a stand up coal grill, and a fire ring with drop down grill. There were a good number of dumpsters around the camping park and a bathroom building with a shower stall in the respective rooms and a hot water sink on the outside.

My only complaint is that the check in time is on the late side (5pm) and the check out was a bit early (10am).

If you can i reccomend scoping out sites before you book. Some are hike in, some pull in, some are more for groups/rv. Canopus lake is gorgeous, you need a permit to put you boat down and you don't launch at the beach… you launch up the road a bit. Nice section of the AT runs through. Some easy trails if you want a quick spin. Pelton pond loop is lovely. They just switched their water over to potable last year. Bathrooms are spaced far apart.

All sites were so different. There was a storm the night before our arrival date, all campers were evacuated and they did a fantastic job clearing all the debris and downed trees before our arrival. The camp areas were secluded if you wanted more private camping (also super unique layouts) but there were plenty if you needed a quick stop over.

With Covid/social distancing requirements, many sites are closed so it’s extra quiet and spread out. I stayed at site 6 with my seven year-old daughter from Tue-Thur. Site was close to bathroom but secluded enough to feel safe. It wasn’t wooded so almost no shade during day. Sites 7, 8, and 9 next to us were closed for social distancing. Camp grounds were clean and well maintained. Friendly staff. Dog friendly. Not much to do with kids besides beach during day.

Beach is across the street from camp grounds….2 min drive. Very nice complex with new concession stand and bathrooms. Got very crowded after 10a and water is murky in certain areas, not much space to spread out and swim. Didn’t feel comfortable in water with so many people at times but we went during heat wave so that most likely played a part.

Thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, my partner and I were grateful to Fahnestock State Park for allowing hikers to camp overnight. Arriving around 5 p.m., we swam at the lake and admired a family of geese, who were carefully looking after their chicks. We then went to the bathrooms to change when a park employee asked everyone to exit the park. As we packed up our things, the employee told us we didn’t have to rush, but that the public needed to evacuate, so they wouldn’t be present when the wildlife exterminator arrived to“get rid of the geese.” We were told not to be alarmed if we heard a shotgun being fired. We were also informed that it is“normal” for geese to be killed in parks throughout NY. If innocent beings are killed in public places, the public has a right to know. While visitors can come and go to parks as they please, the geese consider these places their home to raise their babies. We contacted several local rehabilitation services, who said they do in fact relocate and rehabilitate geese. The park staff said they have not considered an alternative to killing.“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”~Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

My partner and I spent July 4th weekend here this year. Overall we had an amazing time and there were just a few instances which may turn off some campers. Will share everything here and let you guys decide for yourselves.

I had originally booked site 65 and upon arriving, was told there was an error in the system and it was double-booked. They offered me site 60 instead, which we went to survey and noticed there was no fire pit or picnic table at that site. We let the front office know and the guy we were dealing with was a little abrasive, but ultimately gave us a different site which was much nicer. Very appreciative of that as I know it was a difficult dealing with COVID and social distancing, but the initial way we were treated was a little off putting. I would absolutely try to check your site before you get there because each site varied quite a bit from the other.

On July 4th, my partner and I tried to go to the beach, but were told it was at capacity at 3 different points throughout the day. At one point we saw 4 cars pullout of the parking lot and asked the employee if we could go in now, but was still told it was at capacity. Just frustrating to deal with as it didn't seem like a clear system and we were getting pushed off.

What I loved about the site… They were clean, it was very quiet, and there were a lot of nice hikes directly from the campground. The bathrooms and showers were also pretty clean too. Lots of water spickets throughout the ground.

Overall we had a great experience and will definitely be back. not every campground is perfect and the positives definitely outweigh the negatives from the weekend we had.

Great park with large enough campsites. Bathrooms were clean, showers were ok, could use a little bleach. We were at site 52 and had to drive to the bath house because it was so far, but we didn’t mind. Mosquitos were terrible. Water taps scattered around campground. We were drinking the water right out the tap but by our 4th day there were new signs to boil the water before drinking. We figured since we had been drinking it so long and felt fine we were ok so we didn’t boil our last day.