Lee's Park Campground

About a month ago, with a major haze of FOMO from missing the SNHU tour opener shows, I decided I would just send it and started plotting the trip up from Boston with my 16-year-old brother in tow for the Phish SPAC run. I did a deep dive on this place as all I could find on the internet were many mixed reviews. I am a hardcore planner and this trip forced and allowed me to chill out about that as I had to detach from that mindset and literally surrender to the flow. With little to find online about what the actual inside of the campground looks like and some negative reviews I was skeptical but reassured by some of the good ones and after talking to a friend that has been before. I booked online and communication was efficient and I was able to pay on the portal ahead of time and provide my vehicle information to make check-in smoother. I have absolutely nothing but good things to say about Lee’s after spending my weekend there, the park staff was so awesome, the vibes were great, there was parking along the dirt pathed roads that ran through the park, and a band called The Reality Check Experiment even played pre and post-show sets on the park’s stage and even a little shakedown too. My only two qualms were purely trivial as the phone service specifically at night was difficult (but if you’re with your people you really don’t need your phone at all) and the first shuttle left at 5PM each night, so if you’re looking to hit the lot and have some time to take it slow there or get in to the venue real early, I’d recommend carpooling with a group or taking an Uber and taking the shuttle back. This place rocks so hard, it was a total extension of the shows and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I hope you ignore all the poor, outdated reviews from people that don’t know how to camp and whose problems with the park were just user error and freaking send it like I did too.

I stayed at Lee's Park campground in June 2019 and unlike many other reviewers, I was not there for a SPAC concert. I went with my wife and two daughters. The campground is unsanitary, and I am used to roughing it backpacking or with pit toilets. Maybe that was why I found this site so appalling. It was far from being a nature site, I had hoped for something more quiet: it cannot be found here. People drank and played drinking games late into the night, most likely on drugs.

Just down the creek is a great place to rent kayaks and paddleboard called the Kayak Shack! Also recommend the pizza at the restaurant next door.

If you do not mind being packed in like sardines and loud parties or are looking for a cheap alternative to a hotel (you get what you pay for), this is the place for you. I am just not that type of camper. The reason I gave it two stars instead of one is because it is nice and close to Saratoga Springs. If you want nature, we took a day trip up to Lake George. We will stay there next time!

The photos are of places nearby, all within walking distance. We thought this was a prettier part to highlight rather than the piles of tents.

Like another reviewer, I camped at Lee's during a Phish run at the nearby Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC). I had to park about a mile from my tent because I arrived on Saturday, but my car was close to the convenience store just outside the campground. Payment is cash only; you hand them cash, they put a wrist band on you, and then you fend for yourself. There is no record of your stay, which has its pros and cons. There are no defined campsites so it is simply a crazy hodge-podge of tents and a lot of tip-toeing between tents trying not to trip over guy lines. It is partially wooded, so shade and trees for hammocks are available if you arrive early. The main benefits of staying at Lee's are the low price ($25/person/night), the shuttle service to SPAC (I think it was $15), and the festival atmosphere with a Shakedown Street, food vendors, and many late-night campfire jam sessions.

I'd say the main downsides are not enough porta-potties and that they get very, very bad quickly with such a large crowd. I think by Sunday everyone at the campground had a stomach bug and all treatments for such were sold out at the local convenience store. I did actually take a shower in the one very small facility with showers and flushing toilets, but, again, they are very unkempt.

Although there seemed to be a fair amount of security folks at main intersections to help with directions, once off the beaten path it was very, very dark and easy to get lost. As a girl walking a mile to my car alone at 3am, I was certainly concerned for my personal safety as some areas become rather deserted between the main camping areas and the more perimeter parking or main road where there is a convenience store. If something happened to you here, no one would know as there is no written record of you being there and the campground doesn't even know your name. That may be a plus if you'd like to stay off-grid, but does pose some safety issues. Some festivals are more tightly controlled than others and I would say the atmosphere here was on the more free-for-all end of the spectrum with a sense that there was no law enforcement presence whatsoever (other than assuming there are undercover narcotics officers at these events). That, too, has its pros and cons... I don't care about whatever folks are buying, selling, and using for their personal enjoyment, but the sticks of dynamite being set off were concerning and it really only takes a wayward sparkler to set a tent ablaze.

If you're staying here for SPAC shows, I would pack your earplugs, hand sanitizer, and toilet paper, arrive as early as possible so you can park your car near where you pitch your tent, and then embrace the craziness.

So in full disclosure I'm an avid camper, but this experience/review is best read for anyone who wants to know what it's like to camp there during a music festival.

This campground is massive. Probably the largest I've been a part of. They said that there were approximately 20,000 campers there per night to see Phish as part of their 2016 tour, where they were playing July 4th long weekend (3 shows total). Besides the space for that many campers, there's also area for merchants and artisans to set up and cater to all the people's hunger, art, and drink needs. It's pretty convenient to wake up in a campground and be able to get hot coffee and breakfast sandwiches and wraps. With that many people, there should be a lot of security, and I'll say that there were a respectable amount of park security on patrol and to assist with questions on the campground areas, points of interest, and facilities. I also personally appreciated their willingness to allow us to build a slip and slide in a safe, roped off area. We also had a fellow camper who needed medical attention on his hand. They had some basic first aid on hand to help the situation, which we really appreciated. There are not surprisingly a lot of cars in the area that have driven in and set up to do car camping. I was one. The security did a pretty good job of diverting traffic to areas to help settle the grounds and campers mostly arriving the Friday in anticipation of the show that night. There was a shuttle service set up to allow campers to get from the campgrounds to the Music Festival grounds. A great option to allow people like me who drove there to avoid the traffic and enjoy the show atmosphere. There were many locations for portable toilets for people. There weren't many options for actual toilet facilities. Nor showers. They were available, but the permanent shower and toilet facilities become overwhelmed with 20,000 guests all at once.

So it's $25/night/person. Then if you want the shuttle, which by the way at the time of booking was advertised on the site as a 'free service' turns out to be $15/day/person. Most people are only there for 2 of the 3 shows, but they are at capacity every night. They also host Dave Matthews Band fans/campers once a year, among some other sold out music festivals and the like. With those attendance numbers coming in and with the admission fees, Lee's Park should definitely have more showers and toilets for guests. I also think there should just be general improvements to the park, as most said the lake wasn't worth swimming in and quite dirty.

Overall, I could have seen it go a lot worse with 20,000 people and the park management did a good job. I think the park facilities need upgrading or expanding and then I believe in turn you'll see more respect from the campers back towards the park.