Best Tent Camping near Big Indian, NY

Searching for the best camping near Big Indian, NY? Aside from great camping spots, you'll find hiking and many more outdoor experiences. Thinking of traveling with kids? You're in luck—Big Indian is surrounded by family-friendly activities. Ready to plan your adventure? Check out our campgrounds near Big Indian and user-submitted reviews.

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Best Tent Sites Near Big Indian, New York (42)

    1. Giant Ledge Primitive Camp

    6 Reviews
    Big Indian, NY
    4 miles

    "Get tracking poles if you don't already have some. Very helpful here.

    This was one of my favorite weekend backpacking trips."

    "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."

    2. Alder lake

    7 Reviews
    Margaretville, NY
    13 miles
    Website
    +1 (845) 256-3076

    "We arrived here early afternoon, which ended up being perfect timing as we could set up everything and catch sunset by the fire."

    "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."

    3. The Peekamoose Valley

    6 Reviews
    Claryville, NY
    13 miles
    Website
    +1 (845) 256-3076

    "Quiet, next to a lightly trafficked road. There was a port a potty. Campsites in middle field are just clearings with fire pits and nothing else. Soft ground for staking a tent. Very few bugs."

    "This was a good campground for a base point for hiking around the peekamoose area. I stayed in the middle field campground site #6 (which is the worst spot on that field)."

    4. Upper Esopus Creekside Camp

    1 Review
    Big Indian, NY
    3 miles
    +1 (917) 577-8780

    $135 / night

    5. Slide Mountain Wilderness Roadside Campsite

    1 Review
    Big Indian, NY
    7 miles
    Website
    +1 (845) 256-3000

    "There are two primitive campsites at this location. The small parking area can accommodate several cars. One site is to the left, one to the right."

    6. Echo Lake

    2 Reviews
    Woodstock, NY
    18 miles
    Website
    +1 (607) 652-7365

    "This campground was my first backpacking trip and it was perfect! "

    "Lake is surrounded by hills and there is a small lean two with a few campfire spots."

    7. Big Indian Wilderness Special Spot

    Be the first to review!
    Big Indian, NY
    1 mile
    +1 (203) 273-0331

    $75 / night

    9. Samuel F. Pryor III Shawangunk Gateway Campground

    8 Reviews
    Accord, NY
    27 miles
    Website
    +1 (303) 951-4571

    "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"

    "This is a very nice modern campground with great access to amazing hiking and climbing in the area! About half the sites are walk-in and half the sites are drive-up."

    10. Peekamoose Blue Hole Campground

    Be the first to review!
    Claryville, NY
    13 miles
    +1 (845) 256-3076

    $3 / night

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Tent Camping Reviews near Big Indian, NY

507 Reviews of 42 Big Indian Campgrounds


  • KThe Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 9, 2021

    Echo Lake

    Lovely Camping in the Catskills

    This campground was my first backpacking trip and it was perfect!  There are tent sites around the whole lake with fire pits and 1 lean-to site at the end of the trail when you first arrive at the lake.  The sites are relatively flat and well shaded with trees.  Note, it can get swampy near the edge of the lake so you may want to bring bug spray.  Make sure you practice leave no trace principles and pack out what you bring in!  It does get a little crowded later in the day so you may have to share space with others and it can be a little noisy at night.

  • K
    May. 27, 2021

    Samuel F. Pryor III Shawangunk Gateway Campground

    Awesome location!

    Shawangunk was SUCH a nice place to stay. So many good things - though a few things to keep in mind when you're booking, too. 

    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 like the star sites, because they're up and away a little bit more than 10-15.

    Here goes:

    The Good:

    • The nicest, most level tent site you'll ever find. So easy to set up, and no worries whatsoever about roots or rocks.
    • Bathrooms and wash area, water access, etc. are all very easily accessible from any campsite
    • Nice new picnic benches
    • Gorgeous area - especially in the walk-in sites (i.e., not car accessible), where you're a little separated from the pavement
    • Holy crap is this the perfect location for exploring the Gunks, Mohonk Preserve, etc. You couldn't be more central to everything that's going on around it.
    • Phenomenal access to a trash can. It's very central and made throwing out dog poop really, really simple.

    The just okay:

    • Campsites are pretty close to a road. It's not particularly busy, but the speed limit is 55 so you do get some pretty decent whooshing sounds while you're trying to sleep.
    • The tent site is literally the only flat part of most campsites. Even our picnic table at site 13 was slightly tilted. Not an issue, really, but it was noticeable.
    • With all the heavy bear traffic signs that were up, I was surprised to see how close bear boxes were to our tents. They seemed to be 1-10 feet away from tents in each campsite. 
    • Take with a slight grain of salt my recommendation of sites 8-15 - 8 & 9 are up a little higher and might be better, but 11-15 are within 50 feet of a wet area, and the bugs in late May were pretty annoying. I'm guessing other sites would have been better, and our hikes were almost bug-less.
    • Campsites are CLOSE together. I was relieved to be in a site we had to walk to, because having the car right there combined with other tents would have been a little claustrophobic. 

    Overall we really did love staying here. It was pretty empty and we were able to have two cars in the parking spots (usually you can only have one in the assigned spot) without putting anyone out. It was full of friendly people and my dog had an awesome time romping through the leaves and people watching. Definitely recommend this site if you're hiking or climbing in the area!

  • KThe Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 6, 2025

    Alander Trail Camground — Mount Washington State Forest

    Amazing Dispersed Camping

    Absolutely love this spot and highly recommend if you’re looking for a super private, true primitive camping experience. You have to park at the entrance and hike in about 1.5-2 miles with everything on your back to get to the spots. Once you get there, theres quite a few sites to choose from and each offer quite a bit or privacy. It’s completely free and it usually isn’t too busy since most people don’t like having to carry all their stuff in that far. You will be in the heart of the forest/woods so definitely make sure to be prepared. We had some scares with coyotes and bears in the past but never anything crazy. They give you a semi-flat area for a tent, a fire pit and grill rack, one picnic table, and a bear box you would be sharing with other campers nearby

  • Eugene  T.
    Aug. 15, 2019

    Jellystone Park Gardiner

    Great for beginners

    The camp is set up in a “blank slate, parking lot” type style, with a big field, center for tent camping or to be used for sports or other activities. There’s a “lazy river” at one side and a small RV village on the other, and tent sites with water or dry tent camping. Restrooms are available with hot and cold running water, showers and toilets.

  • Katherine P.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 1, 2020

    Rudd Pond Area — Taconic State Park

    A Cozy Spot

    We stayed here in August 2020.

    This is a really interesting campground that's situated on a hill overlooking Rudd Pond in Taconic State Park.  Almost all of the sites have platforms to pitch your tent on, although there are a couple of flatter spots without platforms (although they still have a slope.)

    There's space near the platform that is flat-ish with a picnic and a fire pit.  Some of these are better than others, ours was not that flat, but we made it work. You get a pretty decent view of Rudd Pond, and the sunsets are pretty. There is also a trailhead at the end of the campground that connects to the other trails in Taconic State Park. There's a swimming beach and during non-covid times, boat rentals.

    The campsites are pretty close together, so if the campground is full, you are rather close to your neighbors. It was close to half full when we were there, and it still felt like a fairly noisy campground, even after quiet hours. 

    My one complaint in these covid times is that compared to the NY-DEC campground we stayed at, I felt that the safety measures were less adhered to here. They had signs asking people to wear masks in the bathroom building, but far fewer people were. I also didn't see the staff do any cleaning of the restrooms while we were there - the paper towels ran out at one point and I had to flag the staff down to get them to go take care of that.  

    Still, I thought it was a really cute place to stay, and I think we would stay here again.

  • Amanda S.
    Jul. 17, 2018

    Copake Falls Area — Taconic State Park

    Great price

    This is basic dry camping it is fun but there is no electric or water at the sites o LU in the bathhouse. So if you get a site close the the bathhouse you will have water close by and electricity close. Otherwise it’s dry camping.. the platform sites are great it makes it real easy to set up a tent because of the platform that the tent goes on and the lake is ok. The kids don’t like swimming with fish so we didn’t spend much time at the lake

  • W L.
    Feb. 9, 2022

    Little Pond Campground

    A Park with Tent Camping Options, Great Hiking Trails

    Had a great summer camping weekend at Little Pond.

    Pros:

    - Near wonderful, little-used hiking trails - challenging ones, too!

    - Close to Catskill town options to explore, e.g. Livingston Manor

    - picnic table and room to park at your site

    - there is a dump station and recycling center.

    - Clean bathrooms and shower facilities

    - Nice tent sites with well-maintained fire pits (have rack for grilling over coals, very large fire pits, sturdy)

    - payphone near entrance/park ranger's office

    - firewood for sale at ranger's office

    -wildlife: hummingbirds on the path around Little Pond, frogs, deer, birds

    - foraging: plaintain, raspberries near camp, blueberries and huckleberries on hike

    - views on hike

    - ruins on hike

    Cons

    - no cell service, however, if you hike to a mountain top can have fun joking with those you call about that's what it took to be able to get a signal and be in touch with them :-)

    - weekend around the lake is more like a park with day-trippers, as opposed to serene wilderness/lakeside camping. 

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    There was a high school group (on Satuday?) there that made it feel more like a family/public place than a wilderness getaway. The hiking, however, more than made up for it. The trail we took to get to the top and, at last, have cell phone service and AWESOME views more than made up for that.

    The Park Rangers were helpful and unobtrusive. They drove their carts around periodically but not like they were hovering in any one spot or making trouble for anyone. 

    We like visiting the nearby towns and breweries. It was a wondrful weekend. They have some tent sites right on the lake for hike-ins. If you drive, you have to carry all your stuff for awhile before you get to yourcamp site. However, these are right on the lake in supreme spots, even with "old school" outhouses a stone's throw away.

    I recommend Little Pond for a weekend. If you stay longer, be sure to check  out the surrounding area. We stayed at campsite 2, which was ok, but not on the lake. Go for a site on the lake, even if you have to carry your stuff to set up, it was breathtaking in the morning to see the mist rising off the lake.

    From the park: 

    Campground Phone:(845) 439-5480 Regional Office Phone:(607) 652-2032 Make Your Camping Reservation: ReserveAmerica

    Little Pond is a quiet picturesque campground located in the Catskill Forest Preserve which offers a leisurely hiking trail around a 13-acre pond, and the opportunity to venture along trails leading to the ruins of an old farm or enjoy breathtaking views atop the Touchmenot Mountains.

    The campgrounds, beach, boat rental, and Junior Naturalist Program offers fun for all ages; and for the primitive camper, we offer remote sites on the back side of the pond. Little Pond is located minutes from Beaverkill, a world renowned fly fishing stream. Amenities = 67 tent and trailer sites; 8"remote" tent sites; picnic area with tables, grills, or fireplaces; pavilion rental; playground; volleyball; horseshoes; soccer; basketball; ice sales; firewood sales; flush toilets; hot showers; trailer dump station; recycling center; sand beach; boat launch; rowboat, paddle boat, kayak and canoe rentals.

    The campground offers accessible campsites with a mile long trail around the pond. A newly constructed ADA fishing platform is at the end of the trail near the day use area. There is also a new ADA path to the beach. Full listing of DEC's Accessible Recreation Destinations. Campsite Restoration Project This campground has sites that have been selected for restoration. While undergoing restoration the chosen sites will be closed. For the list of sites and more information on the project visit the Campsite Restoration Project page. People using the accessible trail at Little Pond Featured Activities boating Boating No motor boats allowed. Rowboats and canoes allowed. Rowboat, paddle boat, kayak and canoe rentals available. fishing Fishing A variety of pan fish.

    The Beaverkill, renowned fly fishing stream, is with minutes from the campground. The Pepacton Reservoir is also close by. A special permit is needed to fish in this reservoir and can be obtained from the city of New York Board of Water Supply. Record sized brown trout and smallmouth bass have been caught in the reservoir. Fishing licenses are no longer being sold at any of our campground facilities, but can be conveniently purchased on-line or by phone.

    Hiking Trailheads for both the campground trail and Little Pond trail are located within the campground. These trails connect the campground to the 33 miles of foot trails located on the 27,000+ acre Delaware Wild Forest, which boarders the campground to the north. swimming

    Wildlife to Watch: White-tailed deer Wild turkeys Bald eagles Bears Coyotes Foxes

    Historic Interest: The campground was constructed between 1965 and 1968. It opened for camping in 1968 with 67 sites; the picnic area and the beach in 1968. The 8 remote sites were added at a later date. The shower house was constructed in 1984. In celebration of the 100th year anniversary of the Forest Preserve in July 1985, a time capsule was buried in the campground. This capsule, containing the names of the persons camping in the campground at that time, was entombed in the base of a stone monument located in front of the facility supervisor's office. The capsule is scheduled to be opened on the 200th anniversary of the Forest Preserve.

  • Mollie R.
    Aug. 22, 2018

    Samuel F. Pryor III Shawangunk Gateway Campground

    Simple, modern camping!

    This is a very nice modern campground with great access to amazing hiking and climbing in the area! About half the sites are walk-in and half the sites are drive-up.

    Pros:

    • Communal fire pit and supplied wood
    • Covered communal pavilion with picnic tables, big sinks for washing dishes, and lighting (which shuts off at 9:47PM)
    • Big flat tent bases to set up on
    • A picnic table at each site
    • A "comfort station" for the campsites farther from the main pavilion with bathrooms and big sinks for dish washing
    • No big RVs

    Very minor cons:

    • $3 for a 4 minute shower
    • One parking space per site
    • The music from a party at the neighboring property was audible, but not super loud on a Saturday night (earplugs did the trick) - this wasn't an issue on the Friday or Sunday night I stayed
    • We were assigned our reserved site rather than choosing it
    • A bit expensive without the AAC or Mohonk membership
  • B
    Aug. 30, 2022

    Woodland Valley Campground — DEC

    Catskill Camping

    Wonderful campsite 11 right next to the stream. unfortunately no hot water for my 3 days there.. mens bathroom sink near entrance was not working.. closet spigot working was near campsite 27. No firewood sold at campground at this time. NO cell phone service.. most campsite are very close together so not much privacy. Dead end road so virtually no road traffic at all. Most campsites are rocks and dirt. No fire ban 8/2022 at this time. Its about a 30 min ride to Phoenicia. Bathrooms clean. Very close to hiking trails- Slide mountain trail and giant ledge right next door


Guide to Big Indian

Tent camping near Big Indian, New York, offers a variety of scenic locations perfect for outdoor enthusiasts looking to immerse themselves in nature.

Tent campers appreciate these amenities

  • Alder Lake provides picnic tables and allows campfires, making it a cozy spot for gatherings under the stars.
  • Giant Ledge Primitive Camp features a stunning view for sunrise and sunset, enhancing the camping experience with breathtaking scenery.
  • The Peekamoose Valley offers access to toilets and allows campfires, ensuring a comfortable stay while enjoying the great outdoors.

Local attractions for outdoor adventures

Tent campers should check out unique features

  • Rider Hollow Dispersed Camping offers a free camping experience with no reservations required, ideal for spontaneous trips into nature.
  • Pine Tree Heaven provides drinking water and allows campfires, making it a practical choice for campers looking for basic amenities.
  • Stony Rose Farms features farm-to-table meals and extensive trails, allowing campers to enjoy both comfort and adventure during their stay.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Big Indian, NY?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Big Indian, NY is Giant Ledge Primitive Camp with a 4.8-star rating from 6 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Big Indian, NY?

TheDyrt.com has all 42 tent camping locations near Big Indian, NY, with real photos and reviews from campers.