Best Glamping near Athens, NY

My family has been camping at Lake Waramaug for over 20 years. I can say most of what’s been said is true or partially so but whether it’s bad or good depends on your point of view. Note that we are a Scout family and my husband and son have camped many days well off the grid with only the gear and food in their backpacks. That skews our point of view. 

First off, Connecticut’s state campgrounds are not KOA’s. 

Do not expect top of the line activities that private campgrounds have.

What it does have are clean, large sites that are partially wooded and not out in the open. 

The lake is great for kayaking, paddle boarding, canoes and for fishing. Bring your own gear but kayak and canoe rentals are available. The swim area is marginal- best for little ones. 

This park is remote from all conveniences- pack it in or expect a drive. There have been several times I’ve driven to the Dunkin Donuts miles down the road for coffee but I find using a French press is more convenient. For takeout there’s the White Horse on 202. It’s ranked a top restaurant in the state - the food is good. 

Never have we had issues with wildlife besides squirrels and ducks. Leave no trace is important - it keeps the unwelcome wildlife out. 

There have been issues with the bathrooms off and on over the decades. It seems like they’ve finally fixed everything. Our trip of 7/27-28 showed everything was fine.

The only on-site services are firewood and ice sales. The little food shack is out of business. 

Yes, cell service is basically non-existent. Our trip this weekend was the first time we received more than 1 bar in 20 years. Actually we were a bit disappointed because this camp ground is a great place to disconnect and relax. Being forced to put away the devices is heaven in my mind. You can drive about 5+ minutes out and get cell service. Regarding rowdiness, of the 20+ times we’ve camped only twice was it a problem. 

Also, this place is not glamping. The area is rural, so cows do moo at 6am, and kids are up even earlier. If you like to sleep in skip and rent a B&B. 

Also if you want a better place to swim go to Mt.Tom state park about 10 minutes up the road. It’s a day use only park-no camping- but the lake is gorgeous and there are very few people there.

My first visit to New York state was amazing, largely in part due to my campsite at the Woodland Hills campground. I had a back in site and was having problems with my camper, and they were able to change to a pull through at time of check in. However, it was in early May and before the summer crowds. The pond has a fountain which sounds like a small waterfall at night, and wildflowers were in bloom. Very nice bathrooms and showers, and my dog loved the dog park.

The campground has 3 sections, located on different tiers of a hill. The lower level has RV sites, middle has tent sites, and upper has a few yurts. Each level has a bath house (3 toilet stalls and 1 shower in the lower level; it was run-down but clean enough). Outside the entrance station (near the RV sites) is a HUGE power station that emits a hum constantly. Super annoying and an eyesore. You’ll see many vehicles drive-by with boats or ATVs in tow as the state forest also has areas suitable for their use. Accessible from the campground are a few hiking trails. Monument Mountain is a popular hiking spot about 20 minutes away and Bash Bish Falls State Park is about 45 minutes away. Note: Massachusetts does not allow alcohol in their parks.

Treetopia is in a class all by itself! We really enjoyed our 3 night stay at the campground. We went in late September and stayed on one of their deck sites with our Class B (Winnebago). I LOVED sitting out on the deck every morning for my coffee while taking in the fall air. It’s obvious that the campground recently underwent major renovation the bathrooms and showers are out of this world! Best of any campground we’ve ever visited!

I highly recommend the deck sites to people small to moderate sized RVs and for large rigs they have some big sites.

Stayed here for a few days while on a week long trip. The bathroom and bathhouse were a bit run down looking from the outside, but inside they were updated and clean. The left over of hurricane Henri passed through during our stay so we were unable to utilize any of the facilities. During the heavy rains water flowed down the roads ways due to the clay based soil and looked like it pooled up in places near the tent areas. We stayed here in a travel trailer.

Ranger review: GCI at Brookside Campground

CAMPGROUND REVIEW We ended up at this campground because the family we were traveling with needed to accommodate their 50 foot camper. As a rule of thumb- I try to visit as little RV parks as I can, but we were trying to find somewhere that would accommodate both of our needs.

While it is true that this campground does specialize in large groups and is one of the only places in the area that will host a rig as big as my uncles, that was about the only thing it had going for it.

Grounds were dilapidated. It was like they had too much to handle. The lawn was overgrown at our site, the bathrooms were always in need of something... it was just a glorified trailer park.

I will say that the spots were spacious, particularly pertaining to tent sites. However- the brook that the campground is named after is mostly stagnant. So prepare for an abundance of mosquitos!

Another perk is the location. It was really nice to be right near The Catskills. However, I will most definitely be taking advantage of the smaller and quieter campgrounds around.

Would recommend for: people with big rigs. Large groups with children. The sports “complex” and pool actually looked very nice and well maintained. There were kids everywhere.

RANGER REVIEW ON... GCI OUTDOOR CHAIRS

So if you’ve been keeping up with my ranger reviews, you know I am always very pleasantly surprised by the things I’ve gotten the opportunity to test out that I never knew I needed. Camping Chairs were actually on my list of things to acquire this year for our trips, so I was psyched (as usual) when I found out GCI Outdoors would be what I got to check out.

I purchased the “Eazy” chair and the Roadtrip Rocker.

So first, the Eazy chair. It’s a good looking chair that comes packed away in a pouch that slings over your shoulder. It’s pretty heavy, but we happened to be car camping this time around so that wasn’t a big deal. The arm rests are sturdy, the chair is comfortable to sit in.

The Roadtrip rocker I was really excited about. And the thing is pretty awesome. The patented hydrolics is pretty nifty and it’s really neat how it works. I was surprised to find that it packed so easily into its sack, and has a sling so that you can carry it where you need to go.

Grab your own here:

https://www.gcioutdoor.com/camping-chairs/roadtrip-rocker/

Seen my Google review has been hidden so the public eye don’t see it now I’ll be going on all platforms showing what a disappointment the campground is As you can see how the owners of this business respond to any low rating review with aggression& sarcasm. Their favorite line is“thank you for taking the time to respond but if you’re going to tell the story tell the story right”. Worst experience ever and the customer service here is trash just like this location. Bathrooms are barely cleaned and let’s be reminded we are still in a pandemic it should be cleaned frequently. You can tell and feel prejudiced vibes. And to clear up the story the owners were harassing us since yesterday8/8/2021. God forbid we were having a good time. Came to our campsite to shut the music off by 8 mind you quiet time is 11 pm see attachment. Tony came over to let us know we were a bit loud and Melanie came abruptly using profanity in front of the children. We all went to sleep and were uncomfortable in how she spoke to us. This morning she came out of no where and asked when we were leaving. We had reservations till Tuesday8/10/2021. She said we were kicked off and needed us to leave within an hour. We’re a large group with small children. The police understood that and didn’t give us a hard time. We weren’t escorted out. They agreed with us and told us to take are time. I really wish I can upload videos*** Dont recommend this location

Located in the Catskills. This is a family friendly there’s bathrooms/showers playground, pool, potable water and a outdoor pavilion. Located near hiking in the Catskills and 15 mins to Woodstock.

The tent site are very richly and uneven, it was very hard to pitch a tent. When it rains theres a horrible smell across the campground.

@geometry dash lite talk with me It is quite peaceful, spotless, and well worth the money. The showers are hot and have lots of water pressure. The cleanliness of the facilities at the campsite is influenced by the volume of activity.

Labor Day Weekend stay. A lot of people! Very nice beach but packed. Huge parties at the picnic area. If your okey with all that then it was a great time. Cottage was great besides all the bees.

Great beach, 5 minute drive from campgound. Clean facilities, with a rec room for rainy days. A camp store with all the supplies you might have forgotten.

One caveat: beware of site G006. The grill at the fire pit is upside down, so it doesn't hold level above the fire. Impossible to use. I had to MacGuyver it with a large rock and wedge the grill into place, and then level it with a log. We were lucky that I was able to find these things, otherwise we would have been cooking on our single stove that night. Also, this site was downwind, so occasionally was in the cloud of septic stench.

My advice would be to take the sites on the hill, nearest to the bathrooms, as all these sites seemed to be generally very well maintained.

I went there with a friend and her family on Tuesday and it was awesome!

This campground was one of the best I’ve been to. They have both platform and dirt tent sites, all sites come equipped with fire pits. The bathrooms and showers are clean and the water stayed hot until the last weekend of the season (Oct 12-14, 2018) which was when we were there. The campground has a lake with boat rentals. Late night, stargazing over the lake is a great pastime, because the water is calm and the light pollution is low.

The town of Hudson is also close by if you’re looking to get some of the comforts of a town while you’re out and about.

The park is huge with tons of space for picnics, beachgoing and - weirdly - parking. (Someone must've gotten a tasty asphalt contract.)

Unfortunately, all of the campsites are jammed into one quadrant, with very little distance between each. Our site (#17) was quite small and was not clearly marked. It seemed to run into #18. We were told we could spread out into two sites since the adjoining site wasn't taken. (By the way: Site #19 looked to be the best in our neck of the woods.)

The roads to the tent sites are quite rocky and can be difficult to navigate. 

The facilities are a bit warn, but the maintenance staff does a good job of upkeep. Since it was raining during our visit, it was impossible to keep the individual shower/lavatories clean for very long.

Though the camp was mostly filled, noise was not a problem during our stay. 

The lake is quite nice and the swimming area is well-protected.

The sites were fairly close together, and there wasn’t a ton of privacy. G1, however, was separated from the rest by its own little drive. We appreciated the privacy, even if it meant being right on the main road. The 10 pm quiet policy was well followed by everyone. Bathrooms weren’t great, and I wondered why the trash cans didn’t seem bear-proof.

The park itself is nice, with a beautiful lake and beach, as well as trails.

Quiet, clean enough and well worth the price. Showers are hot and there’s great water pressure. The cleanliness of the bathrooms depends on how busy the campground is.

My school friends decided on a camping trip since 1970's. We decided on Lake Taghkanic. Lake Taghkanic State Park was not a long drive from NYC, maybe 2 hours. The campsite was very clean and maintained. We loved the hot showers after a long day of fishing and swimming in the lake. The park offered many activities or just sit around the campsite drinking beers and reminiscing our youth days. We went on weekdays which is not crowded.  Wal-Mart was 25 minutes from the campsite which make making meals lots simpler and refilling our beers. LOL We will repeat.

Big and spacious state park with many camping options. Has options for trailers, tent sites, platforms for tents and even some cabins. Small store in park that sells firewood and ice and a few other things you may need. Big lake with swimming and boating as well as many hiking trails. Bathrooms on site as well as showers. Some sites are close together, but there are a few a little more secluded and set back. Fire pits are great. Can’t wait to camp here again!

This place is very beautiful and rustic at the same time. The employees are all very friendly. Once you get the hang of getting around the area there is so much to do, I can't wait to go back.