Lee's Park Campground

Not a camper park, people live there for the year, there’s no space between the rv’s and it’s way too crowded for my taste, they were nice but if you are looking for a nature landscape and set up this is not the place for you

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.