Best Campgrounds near Clayton, NY

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.

We came to this campground after a week in Algonquin Provincial park in Canada and the contrast couldn't have been greater. Up north we stayed on a large, shady site in a radio free loop and everyone had canoes. In New York we had a cramped, open site and everyone seemed to have a motorboat on a trailer. Our neighbors across the road set up a movie screen . The overall feel was NOT "getting away from it all".
The facilities are good and there's a nice beach and well stocked General store, also a big boat ramp facility with some docks.
We chose this location because we were attending the Antique Boat Show in Clayton, 13 miles away, and this was the closest available. It suited us just fine for that.
Keep your stuff secure, there are brazen raccoons.

A great park on Sandy Pond and Lake Ontario.  Mostly Permanent sites with 6 transient sites overlooking the marina.  The park has a nice pool, pavilion, store and kids playground with a basketball court.  Great area for fishing, bass, trout, salmon and walleye.  Very clean and well maintained park.

Unfortunately when we arrived at southwick the rangers & staff had all gone home so we were unable to get a map or check in. We went to our camp site & there were people playing very loud music until about 12am, no rangers around the say anything about quiet hours so I had to. Sites are on top of eachother & there’s no boarders inbetween, fine for some people but not for me. After it rained one night our site & others around us were completely flooded. The beach area & bathhouses we’re nice though so that helped the stay not be a complete wash

This campground is 4 different loops- A loop is like the loop for people here for fishing, B loop is the mellower crowd, and C and D were our nightmares: mass chaos, children running amok, loud groups, no thanks. Apparently C and D are always booked and full, because people like that it’s closest to the beach trail, the playground, and the camp store. We chose a site in loop B and were happy with our choice. None of the sites at the campground have any privacy from your neighbor, you’re all sort of camped in a big circle. Sites 66 and 67 are the exception that we saw, they’re off together to the side and would be a good choice for two groups camping together. 

There are dumpsters here, and there’s recycling for redeemable bottles and cans only, with proceeds going to the campground’s rec center. That was the most recycling I’ve seen offered at a NY state park campground yet, at least it’s something. 

All sites are electric, some are 30 and some are 50amp. There’s a nice new dump station with several dumps and potable water. Good cell reception for both Verizon and ATT. NY State campgrounds require proof of rabies vaccinations for your dogs.

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!

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

Great view. Nice windy not too much tho. Quiet camp ground, sites a little close

Beautiful campground. The ladies at the check in point were very nice and helpful! Bathrooms were clean (no hot water). Just didn't expect the plots to be so small with no privacy. Thought we chose a plot in an area with tents only, but there was a massive camper right beside us with noisy people. I would go back again if I could pick a site that had the neighboring ones not reserved, to get a little more privacy.

This is my second time camping at this location and I’ve enjoyed it so much. Not very well know and really quite however the training range can be a little loud at times.

Ashley here with The Dyrt! We're so excited to have Julian's property on our platform. This property is rural and beautiful. There is solar power to provide you with your electrical needs. 15 miles from Whetstone Gulf State Park! Give them a try and leave a review!

We had to contend with a day and a half of rain out of 3 days. Small guiet park, sites are large not all sites have the same electric, there 2- 50 amp,, some 30 amps and some 15 Amp. We will go back, staff friendly and helpful.

Lovely location directly on Lake Ontario. Nice little 9 hole golf course 5 minutes away. State park the same. We had large shaded FHU pull thru site with 50 amps, excellent water pressure

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.

We camp with a big rig(40ft) we prefer the heron loop they are very spacious. Nice bathrooms, a small park near the cabins and heron loop, a huge park near the beach and store. They have a beautiful nature center with a lot of kids activities. A ton of trails, they do have full hookup in another loop. By far a beautiful campground and views

We always camp in the plateau across the road from the main park area-sites are huge, clean bathrooms and a nice park right in the circle. The beach is nice but can get crowded. This is our kids favorite campground

This place is top notch. A large park with diverse types of camping. Many tent-suitable sites right on the river are highly coveted so you have to book way in advance. Lots of dry-camping RV sites are easier to book. The full hook-up RV sites are also very difficult to book, but if you score one, it will be a dream experience. Facilities are very well maintained. There’s lots to do…. a swimming beach, boat launches, a Nature Center, hiking trails, and an ADA kayak launch on Eel Bay. Only fifteen minutes to the charming community of Thousand Island Park.

I grew up going to this place with my family so besides it being nostalgic it is absolutely beautiful. The grounds are really taken care of and all the sites are at par. The place offers countless opportunities for just about any activity you could think of. The landscape is gorgeous and just extremely peaceful.

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.

Campsite is very clean and peaceful. Bugs are a minimum. Bathrooms are great- showers with nice and hot water. Down sides- lake front campsites are all on a slope- minimum flat space. Also- depending on day- EXTREMELY VERY WINDY AND COLD! But the view is beautiful.

We arrived at Long Point to find out that the site is very wet. Gave us option on that site or 2 others. Took a different site and buried our class c up to rear axel, could not stay here 3 days later and still no refund from Reserve America. We wish there was some way to notify us before we drove 3 hours to get there @ $5.00 a gallon.