Best Glamping near Carthage, NY

There is TONS of beach to explore at this little State Park in New York. I used to visit here as a kid years ago because my grandparents owned a cottage on the lake. Since they sold it, visiting Southwick is the next best thing. Lake Ontario is an amazing lake to be on and the water is pretty warm in the summer time. the waves don't get too big, so it is very safe for kids. Southwick itself has great camping spots right next to the beach. It is a little pricey if you only want to visit for the day, $8, but you can get a tent spot for $18 which is comparable to other state parks. Showers are available, and there are some short trails that are good for running or probably cross country skiing in the winter. There is also a sizable playground near the beach that is great for the kids.

Delta Lake State Park sits at the foothills of the Adirondack Park, just outside Rome, New York. Pretty and well-kempt, Delta Lake is a nice option for those looking to stay close to home and within proximity to civilization. You can enjoy the great outdoors, while only being a few miles away from a restaurant or grocery store.

The campground isn‘t the best I’ve experienced, a bit on the crowded side-similar to a woodsy suburb- but this could have been distinctive to Loop A where I stayed. I stayed in site 35 and was intermixed with all the campers and RV’s, so it got a bit noisy. Not that restful, secluded experience I typically go for, but I should have planned further in advance.

However, what the park lacked in terms of its campground, it totally made up for in its beach, swimming and picnic areas! This place was awesome for hosting a birthday party for my niece and relaxing at the beach/ day facilities. They have plenty of picnic tables, charcoal grills, a huge beach and locker rooms. This is really a great place to spend a day with your family!

Beaver Camp (or, officially Adirondack Mennonite Camping Assoc.), is a classic summer youth sleep-away camp on Beaver Lake. Sleeping in cabins with bunk beds, swimming, canoes, and a high ropes course, gathering around the campfire to end the day- Beaver Camp has it all.

Weekend and week long programming for youth and families, or site rental of cabins and platform tents is available, as well as day use access to the beach and high ropes course.

This camp is a great way to access a beautiful area in a way customized for your family!

This spot is totally gorgeous, perfectly clean, and quiet. Room for two or three tents, two fire circles and has an outhouse. Great for swimming, kayaking, and a gorgeous place to wake up next to the water.

There are two access points to the water, the more hidden point is where you hike in for camping. A little stream turns under a few footbridges and out to francis lake.

We arrived on July 5th for 5 nights. Our original site was listed at 55’, but there was no way our 43’ camper would fit, nor make the tight turn into it. The owner quickly moved us to another site and we’re happy with the result. I only gave a 3/5 since I reserve 4’s and 5’s for parts with more amenities and larger sites.

Extremely clean, well run and has the most options for all kinds of camping. The grounds are spotless, as are the bathrooms and showers. There are several hosts, so help is always available. The campground is conveniently located near many of the attractions.

Blacktop roads, cement pads, big rig friendly, tiki bar, and a professional, polite, and efficient staff make this a great campground.

Relaxing

Everything about this place is nice. Sites are large and staff is nice. It was great to have two pools and a bar. Things I would change. Make River sites hookup for TT’s, add cable TV, and pave the rest of the campground.

I’ll start by saying Swan Bay is a busy, family-oriented campground. We arrived on a weekend and it was pretty busy but loved it during the week when everybody left and things were quieter. Our site (#38) was a Passport America site so we got a great nightly rate of $42 which is half of the regular nightly rate. Our site was a “standard site” near the pool, boat launch, activities, and Tiki Bar which surprised us because sites close to activities are usually desired and not discounted. Campsite costs depends on whether you get a waterfront (which is $95/night even in the off-season), water view, pull thru, or standard site. Most sites do not have shade but they added a new section that does have some old mature trees and sporadic shade. All the sites are the same in that they have paved parking areas with gravel in front, pavers for a patio and full hook-up. Some of the newer sites now have a bit of shade from trees. There are lots of rental park models and cottages close to the pool and Tiki Bar. Within walking distance is a Price Chopper Grocery, Dollar General, gas station, and wine and liquor store.  

There is a free boat launch and boat slips (not sure if they are free) for guests. I was hoping to spend a bit of time on my paddleboard but soon realized it is very windy here and found very few windows to paddle. Our neighbor (who has camped here seasonally for the last four years) mentioned that he lost three awnings to the wind. So, don’t leave your awning out when you leave your camper and beware of winds if you want to be on the water. Check-in was quick and easy. The park is gated so you get a gate card to enter the park. You also get a BOGO card to use at the Tiki Bar which has specials during the week (like margarita Monday, bucket of beer, bloody Mary’s, etc.). The pool and Tiki Bar were not very busy when we were there. There is a second pool but it was not open yet for the season. In between the pools is a community fire pit with nice Adirondack chairs which is pretty cool. The playground is awesome and huge with lots of cool features for kids to explore. The dog park is very nice and a decent size to throw a ball for your dog. It also has potable water for drinking, which, for some reason, did not work during our stay. There are gobs of activities for kids and adults. Plenty of rentals too – ranging from boats, kayaks, golf carts, etc. 

A couple of the downsides of this park are the price (unless you get a discount like we did), sites don’t have much privacy, the park gets crowded and noisy, and there was lots of noise from the construction work within the park they were doing. If you are in the back of the park, you get some road noise from Route 12 and the refrigerated truck at the neighboring Price Chopper. Overall, we loved this park during the slow season and during the week when there were not kids running around and adults playing loud music and drinking constantly.

We stayed here for a long weekend in June, just after the Summer Solstice. Lets just say it was perfect in every way. Unfortunately we couldn't get over to Canada.

We stayed at Swan Bay Resort in Alexandria Bay, NY, for our last trip this year. Spoiler alert… we had a great stay! 

This is a great park. It’s an easy mile from I-81 and just 10-minutes drive to Alexandria Bay downtown. The staff was great— friendly and helpful. Our waterfront pull-IN site was a level concrete pad and gravel with FHU and everything worked great. Oh, and the best part was our view of the St. Lawrence River with passing ocean liners and lots of migrating birds. 

The park has 2 swimming pools, a tiki bar, a food truck, and nice communal hang-out areas. There’s a marina with pontoon boat rentals. They put on Octoberfest during our stay which featured a live band and food and craft vendors. 

There are plenty of restaurants and stores nearby. Adjacent to the entrance is a self-service car wash with bay large enough for motorhomes. 

I have nothing bad to say about this place and encourage you to visit when you can.

Sites are large level concrete. You can watch ships on the seaway from the front

A big park right on the St Lawrence. Sites are concrete and level. WiFi was ok. Washrooms were clean and adequate. From waterside sites you can see vessels on the seaway. There are a lot of rules!

Staff was very helpful! Clean place. Easy to find as well! Prices were a little more expensive but they do a discount for good sams

Very beautiful area. Pictures don't do it justice! We paralleled Cayuga Lake (which is part of the Finger Lakes) for some time and then took the Great Lakes Seaway Trail. On a day trip, we stopped for lunch in Oswego which is a small, quaint town on the shores of Lake Ontario. We also walked around the waterfront taking in the views.

One of the finest and looks to be expanding! Clean facility clean pool yes pools! And a TIKI BAR!! It’s rated 10/10 for a reason! Come check it out! Don’t bring groceries either! There is a price chopper with in walking distance!

Swan Bay Resort is exactly that. All of there sites are on slabs,neat and clean hook ups. There is riverviews from just about every site which is nice and then there are sites right on the river, the river sites do face west , so you do get beautiful sunsets. Check-in was smooth and the staff was very helpful. There are plenty of bathrooms and washing machines are in all of them. They offer boat, kayak, and paddle board rentals. They have 2 pools and a tiki bar on site. They looked beautiful but they were crowded and nobody was practicing social distancing , and for me we are still in the unknown with covid so we stayed away. No judging at all just a personal preference call. The shop was mostly chatchskis and except for the normal staple items sewer hoses and stuff of that nature. There is a supermarket that is walkable which was nice. Now for the downside and it's only 1 , this place is a bit pricey. What I spent here for 2 nights I could have stayed a week at a KOA, so I did pay for those beautiful river sunsets.

Even in cold rainy weather we had a phenomenal time at Stillwater. Our spot had gorgeous waterfront to it, a stone fire circle where someone had left extra fire wood, and ample trees. The season had had unusually low water all over and it left a really unusual landscape on the beach to explore. We can’t wait to come back!