Clarence Fahnestock State Park Campground permits pets at all campsites with proper vaccination documentation. The park offers tent and RV camping with electric hookups, picnic tables, and fire rings on sites that remain open from April to December. Jellystone Park Gardiner and Harriman State Park's Beaver Pond Campground also welcome pets with similar amenities plus shower facilities and water hookups. Campers with dogs particularly appreciate Kenneth L Wilson Campground's fenced dog park, which provides a safe space for pets to exercise off-leash. Most campgrounds require pets to remain leashed when outside designated exercise areas, with leashes typically limited to six feet in length. The dog park at Kenneth L Wilson is well-maintained and spacious enough for dogs to run freely.
Hiking trails throughout these pet-friendly campgrounds offer excellent opportunities for exercising dogs, though wildlife encounters require vigilance. Black bears frequent several campgrounds in the region, making proper food storage essential when camping with pets. Campers should never leave pet food outside overnight or unattended. The Catskill region campgrounds provide particularly good options for dogs who enjoy water, with multiple lakes and streams accessible for supervised swimming. Some visitors have experienced issues with aggressive dogs at certain campgrounds, so maintaining control of pets remains important for everyone's safety. Most campgrounds enforce quiet hours that apply to barking dogs as well as human noise, typically beginning around 10 PM.
$17 / night
"With Covid/social distancing requirements, many sites are closed so it’s extra quiet and spread out. I stayed at site 6 with my seven year-old daughter from Tue-Thur."
"When you are camping with a large group of friends and don't all have access to a car, this is the perfect spot."
"We got a red carpet site by the Gaga pit and near the water park (Cindy bear lane) and it was a convenient yet noisy site. Kids were at the playground 8 am or before and the noise woke us up."
"With a new check in area, Gardiner has really stepped up. They expanded the pool area to include another pool plus splash area and water slides."
$17 - $20 / night
"15 dolares la noche para los que viven en el Estado de New York o New York city .. si es fuera del estado son $5 dolares mas!!"
"Drive-in tent campgrounds. Adequate restroom facilities sprinkled amongst tent sites. Some campsites have raised platforms. All sites have picnic tables and fire ring with flip-top grill."
"Small dog park, communal spaces, and a camp store all made the place feel like a little village. They even have a wine store- cab sav was good. WiFi I work remotely and WiFi is always an issue."
"The staff was nice and they were dog friendly!"
$25 - $40 / night
"Love the proximity to NYC - I always look for areas that are not too far, but not too close to NY. Beautiful but small-ish tent sites."
"We are looking forward to stopping by Round Pond again in the near future."
$25 - $30 / night
"We have stayed here multiple times since it’s so close to home. Reservations are needed only for major holidays during camping season; Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day."
"The trails to walk on are perfect to get out of the campsite for a few hours. There are no spots with sewer hookup but they have a dumping area."
"There are absolutely no amenities whatsoever & barely even a signal here, but it’s quiet & off the beaten path. The parking lot only holds about 4-5 cars, 6 if you park real tight."
$17 - $102 / night
"We stayed in lot 109, which was perfect because going through the really faint trail through the trees you can come to a ledge overlooking the Hudson River."
"There are great hiking trails on the Hudson River right outside your campsite. Amenities are the great outdoors and an ancient bath house built during the New Deal in the 1930's."
"I definitely recommend trying to get the walk-in (meaning you can't drive to them) sites (8-15) because they're just a little bit more set back and kind of wonderfully wooded all around. 8 & 9 seemed"
"There are drive-up sites and also walk-in sites. No fire pits at individual campsites, though. Only a group fire pit."
ScoutWe have enjoyed our stay. Nice campground with lots of activities and things to do. However, we picked this place because it has an enclosed dog park. It does have an enclosed dog park but the fence is only 3 feet high. While this might be fine for some dogs, I have 2 young border collies that will jump that fence like it is not even there.
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.
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.
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!
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.
Camping options near Beacon, New York range across elevations between 200-1,000 feet throughout the Hudson Valley region, with most campgrounds open from April through November. The area experiences distinct seasonal changes, with summer temperatures averaging 70-85°F and fall temperatures cooling to 45-65°F. Winter camping is limited to a few year-round facilities due to seasonal closures and below-freezing conditions.
Lakeside activities: At Winding Hills Park, campers can fish in the large lake where "there is a pond when you first turn into the park. The pond also has benches around it but not all the way around." The park prohibits swimming but offers "a nice sized pond at the park to fish which also has benches around it."
Hiking access: Beaver Pond Campground at Harriman State Park provides excellent trail connections including "access to bear mountain pool, or the appalachian trails, and lean tos." One camper noted that "trails in the area are friendly to hikers, bikers, and the non arthritic kneers, as most are rated moderate to challenging."
Apple picking: Fall visitors to the Croton Point Park area can enjoy seasonal activities, with one reviewer mentioning "we came in October to celebrate Halloween in sleepy hollow! This is a great campsite and reasonably priced. Was close to bear mountains state part and the train station is right there!"
Privacy between sites: Many campers appreciate that Clarence Fahnestock State Park Campground offers good separation between campsites. "All sites were so different... The camp areas were secluded if you wanted more private camping (also super unique layouts) but there were plenty if you needed a quick stop over."
Wildlife sightings: The natural setting attracts various animals. At Beaver Pond Campground, visitors should "be aware of bears!" as "welcome to Bear Mountain grumbles the park ranger." One visitor at Mills Norrie State Park Campground noted, "we spent two separate weekends at this campground... During October was, by far, better. The foliage was turned to all hues of orange, yellow, green, and red."
Platform tent sites: Campers appreciate the raised platforms available at several campgrounds. At Beaver Pond Campground — Harriman State Park, "the biggest positive about Beaver Pond is how spread out it was. You definitely feel like you have your own space and are not camping on top of your neighbor. Many of the camping options were on platforms which is especially nice if it recently rained."
Reservation systems vary: While most campgrounds require advance booking, Winding Hills Park operates differently: "Reservations are needed only for major holidays during camping season; Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day. When not going on a holiday it is first come first serve spots... Pull into whichever site you want and at some point the groundskeepers will come to collect your money."
Military-only options: Some campgrounds have specific eligibility requirements. At Round Pond Recreation Area, "unfortunately for me, Round Pond is camping reserved for active and retired military personnel only. We drove through and the whole space is rather large. There are several signs everywhere making it clear that it is only for military."
Off-season limitations: Facilities change seasonally at most campgrounds. At Croton Point Park, "the beach is secured with lifeguards and shower and bathroom facilities are available" during summer, while at Clarence Fahnestock, "the beach is closed after Labor Day to the public, but open to people staying at the campsite."
Campground activities: Jellystone Park Gardiner provides extensive family programming: "This campground is great for kids. It has a event just about every weekend with kid activity." Another visitor noted it "has a lot of activities and has kids of all ages galore. I was worried my 12 year old would be too old for it but he enjoyed making friends there."
Bathroom access: When selecting a site at Winding Hills Park, consider the terrain: "The campgrounds have two bathroom facilities which have showers... Some spots are more secluded than others..and there is a bit of a hill to the bathroom if you pick spots 1-7 and 48/9 I think it was. Something to consider if you have mobility issues."
Playground proximity: Choosing sites near play areas can be convenient but noisy at many pet-friendly camping areas near Beacon. At Winding Hills Park, "we found the sites closer to the Playground side/closer to the bathrooms to be more noisy. Also those sites are closer together which would be good for larger groups."
Site selection matters: At New York City North-Newburgh KOA, RVers recommend specific sites: "if staying here and concerned about branches I'd suggest one of the pull through sites. Specifically 138, 146 and 145 have a nice concrete patio and nicer firepit if you want to spend a little more. Also be cautious of the 'R' and 'S' sites...its just a large gravel parking area with little to no shade."
Hookup differences: The campgrounds near Beacon offer varying levels of utility connections. At Croton Point Park, they have "a mix of w/e (6 sites) and FHU sites plus about a dozen tent sites near a capped dump!" While at Clarence Fahnestock, sites have electric but limited water access, as one camper noted "the park rangers told us the plumbing had been re-done in the past year, so the water fountains and water spigots were in great shape and provided cold, clear water."
Satellite reception: Tree cover affects connectivity at most pet-friendly camping areas near Beacon. One RVer at Winding Hills noted "we had horrible cell service (we have sprint). Could not make calls or use internet at campgrounds or the park but did see others who were using cellphones...so if you have sprint don't plan on making calls."
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dog-friendly campsite near Beacon, NY?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Beacon, NY is Clarence Fahnestock State Park Campground with a 4.2-star rating from 33 reviews.
What is the best site to find dog-friendly camping near Beacon, NY?
TheDyrt.com has all 131 dog-friendly camping locations near Beacon, NY, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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