Alfred Station, NY is a great camping destination for adventurers of all types. Aside from great camping spots, you'll find hiking and many more outdoor experiences. Thinking of traveling with kids? You're in luck—Alfred Station is surrounded by family-friendly activities. Get the dirt on all the best camping near Alfred Station. Browse campgrounds by amenities, site types, and more.
Located in Western New York state, about 45 miles southwest of Rochester, Letchworth State Park is known as the “Grand Canyon of the East.” Straddling the Genesee River for 17 miles the park encompasses more than 14,000 acres of deep river canyon and dense woodlands. The area was purchased in 1859 by William Pryor Letchworth, who recognized its natural and scenic value. He then granted it to the state in 1906 to be preserved as a public park. The park’s main attraction is the three dramatic waterfalls on the Genesee, which pour over escarpments up to 100 feet high. In addition to the spectacular scenery, the park also offers year-round outdoor recreation, from hiking, fishing and birdwatching to a variety of snow play.
The large campground in Letchworth State Park makes a good basecamp for exploring the area’s many sights and recreation opportunities. It contains 270 tent, trailer and RV sites in eight separate loops. All sites have electrical hookups, and there are water spigots, restrooms with showers, recycling stations and a dump station available. Additional accommodations in the park include camping cabins and the Glen Iris Inn. Visitors also have access to several picnic areas and playgrounds, a swimming pool, sports fields, trout pond, a museum, and nature center. Campsite rates range from $24–$26/night, plus additional fees; cabin and lodge rates vary; reservations recommended.
The best way to see many of the park’s sights is to get out and walk, hike or bike on any of the 66 miles of multiuse trails that wind through the park, and vary in distance and difficulty. The waterfalls are best viewed along the 7-mile Gorge Trail. One of the more unique and exciting ways to see the park is by hot air balloon. Other activities in the park include paddling on the river, nature programs, guided walks, and interpretive exhibits. The park also offers some of the best birdwatching in the state. In winter, many of the park’s trails become snowshoe and cross-country ski routes, and a few are even open to snowmobiles, so no matter what time of year you visit, there’s a way to play outdoors.
Watkins Glen State Park is the most famous of the Finger Lakes State Parks, with a reputation for leaving visitors spellbound. Within two miles, the glen's stream descends 400 feet past 200-foot cliffs, generating 19 waterfalls along its course. The gorge path winds over and under waterfalls and through the spray of Cavern Cascade. Rim trails overlook the gorge. Camping near Watkins Glen allows you to enjoy the Olympic-size pool, scheduled summer tours through the gorge, tent and trailer campsites, picnic facilities and excellent fishing in nearby Seneca Lake or Catherine Creek, which is renowned for its annual spring run of rainbow trout.
$31 - $276 / night
I stayed here and it was very peaceful, but it was also pretty empty. Some of the sides are very close together, but if you look around, you can get one that has a little bit more privacy. Clean bathrooms, clean showers. Hikes from the site. Swimming as well!!
We had a great time here we stayed for a whole week to get the extra savings and we loved every day of it. There was something new every day. The waterfalls were amazing. The rec center had tons of activities and sports for the kids to do. They had a really cool playground, which was like a rope course.
Site is sloped, shaded and right next to the bathrooms and water spigot. ATT coverage is decent. Other side of the bathrooms is access to the gorge trails. Pets are not allowed on the gorge trail itself but the rim and other trails are fine.
An ideal place to try difficult challenges geometry dash meltdown that I have never tried before.
This was our families first SoLo trip with our camper. It had alot of things to do indoor/ outdoor pool, pirate ship, slide, big pillow, waterside, golf and rock wall. The campground and showers were clean. There were some things that didn't work like the army truck ride, zipline, and playground. The biggest downfall was being near the dump station and something going on with this makeshift site next to us where around our area smelled of sewer fumes all the time we went out for dinner one night because my 3 yr old was gaging. However the area was absolutely gorgeous we hiked so many waterfalls, went and rented a boat for the day to check out the lake, and drive to the next lake to check out the park.
This is a big park with a pretty nice campgrouns. The sites aren't huge, but it's nicely laid out. There seems to be a lot to do for the whole family here without leaving the campground. There's a bathroom in every section that seems to be in need of updating, but functional. The playground is huge and there's lots of room for riding your bike around. The rest of the park is huge with a ton of trails and lots to see. Only downside is that the park is so big you really need to drive around to see everything.
Owners on site, very friendly, and accommodating. Water and 30a, dump station. Some larger sites to accommodate up to 40’ rigs. Reasonable width sites.
The waterfalls and gorge had several overlooks to enjoy if you are not able to hike. The campground is on the opposite end of the park from the falls, so it is a long and pretty drive. We enjoyed hiking along the falls trails. The museum had some interesting history, although we were left wondering how Letchwork made his original money. There were lots of lovely places for picnics.
Suzeas Gluten Free bakery is advertised on the map and located in Mount Morris. The owner is a character, and we loved all the baked goods we purchased there. It was another bonus for us.
Very convenient to Watkins Glenn State Park and the Speedway. Restrooms are modern clean and adequate. WiFi was good on a fall weekend with park pretty full. Some sites are concrete, ours was gravel and not particularly level. Good cable TV.
——REASONS I STAYED HERE——
The see Watkins Glen, of course! And go paddleboarding nearby.
—————BASIC FAQ—————
[Tent camping with a Subie]
Dump station? - Yes
Water fill or hookup? - Water fill at dump station but no water hookups. Water spigots are scattered throughout each loop.
Electricity? - Yes, some loops have it but not mine
Clean site? - Yes
Clean bathroom? - Yes
Flush toilet? - Yes
Showers? - Yes
Laundry? - No
Dish washing sink? - Yes, in the bathroom
—————PROS—————
→ The access to Watkins Glen! My site was in Loop D (Onondaga Village) which has a direct hiking trail to the trail along Watkins Glen! I highly recommend going early to beat the crowds. It’s peaceful and easier to enjoy and take photos.
→ Proximity to Seneca Lake! We went paddleboarding. We put in at a boat launch at the very southeastern corner of the lake near Seneca Lake Kayak. You can paddle down to Hector Falls and see it from the water.
→ You can drive to the many waterfalls nearby. I recommend Havana Glen Park for a short hike to the waterfall. Also, drive to Chequaga Falls.
—————TIP—————
→ There’s a power outlet in the bathroom. It was very common for people to charge phones while showering. Or leaving a battery in there to charge.
—————OVERALL—————
5-stars - Speaking for Loop D, of course. Clean site, clean bathroom with hot water, access to Watkins Glen, no issues while staying there.
—————INTERNET—————
Verizon via iPhone 12: 20 mbps down and 0.03 mbps up with 74 ms ping.
We stayed at site 184 which was great. The trail to get down to the Gorge Trail was just a few sites away. Bath house was clean but out dated. No camp store, but fire wood & ice were available at check in station. Pick a site on the outside of a loop and you’ll be good.
We spent three nights in Watkins Glen SP and will definitely be back. The sites aren't private, but are well kept, as are the bathrooms/showers. We enjoyed our hikes and if it had been a bit warmer, we would have checked out the pool.
Visited Letchworth State park in late July 2023. We stayed in loop 500.
The park, itself, is great. Not a particularly "wild" experience. The trails are mostly paved, and there are snack bars and toilets located throughout. A road runs along the south rim providing access to the overlooks, waterfalls, nature center, and visitors' center. But the gorge itself is fantastic, and the trails are pleasant. We liked the nature center, though it was a little small. Staff was universally helpful and friendly.
The campsite wasn't spectacular, but it was solid. The sites are a little close together (you can see your neighbors through the trees), but it was still quiet. They all have the standard fire pit and picnic table. There are central showers for each loop, and we found these to be clean and in good working order.
Really enjoyed our 3 nights of camping at Letchworth. The camp sites are large and spread out. Bath houses are modern and clean. Electric hookups at each site and water spigots spread through out.
We camped in the 700 loop with allows pets.
The camp store was great and even had a separate mini farmer's market with fresh veggies and fresh baked goods.
Lots of good hiking and some great vistas.
Very clean,family friendly ,relaxing
Beautiful state park, very lush green from all the rain unfortunately the smoke from the Canadian fires near have made it unhealthy here. especially strenuous outdoor activities  Bathrooms are clean and great showers in the wooden size of nicely spaced and level
The site we were at #402 was kinda uneven and sort of exposed as it was almost at a fork. Even the most balanced piece of land was a sloped a little bit. The site was just 1 spot away from the restroom and about 5m walk to the camp store. Camp store had everything a camper would need although a bit expensive ($9 for firewood). Other than that everything was perfect. Many RVs and trailers so restrooms were mostly empty.
We originally booked for three nights at an electric site(52) and we enjoyed everything from the bath house to the overall privacy of the site. After the first night we decided to extend by two more nights which involved us moving to another site(215) which didn't have electric but still was a wonderful site. Both sites were large and mostly private. We spent every day hiking and biking. The Gorge trail is especially great after 5pm when the tourists have left for the day. There is also the Finger Lakes North Country trail which is dog-friendly. Towards the end of the loop there is a private stream with clean water that our dog loved. We can't wait to return many times. Verizon cell service was excellent in the Mohawk Village loop and decent in the Onondaga Loop. It was fine to work from the RV all week using our Pepwave BR1 Max with a Verizon data plan.
Had a wonderful weekend and the owner and family were amazing. The pool wasnt open yet but the kids had so much fun on the playgrounds and with all of the other kids.
Awesome State Park. Grand Canyon of the east. Miles of hiking trails. Gorges and falls. Numerous picnic areas. Newer bathhouse. Only down side would be the cell service, if needed. I enjoyed being off the grid during our stay. There’s a nature center and a visitor center. Electric/water at most sites. Dump station. Helpful staff.
Would like to stay at this campground, but these folks do not respond to reservation requests or vmail requests per their website instruction. Have lost all interest - horrible
Pros= Beautiful, wooded campground. Sites are big enough for a bit of privacy. Bathrooms were clean and updated. Cons= primitive sites only(no hook-ups). No real camp store, fire wood was available at check-in desk
We were looking to spend a couple of nights near Watkins Glen to hit the wineries, waterfalls, and nearby museums around the finger lakes of New York and this park seemed to be in a good location for us to do all that. There were other options closer to downtown Watkins Glen but they were closed for the season when we visited. This park is quite large and can accommodate any size RV with plenty of activities to keep the entire family busy without even leaving the park (but we wouldn’t recommend that because there is so much to do in the surrounding area).
Typical KOA with a wide range of RV sites and lodging options and tons of activities and amenities. We booked online and got our KOA discount, so check-in was easy and we were greeted by friendly people. There is a mix of site types which you can pick out online. If you don’t see the type you want online, give them a call because sometimes they can move people around to accommodate you. The roads in the park and campsites are gravel but the park is easy to navigate. They do have short fences at the front and back of sites which can make maneuvering into your site a little tricky. Not sure why they have these unless it is to keep people from driving or parking on the grass. Deluxe sites with fancy paved patios are available for a bit more$$$ than standard sites. All sites have a picnic table and fire pit.
Our site was level and long enough to fit our tow car. The pad was gravel but the patio was paved. Our fire pit stuck out pretty close to the road which was a bit awkward. Sites are definitely close so upon check-in we noticed that the park was not very crowded and asked that they not put us right next to people if at all possible. The women in the office told us that our neighbors were leaving the next morning and that was the only site option. Turns out they didn’t leave and there did appear to be other sites available. Oh well!
The park advertises free wifi and we were skeptical as to how good it would be but it turned out that it worked well at our site for surfing the internet. Our 4G Verizon phone reception was good and the open pull-thru sites work well for those wanting to use satellite. There is cable which broadcasts 70 channels.
What we liked about this campground was: the pastoral setting yet it was close to many attractions and things we wanted to do. The hiking trail was a big plus and really appreciated by our Labrador retriever. Wifi worked great and there were lots of cable channels. Our patio was paved which is nice but it is more expensive than standard sites with grass (so we ended up paying for that).
By far the worst thing about this park is the price. If you come here in the summer and use all the amenities then maybe we could see paying $100/night. But we really just wanted a place to park and hook-up the RV since we spent very little time there during the day. The only amenity we were even slightly interested in was the heated indoor swimming pool.
The surrounding area boasts lots of activities from exploring the natural wonders to wineries and museums. The region is known for its waterfalls including the popular Watkins Glen Gorge that has 19 waterfalls and many more in the surrounding area. Watkins Glen sits at the southern end of Seneca Lake and offers many opportunities to get out on the water for sight-seeing and a diner cruise. Close by are 40 some wineries and breweries that draw many visitors. A 30-minute drive south will put you in the town of Corning home to the spectacular Corning Museum of Glass and the Rockwell Art Museum. Watkins Glen Speedway hosts major motor racing events including the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Click here for a link to our blog post about what we did
Worth it for the Gorge hike alone - approx 1 1/2 mile hike down the gorge complete with 19 waterfalls, some of which you pass behind. Hike itself isn't too strenuous, with the exception of the final ascent, which is called, aptly, Jacob's Ladder - 180 or so steps up to the end of the trail, it will get your heartrate going! Do wear at the very least good sneakers, your feet will get wet.
As far as the campground goes, sites are level, if somewhat rocky. I thought they were maybe a bit on the smallish side,, but maybe that was just my site (site 70). Some sites seemed tough to back into, due to lack of maneuverability. Bathrooms - showers were clean. Olympic size pool and restaurant on premises.
The campground entrance is about 1/2 mile up a hill around the corner from the park entrance. I imagine MANY campers, like I did, pull their rigs into that parking lot wondering where the heck the campground is, getting out & going into the office to ask, only to be told where to go - maybe there should be a more visible sign in that lot telling campers where to go.
A peaceful car-camping campground. There seemed to be foliage between each campsite which created some level of privacy for campers. The bathrooms in the 600 loop were nice and clean.
You can see a photo of each campsite here: https://www.campadk.com/campsitephotos/campgrounds/Letchworth/site/629
Our campsite (629) was fine, but there was an electrical box and a standing dead tree in the middle of our site. I would probably try for a different site next time.
Letchworth Park was beautiful. We did trail #1 and went to the Harvey Swimming Pool (10 minutes away from the campground) - it was great!
Great place to stay to visit Watkins Glen and the Gorge. Very clean grounds and bathhouse. Mostly adult crowd on Wednesday and Thursday evening. Very quiet. If you want to hike, stay in Onondoga Village loop. A trail down into the gorge is across from the bathhouse.
I spent 2 nights here with my teen daughter and 2 little dogs in July. Everyone should visit here at some point it really is the Grand Canyon of the East. It is a well run camp site, no cell service but well-stocked camp store. We booked a last min site in front of a bathroom/shower but it was still very sizeable and quiet. Camp staff cleaned facilities regularly, we not in an updated loop but still found the showers hot clean pleasant. lf you want to check your messages you have to drive to one of the entrances or by the pool, the staff will tell you where you can get service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Alfred Station, NY?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Alfred Station, NY is Letchworth State Park Campground with a 4.6-star rating from 76 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 30 glamping camping locations near Alfred Station, NY, with real photos and reviews from campers.
