Meacham Lake is located near Malone, NY, surrounded by forested terrain and a large lake. Temperatures range from lows in the 20s Fahrenheit during winter to highs in the 70s during summer. Nearby attractions include the Adirondack Park, offering hiking trails and scenic views, and the Wild Center, an interactive natural history museum.

Meacham Lake Campground

Whether you're a tent camper, an RVer, or just passing through, Rainbow Lake, NY has a lot to offer. Enjoy the scenic camping, fun activities, and sights and sounds of Rainbow Lake. You're sure to find the perfect spot for your New York camping adventure.

Rainbow Lake

The Best Camping Near Rainbow Lake, New York

This campground is like having 2 campgrounds in one. One side of the lake is a bit crowded and can get rowdy. This side has flush toilets and showers. There are waterfront sites here. The other side of the campground is completely different, and a bit hidden. (Meacham Lake West) No flush toilets or showers, simply outhouses at each site. There may be a couple flush toilets you can walk to. Also, you will need to park and hike in a bit, but the views are so worth it! You can have a beautiful site right on the lake, and your neighbors are not on top of you. There is running water as well.

2 campgrounds in one

The West side of the campground is reserved for primitive tent campers with a few choice sites right on the water. These sites generally have tent platforms which is a good thing. On my recent trip there the ground was saturated and boggy. Not sure if that is normal or was just due to wet weather this spring. These platform sites are all hike-in, with a few of them located a good distance from the camp road. Each of these sites has its own outhouse. The one on my site was cleaned once or twice over the course of five days.
There are other sites on the west side, not located on the water, but closer to your vehicle so you don't have to carry gear in and out. These sites are also close to water spigots.
On the more developed side of the campground things are much as you would expect at a NYS campground. The sites are not especially private, but they come in all sizes. There is a beach with canoe rentals and swimming, an amphitheater, showers, a recycling center and a dump station. Wood and ice are also offered for sale.
I'll take the quiet privacy of the west side, but there is plenty on offer for all different camping styles at Meacham Lake.

Something For All Camping Styles

Overall it’s a nice campground. Well managed and very well upkept!

Very peaceful

We spent a week here and didn't have a lakeside site, but one of the small ones on the stream. Great place to visit. If you do score a lakeside site, your views will be spectacular! Only downside was the lack of newer showers, but if you're ok with using the old shower building, you'll probably have the place to yourself. 

Beautiful lakeside offerings

It’s split into 2 sides. The west side is way cooler, less bugs and more views. The east side is RV/camper heaven. 

Great place

Overall, the place was beautiful. Very peaceful, lots of privacy, and we loved it. We camped on site 188 for 3 nights and really enjoyed having our own private “beach,” however, we it was extremely boggy! The campground had put down sheets of plywood to help, but still the ground was so soggy that the plywood had eventually “soaked away.” It helped but not much. 

Aside from the wetness of the ground it really is a beautiful spot. I’d still camp there but not at 188. Also, the hike in does take some effort, it’s not bad but if you car camp and have pop up or anything heavy it could be difficult for you. 

Photos of Meacham Lake Campground

Real photos from real campers