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The 6,700-acre Stillwater Reservoir is located in the western Adirondacks, and provides undeveloped, remote camping on both islands and along the shoreline. The Reservoir offers a multitude of recreational possibilities including remote wilderness camping, canoeing, boating, fishing, hunting, snowmobiling, and cross-country skiing. The area receives considerable use during each of the four seasons.
During recent years, popularity of the Stillwater Reservoir has greatly increased. In an effort to alleviate some of the problems and preserve remote camping opportunities, campers are now required to use only designated sites, along the shoreline or to camp at least 150 feet inland from high-water mark. The high-water mark is generally that point where the sand beaches end and the forested or vegetative area begins.
Camping on sand beaches is no longer permitted. Camping within 150 feet of the high-water mark is limited to 46 sites designated and marked by the department. Camping beyond the 150 feet limit, as in past years, is relatively unrestricted. The intention here is to move camper use back from the water's edge to less fragile sites. The only exception is to the north of the Reservoir, which is in the Five Ponds Wilderness, where group sizes are limited to nine people or less.
Camping beyond the 150-foot perimeter remains relatively unrestricted, except for five Ponds Wilderness. That is, persons may use any site or open area for camping, provided it is more than 150 feet from the high-water mark, roads, trails or any other body of water. Furthermore, campers must comply with department regulations governing the use of state lands. These regulations will be posted at the registration booth at the Forest Ranger Headquarters and may also be found on the reverse side of the Interior Use Camping Permit. As the designated sites become filled, users are urged to camp within the Independence River Wild Forest Area on the south.
Campfires are allowed, but only dead and downed fuel may be used. The use of trail stoves is encouraged because of limited supplies of wood.
The Adirondack Mountain Club’s Wilderness Campground offers a variety of primitive camping opportunities. The seasonal washhouse is available during the spring, summer, and fall; this facility has men and women’s washrooms with showers, toilets, and sinks. During the winter months guests are able to use the facilities in the High Peaks Information Center. All food must be stored inside a vehicle to avoid attracting wildlife. Campsites There are 32 campsites located in the Wilderness Campground. Each campsite has a fire pit and picnic table. A limited number of sites are large enough to accommodate a pop-up camper or small trailer. A maximum of 6 people and a maximum of 3 tents are allowed per site. These sites are open year-round. Lean-tos The Wilderness Campground has 16 lean-tos, several are located adjacent to Heart Lake. Lean-tos are a traditional three-sided Adirondack shelter, they offer protection from weather but have the feel of sleeping out in the open. Each lean-to has a fire pit and picnic table. The lean-tos are open year-round. Canvas Cabins There are six canvas cabins in the Wilderness Campground, each sleeps six people in three bunk beds. The canvas cabins have mattresses but no pillows or linens are provided. Each canvas cabin has a fire pit and picnic table. They are open from the weekend prior to Memorial Day through Columbus Day.
$25 - $55 / night
$30 - $40 / night
Scout
Took me five hours to drive there but finally made it. It was nice and peaceful. I will go there again
Scouta 20 mile ride of just woods on a bumpy road. Pretty cool! Surprisingly the place wasn't that populated as I expected it to be. I went to a accessible campsite near the dam so I can pull stuff i needed from my car. The restaurant in the town had great food, the staff were nice, and had two cute dogs!
Traveler
Stayed in a campground for one night just so I could hike Mount Marcy in the morning! It was 40 dollars a night and it has a great hot shower and flush toilet. The area was perfect!
Guide
Tons of free campsites and lean-to everywhere.
Some with picnic tables and fire area.
First arrive type!
I camped while hiking the full CL50 loop.
You can also swim or go fishing!
TravelerThe sites are small, but there are mature trees between them & woodsy areas around the campsites. The campground is clean and well kept. The laundry room and bathrooms were clean. I didn’t have a chance to use the deck or the indoor pool.
The owners made me feel welcome from the minute I arrived. They went above & beyond for me.
The facilities are not wheelchair accessible. The owners said that they are working on that.
TravelerSo far this has been the best campground we have experienced in NY. Cranberry Lake is massive and absolutely gorgeous. The people that work here are very nice and helpful. Try to get a site on the water. Pretty good privacy site to site. The hike up and around Bear Mountain was a good workout and fun experience for our whole family (littlest is 6). We cannot wait to get back there and camp again!
TravelerHaving both camped, and trained with my SAR Unit, on Stillwater Reserve, I must say it's a wonderful place to "get lost" (voluntarily at least)!
Guide
Great campground with spacious campsites. Clean bathrooms, unsure if there were showers. Great beach area for hanging out & water was clean
Ranger
Some of the nicest people we have met yet. Helpful and accommodating. Lots of improvements over the last year they said, and it is really nice and clean! New bathrooms and laundry center.
TravelerMostly Rv sites with full hook-ups and a few cabins nice filclities.
TravelerSolid 10/10 would camp again! We stayed at the Heart Lake Campground for a week and a half utilizing it as our home base for adventures into the High Peaks Wilderness and the greater Adirondack region. We had a very pleasant stay here and personally found the weekdays to be best for “camp days” given there were few people—weekends are PACKED and there were more than a couple of party sites. It did appear that you would be able to drive in without reservation on a weekday and find yourself a site! Specifically, our site was fairly flat and most were like this but there were some that appeared to have a slope if you happened to be car camping. There are two wash houses with showering and bathroom amenities that are cleaned weekly (from what we observed). Multiple water fill stations sprinkled throughout the campground area. This campground is primarily tent centric, however, there are yurts, lean-to’s, and a handful of cabins available (and of course the ADK Loj has rooms). There is Wi-Fi at the Loj and meals are served but we believe these are for Loj guests only.
Guide
The campground itself isn’t great; there is not much in it. The sites have water and electricity; which is certainly a treat in the high peaks, but that’s really all that’s great about the campground itself. However, it is centrally located and is really only 15 minutes from Lake Placid. There isn’t much there but there is a lot around that makes it worth while to stay there.
GuideWas a great camp site very big and had a trail that lead down to the water. This campsite is right down the road from the fire tower trail.
GuideMy wife and I kayaked to Long Island and stayed for a weekend. It was quiet and had the whole island to our self. Would recommend if you want to break away from technology because you get zero service out there
Guide
Overall, the place was beautiful. Very peaceful, lots of privacy, and we loved it. We camped on site 188 for 3 nights and really enjoyed having our own private “beach,” however, we it was extremely boggy! The campground had put down sheets of plywood to help, but still the ground was so soggy that the plywood had eventually “soaked away.” It helped but not much.
Aside from the wetness of the ground it really is a beautiful spot. I’d still camp there but not at 188. Also, the hike in does take some effort, it’s not bad but if you car camp and have pop up or anything heavy it could be difficult for you.
GuideOr site was large enough for two double tents, a hammock, and 2 vehicles. Each site includes a fire ring and picnic table. The office sells firewood. Both bath houses were adequate, even containing shampoo and body wash. Staff was friendly. Some if the sites are rather close to each other, and the proximity to the road was noticeable but my white noise app dealt with that while I slept. Prices were more than fair for what was provided.
GuideI agree with some other reviewers that the proximity to the road does detract a little bit. But at night time when you're sleeping it doesn't seem to be much of a problem, though a white noise app on your phone would help.
My site was large enough for two double tents, a hammock, and if needed, two cars. The nearby bathroom and shower we're basic, but certainly adequate. They even provided soap and shampoo in the showers. I will say the toilet paper was the single ply version. Not a deal breaker, just for your information. I thought the rates were extremely reasonable. The campsites can be on top of each other, but if there is space they didn't seem to have any problem relocating at someone's request as we saw one couple do. I will definitely stay here again.
GuideFirst thing about Cranberry Lake: the staff are wonderful. We arrived when the check in staff had the day off. Not a problem we only needed wood which was available just down the street from the campground. No need, the ranger, who let us know the overworked staff was off, brought it to our site once he had figured out the key. Sweet. Our site was on the uphill slope so we had some road noise due to that. We walked a bit of the campground until we realized it's larger than first assumed. I will say do your homework, check out the site photos which you can easily find online. Get a waterfront site but be aware the privacy isn't great at many sites, at least the ones we saw. There is a shower house which is great but be ready to drive to it, as I said the campground is bigger than expected! Some sites are super close which would be great for groups who may like to visit or it could be a nightmare with loud folks. The lake is beautiful. We weren't set up for it but if you can plan for the sunset view I think it's worth rescheduling your trip for the right site. Brand new sewer dump area for folks who need it.
TravelerThis is a Great Lake for kayaking, clear and calm, lots of nooks and crannies to explore. And if you can get a lakeside site, you can launch from your site, enjoy the beautiful sunsets, watch the ducks...but if you aren’t lucky (or early) enough to get a lake site, forget it. There is one narrow access path in Loop 1. No parking, and no connecting paths between loops. We were in Loop 2, which meant dragging our kayaks across someone else’s site and down the road a bit to get to the launch area. And the sunsets? We had to scope out which site was vacant each night to get a glimpse. The campground needs to designate one campsite per loop for lake access for campers in that loop.
Scout
WE love staying at Rollins Pond in a tent! Our family always meet friendly people and falling asleep to loons is priceless! We always have wildlife at our site. This past trip we had chipmunks, squirrels, ducks, and a crane. The time before, we had a family of loons!
GuideNo noisy neighbors even on a Saturday night. Great cell reception with Verizon; what more do you need. Yes, there is road noise. Trade off for the closeness to ADK trailheads.
TravelerIt’s split into 2 sides. The west side is way cooler, less bugs and more views. The east side is RV/camper heaven.
ScoutVery pleased with this campground over all. Area, location, etc. Summers are beautiful winter are terrible.
ScoutI came here a couple days ago only to realize that all except one campsite needs a boat to be reached. It's first come first serve so best to find another place if you intend to drive up to your campsite. The drive up campsite had an outhouse though so that was nice
Guide
We spent a week here and didn't have a lakeside site, but one of the small ones on the stream. Great place to visit. If you do score a lakeside site, your views will be spectacular! Only downside was the lack of newer showers, but if you're ok with using the old shower building, you'll probably have the place to yourself.
TravelerVery nice campground. Beautiful river views. Very nice staff.
Guide
We pulled in on a Sunday afternoon with no reservations. We wanted 2 nights and had no issue getting a site. Campground was fairly quiet although probably 3/4 or more full. I lost my engagement ring in a walking trail and a week later received a call a ranger found it on the heavily trafficked trail! We planned on camping there again and now we will be back even sooner to pick up my ring!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Cranberry Lake, NY?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Cranberry Lake, NY is Rollins Pond Adirondack Preserve with a 4.6-star rating from 12 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near Cranberry Lake, NY?
TheDyrt.com has all 18 glamping camping locations near Cranberry Lake, NY, with real photos and reviews from campers.
