Best Tent Camping near Caroline, NY

Nice modern-esque camp site with great views of the lake. They have cabins but we tent camped. Tent sites are open. On site they have swimming, boat launch, and (I think) a playground. Lots of other places to hike in the area too, plus attractions like wine trails, breweries, quaint amusement parks.

We have stayed in the 300 Loop and 400 loop on different occasions. These are non-electric tent camping loops, bathrooms are a short walk from spots, if you have kids there is a playground by the more open spots in the inner part of each loop or you can stay in the more secluded outer ring of the loops. We loved these spots and for anyone camping in the Finger Lakes region I would definitely recommend Cayuga Lake State Park. They have cabin and RV spots as well but we prefer tent camping.

Tent camping is $15/ night. You can get in to the park for free between 7 and 10pm though.

I chose this campground because the photos of the pool/splash pad looked fun. It turns out the tent site we had was the most wooded and cozy site we have camped in all year. So much room for tents/hammocks. Trees galore. The tent sites were right behind the athletic field where they did activities the weekend we were there (bounce house). The restrooms were fantastic too, the buildings held two complete rooms with a toilet sink and shower in each. It’s the only shower camping this year my 4yr old wasn’t afraid of because we had the whole room to ourselves.

We went up for a weekend trip. Tent camping. Site was sufficiently private and tucked away, but water/bathrooms/showers were close enough. Very clean facilities! Really enjoyed the kayaking and beach area. The trails were not all that great and provided only minor enjoyment.

Friendly staff, good patrols at night to keep people from being too noisy, tent sites are nice and shaded. Some of the shower houses are better than others. Wonderful hiking at the gorge and it was beautiful.

Picturesque Finger Lakes state park with a day’s worth of hiking trails on site. The campground is wooded and lovely but the tent sites don’t have views of the falls or anything, couldn’t hear water at night. Deer outside the tent, wildflowers through summer, great leaves in fall.

I stay here usually once or twice a year and spend my weekends hiking the various gorge trails nearby. Tent camping is nice here. The sites are good sized, they offer cabins as well. The bathhouses are clean and well lit at night. This is definitely a large family area. Expect to hear your neighbors once and a while.

Tent camping here felt like we were camping in a neighborhood backyard. We could hear so many different families talking and really doing everything you do while camping but the area felt so open and unobstructed voices carried and in the evening when everyone was building campfires the smoke could be overwhelming at times.

Seneca Lake and Taughannock Gorge Trail with waterfall is beautiful. However, swimming in lake is mediocre, and lots of steps on the hike. Only 2 showers in each bathhouse and low-end. Toilets are old and a bit dirty. Tent sites are

spacious and somewhat private. Electric sites are small and close to neighbor.

The tent sites on the west camp were roomy and reasonably private, but there weren't many water locations and no electric on that side of the park. The facilities were about as nice as you can expect at a state run campground. We're already planning to go back next year for more nights.

Been here in all the seasons, each is beautiful. Campgrounds are wooded. Pretty basic facilities, nice though. None of the tent sites have exceptional views but you’re a short walk from the creek/gorges. Reserve ahead of time in summer. Lots of woods, wildlife here and in the many other state parks close by to keep all ages occupied.

Ashley here with The Dyrt. Let's give a warm welcome to your hosts Sheryl & Matt! This is the perfect place to car or tent camp. Enjoy a private fire-pit and dive into Lake Seneca! Only a 4 min drive from Watkins Glenn. This place has it all. Lots of sites to choose from, some even have hammocks! Dog friendly. Check them out and leave them some love!

Camping at Chenango Valley State Park is always a great time. The park is very family friendly. It has numerous hiking and biking trails, two lakes (Lily and Kettle) and a 18-hole golf course for guests to enjoy. The grounds and bathrooms are very well maintained and the sites are level for those RV or tent camping. We enjoy the sites because they’re spacious and woodsy. They make you feel secluded, but are also a short drive from a brewery and the city of binghamton.

One of my favorite parks in the area, this one is on the largest of the Finger Lakes, Cayuga. Visit in the fall for unrivaled scenery (better than New England in my opinion!). Great area for biking, kayaking, swimming, hiking, fishing, plus winery tours. Close to Ithaca, a wonderful "hippie" college town.

Nice State Park campground, clean & good facilities. Mostly tent/camper camping, also cabins (I've only tent camped). Nice large sites and while not super private it is serene (as long as you're not too close to the playground or highway). Shady, usually a bit of a breeze. Accessible sites are really very accessible.

I absolutely love this place! The camp site is nothing to write home about but it's just what we wanted/needed - good price, clean facilities, electric (even when tent camping) and, most important - LOCATION!
We spent a couple of days making our way around the lakes, wining and dining, then came back to our cozy campsite to enjoy a drink by the fire. We had plenty of space and no one bothered us.
We also spend a full day hiking in the park - beautiful! Waterfall after waterfall - amazing stuff! If you have not been here make it a priority!

I have camped CVSP several times in all sorts of capabilities, tent camping, pop-up and hard sided campers. Whether you are looking for a campsite in a forest setting or one with a large open field you can find it. There's is a perfect lake for kayaking for beginner or seasoned, as well as great hiking and mountain biking trails. Keep your eye peeled for the resident bald eagle and think about brining your clubs for a round of golf. The bathhouses are maybe the only negative to our whole experience but with the upgrade coming right now to the swimming area which oncludes better water circulation and a splashpad we will alwaus enjoy our trip here.

Tent camping in the beautiful winding camp ground many shady trees brings you back to nature. We brought our bikes and explored the many hiking and riding trails on the premises. We loved the swimming beach soaking up the sun and cool refreshing water. As fisherman we loved that the rangers told us that the lake was regularly stocked with trout and other game fish. For the boaters there is an ample ramp to launch as well as boat rentals on the marina. Conveniences are provided with many bathrooms and shower facilities throughout the camp ground. For those not to into tenting there are cabins available to keep you safe. We camped in July, but were told that the park is opened for winter activities such as xcountry skiing and snow mobiling. A fun trip for the whole family

This is a gated campground that we stayed at 6/30/19-7/04/19. We are NOT an RV. We own a Napier tent that hooks to our truck so that we can sleep up in the bed. However, due to it being a holiday week, the tent sites were completely booked and they only have 4(which also have water& electric). The tent sites are located in the back of the campground behind the sports field within the trees. I unfortunately didn’t get a chance to see them but they have them pictured on their website. They let us book an RV site and it was rough setting up on a gravel RV site but we understood that we were not within a normal tent element and placed an extra tarp under the tent. The campground is located at the top of some beautiful and scenic driving through farmland in Pennsylvania and you will be 30 minutes from anything like shopping or small town amenities(we drove to Walmart after setting up to get our perishables since we drive up from Virginia). Our site had water and electric, was a drive through spot for a typical RV with a section to the side of the drive through for the fire pit and picnic table. We were located right next to the shower/bathrooms/playground and had some tree coverage and shade. A lot of the RVs in the campground are permanent sites and our neighbors never showed so we had a quiet buffer but it was not a noisy campground. It appeared that they cleaned the bathrooms twice daily and we were impressed with the cleanliness of the bathroom/showers. There were 4 in the building so we never had to wait. The staff were friendly and helpful. They had a store right next to the pool area that offered common items and RV'er might need with a small grocery area as well which included bundles of wood($6 honor system after hours) and Ice($1.78 per bag). We were allowed to run an account which we paid at the end of our stay. Our campsite was required to be paid at check in. The campground is 18 acres with gravel roads, a sports field, fishing, horse shoes, bocce ball, multiple playgrounds, a rec center with some games, claw machines etc. a splash pad and salt water pool. You will be doing a lot of walking or bring your bicycles like we did. They offer scheduled activities for holidays etc and various weekend activities. You can rent non electric boats and they offer catch& release fishing without a PA license in the lake. My son caught 2 sunfish :) They have guidelines for visitors and quiet hours(my cousin came to visit us in the evenings as she lived close by). We enjoyed camping here even if we were on an RV site. We booked site 211 which had the little bit of tree coverage and was located right next to the showers/bathrooms/playground with a quick walk to the lake for fishing. Most of the other available sites in the road ahead of us had no tree coverage but closer to the lake had more trees and shade. OR, just get an actual tent site :) but they are all the way at the back of the campground, furthest from the lake so I actually preferred our site.

We (family of 5) stayed at Watkins Glen State Park 8/12/20 to 8/16/20. We were tent camping in Seneca Village and had an absolutely BEAUTIFUL site. There was a good mix of tent and RV campers. The bathrooms were clean, the showers were nice and warm. Quiet hours are enforced from 10pm to like 7 or 8am. Firewood and ice are available at the ranger station. Each “village” has a playground for the kids in addition to the large playground near the pool at the entrance to the campground. We didn’t use the pool (though it was open) but got plenty of use out of the playgrounds. The nicest playground was in Tuscarora Village. Tuscarora and Seneca had very nice sites. Onondaga felt like the sites were a little closer to each other or closer to the road. I did not explore any of the other villages but most sites are wooded and offer privacy and seclusion. We had an amazing time hiking and exploring the area and can’t wait to go back.