Little Pond Campground welcomes pets at all 67 tent and trailer sites in the Catskill Forest Preserve. Located minutes from the world-renowned Beaverkill fly fishing stream, this quiet campground features a 13-acre pond with walking trails suitable for leashed dogs. Sites vary in size with some offering direct pond access. Campers report the walk-in sites on the north side of the pond provide more privacy for those camping with dogs. The campground enforces strict bear safety policies, requiring proper food storage even with pets present. Alder Lake also accommodates pets with both drive-in and hike-in tent sites available around a peaceful mountain lake. Most sites are equipped with fire pits and some include picnic tables. Rangers check for rabies vaccination documentation for all dogs, so visitors must bring proof of current vaccinations.
Hiking trails connecting to the 33-mile network in the surrounding 27,000-acre Delaware Wild Forest provide excellent exercise opportunities for dogs. The mile-long accessible trail around Little Pond is particularly popular for dog walking, though pets must remain leashed at all times to protect wildlife including white-tailed deer, wild turkeys, and occasionally bears. The campground enforces quiet hours beginning at 10pm, beneficial for preventing excessive barking disturbances. Woodland Valley Campground and Kenneth L. Wilson Campground also permit pets throughout their facilities. The bumpy access road to Alder Lake requires careful driving for those bringing dogs in smaller vehicles, with lower clearance vans potentially struggling on the rutted final approach. Cell service is non-existent throughout most of these campgrounds, making it difficult to contact emergency veterinary services if needed.
$22 / night
"Pros: Near wonderful, little-used hiking trails - challenging ones, too!
- Close to Catskill town options to explore, e.g."
"You can see a picture here of the water just a 10 foot trail away from our campsite. All in all a great trip."
$20 / night
"This campground had easy access to excellent hiking trails. Woodstock, NY was about 30 min away and we enjoyed exploring the area on our non-hiking day. Very dog friendly."
"water to play in right behind tent. I do prefer fire pits over the brick stove. this had the stove. more advanced hiking in walking distance. no cell service. my gps on phone was able to track though."
"There are two campsites located right outside of the park where you can park your car next to your tent but we opted to hike in."
"There are several beautiful, secluded hike-in sites along the lake which I would love to return to someday. The hike around the lake is a lovely, easy walk."
$22 / night
"We had planned on driving to hiking but there was so much to do around the camp site we just walked around and did the hiking near by. The dog park is wonderful. Our dog loved it."
"Only one shower area that was a bit of a trek from our site, a bike would have been nice to get around."
"We took our dog too. Bring a bear bell and bear mace can to be safe. We did not see any but definite signs of them. Get tracking poles if you don't already have some. Very helpful here."
"However the descriptions of this place in reviews here and elsewhere provided very little info and once I got out to the trail realized how different it was to what I expected."
$22 - $44 / night
"Our first campground was in New York Aug 8th. Unfortunately, Debbie was socking New York hard. North South Lake Campground in the Catskills was our camping home."
"Pet friendly. Boat launch. Check out the easy Catskill Mountain house hike (super easy). Only drag is the sites are a bit close together. Bathrooms are super clean. Recycling center super clean"
"A great free spot for dispersed camping tucked right off the road. Had a fire pit and picnic table"
"Short walk to all campsites."
$20 - $40 / night
"This campground was so pleasant, very clean and quiet, I loved how close the river was to our campground, only a few steps away."
"Bathrooms were very cleaned and everybody respected COVID-related social distancing. Would come again!"
$35 - $65 / night
"Right outside downtown Phoenicia the black bear campground is perfectly situated for a multitude of activities. They offer creek front and wooded campsites."
"2 minutes walk to town"
ScoutThe campsite was great. Big and going after Labor Day means there was tons of space. Well priced. We did have neighbors that had a trailer and used their generator early in the morning and late at night. Beside that it was fantastic. We had planned on driving to hiking but there was so much to do around the camp site we just walked around and did the hiking near by. The dog park is wonderful. Our dog loved it.
GuideLots of room in many sites for my 24 ft RV and 30 ft trailer. Big meadow in middle with new full playground set.
Dry camping but water available and a sewer dump. Gotta haul your own trash.
Two ponds to play in and a fenced dog park.
Some nice hiking in the park.
GuideSuch a clean and well maintained campground. Staff were so nice and friendly. Only one shower area that was a bit of a trek from our site, a bike would have been nice to get around. We had to move our tent as we had set it back too far and was not on the site pad and park ranger Brian who was very lovely came and asked us to move it and we had a nice chat. Lovely big dog park. There are some nice little walks and small hikes on the ground with a lake that you can rent kayaks or canoes. Close to Woodstock which is a cute town. Our site was a little exposed but the sites either side of us were closed for restoration thankfully. There are some more secluded and set back sites too though.
LegendWe were on a 5 state East Coast camping trip. Our first campground was in New York Aug 8th. Unfortunately, Debbie was socking New York hard. North South Lake Campground in the Catskills was our camping home. Thursday & Friday it was Neverending rain & wind. Saturday was the nice day.
North South Lake has no electricity. The sites are almost all beautiful, tucked in under shady trees. Not a good way to try out our solar panel! Some are by a stream. A few are by the lake. This is a tent campers paradise. New York tent campers are hard core camping during Tropical Storm Debbie!
There are 7 loops. We were in loop 2. Site 85. There are some sites with an incline down to the site. That might give some rvs trouble. It did for us & I had to be driven out of the campground to call 911. Thank you Mary!! It all ended well & we got a different site.
There are bears that visit the campground & one came one of the nights & visited our camping neighbor's site. They showed us a picture- it was a large black bear.
Generators are allowed for 5 hours & they tell you when you can use them.
The bathrooms/showers are state park clean- which means not very.
There is NO cell service & just forget about WiFi. You are unplugged.
This is a hiking park & for this middle aged overweight flatlander they are pretty strenuous. Kaaterskill Falls is an exception - short, easy trail, but the parking fills up quickly. Then they close it! You'll have to take a shuttle to get in.
The trail to the Mountain House Site is also pretty easy, with more of an incline.
There's 2 nice lakes with beaches.
The Catskills are very scenic& we enjoyed our time there!
ScoutRecently, we camped here for a week. We don’t ever post negative reviews like this. The last day, we experienced a violent attack by a very large and aggressive Pit Bull. The Pit Bull did not have a collar or a leash and was accidently let out of the RV to roam free and unsupervised. It immediately ran to our site(4 sites away) and attacked our dog that was tied at the time. The incident was unprovoked. While trying to save our dog, my wife and I were also attacked. The wounds were serious enough to require emergency transport to a hospital for treatment including stitches. All we could think of was what might have happened if our granddaughter had been playing with our dog.
To put it mildly, their existing pet policy is grossly lacking. They never checked what breed of dog or ask to see documentation of shots when we were registering. Yogi Bear Jellystone Park needs to better manage their pet policy to address aggressive dog breeds and ensure the safety of campers. We camped there for seven days and saw multiple sites have more than one large dog, which in many places we’ve camped at would have been banned due to breed type or size. We have RV’ed extensively across the US and have never seen such careless enforcement of a pet policy regarding aggressive dog breeds. Seriously, think about avoiding this park if you have pets or small children.
TravelerGood for skinny dipping and other fun things! Most acidic lake in New York but completely safe.
GuideThis campground is nestled in the Catskills, New York, with easy access to New Jersey and Connecticut. With large campsites and most surrounded by trees, you will find just the right mix of privacy and community depending upon what you are looking for. Although the showers aren't top notch, they do have them and a great recycling center for all of your garbage. If hiking is what you enjoy, they have nearly 4 miles of trails within the campground and surrounding areas that circle two nearby ponds and their day use area. If you are looking for something offsite, don't miss the Giant Ledge hike, a 30 min drive and about a 3 mile out and back hike to Giant Ledge for amazing views overlooking the entire area. Head out to watch the sunrise one morning with awesome views looking east. When you need a break from cooking, don't miss the nearby Phoenicia Diner for some great breakfast and coffee! All of the Park Rangers are very helpful and will provide recommendations and maps, just ask!
TravelerNorth South lake is one of the larger public camp grounds in New York. The sites are well spaced out. Great for families. The lake is huge.
Avoid holidays to avoid the crowds.
TravelerA bit off the beaten path for a KOA, but nearly sold out in early October nonetheless. Sites range from typical large rig to dispersed tents next to a creek. The tent sites with electric like the one we took used 240v 50A plugs, so we had to borrow a converter plug form the office for our 120v equipment. Only one bath house and it’s a bit dated. Very pet friendly including a dog play pen. Pool looked nice and was still open in early October.
Pet friendly camping near Arkville, New York offers access to the 27,000-acre Delaware Wild Forest with elevations ranging from 1,200 to 3,600 feet. The Catskill Forest Preserve features mixed hardwood forests and hemlock groves that provide natural shade during summer months when temperatures typically reach 75-85°F. Campgrounds in this region maintain strict wildlife protection protocols due to the active bear population throughout the mountains.
Fly fishing access: 20 minute drive from Beaverkill Campground to renowned trout streams. "Known for its covered bridge and trout fishing. Nice quiet camping," notes Tara L. The campground sits directly on the Beaverkill River for convenient casting.
Hiking to Giant Ledge: 3.2 mile round trip with 1,090 feet of elevation gain from Giant Ledge Primitive Camp. "There are campsites but the first campsite was over a mile in. We watched the top of a tree fall through the forest, cool to see but worth being on the lookout as it seemed quite a few trees had tops that were dead or dying," reports Caleb J.
Water activities: Kayak and canoe rentals available at North-South Lake. "This campground is by far my favorite in the Catskills! Their staff is friendly and knowledgeable, bathrooms & beach areas are always clean, & the hiking nearby is fantastic," writes Jessica W.
Cell-free disconnection: Many campgrounds have limited or no cell service. "Cell service is non existent and they have a pay phone near the entrance booth where you can use to make/receive phone calls. It's a 20 min drive back into town to get cell service," notes Giselle P. from Little Pond Campground.
Waterfront camping spots: Sites adjacent to water bodies offer both convenience and scenery. "We had a walk in site and it was fantastic! Right on the water and pretty private. Each walk in site has its own bear box and outhouse," explains Lauren S. Sites along creeks provide natural white noise for sleeping.
Varied site privacy levels: Kenneth L. Wilson Campground offers different privacy options. "We LOVED our site (site 9). It was absolutely massive! The photo doesn't do it justice. It was set back very far from the main road and was an extremely large site! Though it was totally private on one side, we could see our neighbors in site 10 on the other," explains C R.
Bear safety requirements: All food must be secured in vehicles or bear boxes. "The campground does not sell wood, but rangers will direct you to a gas station close by where you can buy some," reports C R. Ranger patrols frequently check campsites for compliance.
Bathroom conditions vary: Maintenance schedules affect facility cleanliness throughout the week. "Our first two days there 3/4 of the bathroom stalls were completely clogged and disgusting. After we told the ranger, 2 were fixed, but the handicapped stall was still left clogged," notes one reviewer.
Campsite spacing considerations: Some campgrounds place sites close together. "My only complaint would be the size of each campsite. Some are larger than others but overall most sites are fairly small and there isn't much privacy between them," explains Luke S. from Beaverkill Campground.
Campground busyness: Woodland Valley Campground provides creek access for children to explore. "If you like to camp by water, this is the perfect place for you. It has amazing on the water sites you can camp at, plus a stunning view of the Catskills. The hikes are just easy enough for anyone in the family," writes Meike W.
Kid-friendly trails: Look for shorter loop trails under 2 miles. "A lot of the hiking nearby is also relatively easy and includes the newly opened (as of 2016) viewing platform for Kaasterskill falls, which is minutes down the road from the campground," notes Jessica W.
Swimming access: Designated swimming areas provide safe recreation options. "I go there almost every year to go swimming with my family and friends and it's always a good time," reports Lizz H. about North-South Lake.
Site access challenges: Road conditions affect RV accessibility. "The bumpy access road requires careful driving for those bringing larger vehicles, with lower clearance vans potentially struggling on the rutted final approach," reports a camper at Alder Lake.
Utility hookups limited: Most campgrounds offer minimal hookups. "Beautiful weekend camping at site 58 on Loop C. It's almost completely full that weekend, with a bit of coming and going. Campsites are fairly close together with a variety of levels of privacy," notes Katherine P. at Phoenicia Black Bear Campground.
RV size restrictions: Many Catskill campgrounds limit vehicle length. "Spent the weekend camping on the pond, at one of the 'hike in sites.' The campground is a beautiful place arranged around a little pond which is controlled by a spillover dam. The regular sites are very nice with gravel for campers and the bathrooms are clean and well maintained," reports Greg C.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Arkville, NY is Little Pond Campground with a 4.2-star rating from 21 reviews.
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