Best Glamping near Amherst, NY

Not technically in the Finger Lakes but still one of the most beautiful parts of Western New York State. Splurge and eat at the Glen Iris Inn! Great for cycling and hiking but no swimming. I love taking visitors here in all seasons but in autumn it is exceptional. I’ve stayed in a few tent sites and all are wooded and pretty private with your standard basic amenities. This is a popular park so make reservations.

Letchworth State Park is known as the Grand Canyon of the East and is located in Mt. Morris New York. My husband and I visited regularly when we lived near Rochester, NY. The park is stunning and is fit for camping whether you’re in a tent, RV or choosing to rent a gorgeous cabin. There are many walking and hiking trails for adventurers of all types. Make sure you bring your camera as the views are all photo worthy. The camping price is right due to the fact that the park is run by the state. A great place to stay especially in the Summer!!

I went to college right near Letchworth State Park so I spent many wonderful weekends there! There is a reason why they call it the Grand Canyon of the East. Not only can you check out the beautiful waterfalls, but there are also many awesome trails, rivers, and caves to check out. When I would camp, we would rent a camp site with our tent but, you could camp with your RV or even rent a cabin. Ive gone every month of the year, but these pictures were from my birthday in January. Letchworth is one of the best parks in New York state and a definite must see!

The best part of Golden Hill is being right on the shore of Lake Ontario. The Lakeside sites are the best bet as you get an unobstructed view of the incredible sunrise and sunset over the lake. The shade and privacy is nothing to speak of, but the views make up for that. The lighthouse is also worth checking out. There are also Yurts here that can be rented.

In most states, those without falls like Niagara, this state park would be the pride of the land. With three serious drops in as many miles, the Genesse River winds it’s way through what locals call the “Grand Canyon of the East.” Many states try to make such claims, but this might be the closest any come to actually living up to such. It is stunning! 

Along the river this park gives the motorist the distinct feel that she is on a parkway, not unlike Shenendoah, or Blue Ridge. Every few miles the winding pavement breaks out onto a few of the ridges and valley below, before ducking back into the forest of Western New York.

The campground, which is about 15 miles from the major falls area, offers what many come to expect from state parks. There are a wide variety of campsites, all reservable online, which can accommodate lots of different types of camping, large RV’s, small tents, and everything in between. Most, if not all, campsites offer electrical and water is available close by.

The bathrooms are practically luxurious by most camping standards, with single-use restroom/ showers available at all hours. The camp store offered a few grocery items, along with cold drinks, firewood and ice in addition to laundry facilities. Within a short walk were many hiking trails, an old-school fitness path, and a stellar playground where anyone under 9 years of age should get a great workout. 

But let’s be honest, we’re not coming here for the campground, it’s the rest of the park that makes the drive worth it. So, check it out and get to know this stunning place first hand and be sure to bring a picnic basket.

**Ranger Review: Men’s Rebel Stretch Shell Jacket at Letchworth State Park **

CampgroundReview: 

I’ve visited Letchworth State Park, known as the Grand Canyon of the East, in the winter and the summer, but this is the first time in autumn and the first time camping. Although this very large state park is starkly beautiful, the campground is not as nice as other New York state parks we have recently been to. We were in the 600 loop, the farthest from the camp office and closest to the Genesee River (although we could not see it from our site). The sites on the outside of the 600 loop were larger and more private; most of them were pie-shaped and had many trees that provided ample separation. The sites on the inside of the loop were much smaller and less private. The bathrooms were reasonable but dated. The showers did not look very inviting and although I did not use them, I overheard someone comment they were the worst showers they had ever experienced! 

I highly recommend the free tour of the Mt. Morris Dam on the other side of the river from the campground. The tour is interesting and lasts approximately one hour. Offered at 2 pm in the offseason and twice per day during the summer.

It rained almost the entire time we were there, so we didn’t take any long hikes. We did a short hike to the Lower Falls. The footbridge was closed for repairs when we were there. The Middle Falls and Upper Falls can be seen with very short walks. There is also a restaurant in the park which was ok but not fantastic

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Product Review: 

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get to test products. At this campground, we tested the Men’s Rebel Stretch Shell Jacket by Red Ledge. The price of this jacket is much less than many other available brands, so we were interested in checking it out and ordered one for my husband. 

Positives: 

• Affordable price 

• Workmanship appears to be solid and of good quality. 

• Seams are all sealed. Feels comfortable, although the material has a slightly rubbery feel 

• Water beads up very well 

• The waist is adjustable. 

Negatives: 

• The hood adjustment is a bit awkward 
• There are no zippered air vents at the armpits 
• The front Rapid entry zip pockets are designed to protect your cell phone from rain, but it makes it slightly awkward for slipping your hands in. 
• Ordered size large because the sleeve length on the XL would have been too long, but this did not leave a lot of room for layering. 

Bottom line: 

Although it is well made and a good value for the price, it is not as functional as my husband would have liked.

Good size campsites, mostly open. Grassy areas for tents. Fun activities for all ages of children. Clean facilities.

Nice campground with 2 swimming pools, playgrounds, fishing ponds, jump pad. Friendly staff. Few shaded camp sites. We camp from our motorcycles in a tent & appreciate shade & trees for privacy. This was lacking in this campground but proximity to Niagara Falls & other amenities made this campground good for this trip.

My child had a blast. the tent site wasn’t private or fancy but the rest of the facility was great. staff super nice. we arrived in middle of night and paid the next morning. very convenient. the pool is awesome.

Stayed here to easily get back and forth to the NY side and border crossing at the falls. Nice sites and access right to the amusement park located next door. Playgrounds, pool, dog play area, cabins, tent sites and full hook up back ins and pull through sites.

Sites are easy access, rock bed for the sites, you are escorted to site. Easy access to local attractions, including Niagara Falls. Multiple things to do around the local community and on the park. Internet is really good and has been upgraded recently with 2 G and 5G access. Bathrooms are clean and functional. Staff is very polite.

We stayed in site A42 for 10 nights in mid May and it was a great experience. We are full-time, have a 40' Class A motorhome, flat tow a Jeep, have 2 kids, and have 2 dogs. The site itself was wonderful. It was a large pull thru, nice & level and had plenty of comfortable space between it and the neighboring sites. It had a nice concrete patio, beautiful built-in fire ring, and and great solid patio furniture. We didn't even have to bring out any of our outdoor rugs or furniture. 

As for the location, it was ideal! It took maybe 15-20 minutes to get to the falls. There were great eating options in Niagara (15 minutes out) and even right outside of the campground at Adrian's Custard & Beef. There is a grocery on Grand Island as well that takes 5 minutes to get to. Wal-Mart and all other stores you could need are within 15-20 minutes. 

The kids loved it too! There is a nice playground, fishing, bikes to rent, a jump pad, basketball goal, arcade, and a pool for summer. There is also a place next door for go karts, arcade, and mini golf. 

We explored the area quite a bit and this is by far the best campground on the US side to see the falls. Would definitely recommend.

This campground is in a perfect location to go see Niagara Falls. It’s easy to get to and has grocery, restaurants and plenty to do right close. Stay in the front of the campground. The back is close to the interstate and the road noise never stops making it very difficult to sleep with the windows open. They have trikes for rent and they are loads of fun. The sites are both pull through and back in. The have cabins too.

Nice clean campground right off the highway (could hear cars/trucks at night). Wide open and not much trees. Nice pool and stuff for families.

Niagara Falls– Grand Island KOA is a nice park. With it being close in proximity to the Niagara Falls made nice but many turn over of campers making this a busy park. The sites were level and our site had full hook ups. We were in a pull through site towards the back of the park which is closes area of the park to the freeway which during the day lots of road noise but did quiet down at night. This Park offers the KOA normal amenities however they recently upgraded the Main Pool Area and were in the process of installing a new playground structure. Fishing pond and paddle boats. 

Things we did in the area Niagara Falls State Park. There is an activity center within walking distance of the campground that offers Mini-Golf, Go-Karts, and Laser Tag.

KOAs aren't my first choice - I don't use the extra amenities and the tent sites are often pretty out in the open. That said, usually I am happy enough with what I get and can count on almost always get a site last minute. This KOA was terrible -- the tent sites didn't have the standard nice flat KOA tent pad and the only level spots put you inches from the road. No trees, bushes, etc between them (but that's not unusual). Bathrooms (main and family cabins, which were a nice option) were not busy but also not clean at all - no set schedule and we never saw anyone cleaning them while we were there. Next to busy loud highway (not something they can do anything about, just an fyi). at least average KOA niceness for $50/night - the experience fell far short of that.

Arrived in October which is at the end of their season but campground beautifully maintained. Gravel rv sites are maintained.

Good campground with a lot to do. I liked that the rec area had built in games. Not much in the island to do. There is a pizza place across the street. It isn’t great but convenient.

Pros: Full hookup (sewer, water, 50/30 AMP) Level site Wi-Fi Lots of amenities: paddle boats, heated pool, fishing pond (catch & release), cornhole, jumping pillow & pad, horseshoes, basketball court, pickleball, bocce ball, Gaga ball & playground

Cons: Gravel site Picnic table in rough condition No shade Noise from I-190 No working cable TV

We arrived late and our site info was in the night drop so all good. It is right off the roadway so there is some road noise. However it is a heavily populated area and we just needed a layover place to base out of for our quick visit to Niagara falls. We left the RV at the KOA and drove 15-20min to the falls. We timed our visit well the park was pretty empty in mid-October but the weather was still nice. Would recommend this koa for visitors to Niagara.

We experienced an accident right up the road from this KOA. A helpful local towed us to this campground! It was dark and we accidentally had reserved a spot at the wrong KOA. The person on nightshift was So kind and helpful! We spent 3 nights here while the truck was being worked on. While unsure about how long we would be needing to stay the front desk lady was less than accommodating though. It’s a big beautiful campground! Very clean and beautiful grounds. So grateful we got “stuck” here!!!

We rented a simple cabin and had a very nice weekend. The play areas and pool were great for my 9 year old. The bathrooms needed a better cleaning system, the one closest to us got dirty quickly during the weekend so we tried another area and it needed a good cleaning too. Prices were a bit high for basic items like firewood and ice but somewhat expected in a tourist area…Otherwise staff was nice and the cabin was clean and spacious.