Best Glamping near DeRuyter, NY

New York State pretty much has abandoned this park. Trees fallen down across the sites. Might be ok for a tent but that’s all.

Taughannock Falls State Park is one of my favorite parks in New York. The camp grounds are excellent, there are TONS of trails nearby, the swimming area of the lake is close, and the water is very clean. The crown jewel of the place is Taughannock Falls, which is a short flat hike to one of the tallest single drop waterfalls on the east coast. It really is quite the sight. There are cool playgrounds for the kids, grills, restrooms, showers, and plenty of activities to do, such as stand up paddle boarding. Taughannock has it going on, and I will be back!

Went for a quick getaway to this little gem of a state park in the finger lakes region of New York. I’ll be coy, and use their slogan ‘Ithaca is Gorges’ and Gorgeous!!! The falls trails were all well defined and excellent for a beginner, moderate hiker. More advanced trails were also offered as well as biking trails, so plenty for any level of adventurer!! Lots of educational posters along the way to keep you informed of what you were seeing and the history about how it was created. The locals were pleasant, and eager to share fun facts about their area. We stayed at the campground in the park. It was cozy, clean, and just right for a little off the grid fun. No electricity or water hook ups available, but nice big public baths and plenty of water access all around the camp ground. (Say one water spot every 3-4 camp sites). There was also a dump station and trash dumpsters easily accessible at the entrance. Can not wait to go back, planning a week long trip next year and will do all three tours, wine, beer, and cheese!! Till next September!! Stay Gorges!!!

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!

Pinecreek is a beautiful park in a great area 10 minutes from downtown Ithica New York and Lake Cayuga. The area has everything you could possibly want or need. Fabulous State Parks with spectacular waterfalls, a farmers market right on the lake front, Cornell University and so much more. That being said it may be the reason the campground doesn't offer any planned activities. They do have a swimming pool and what appears to be a large clubhouse/meeting area that is not or was not used while we were there, nor were any activities publicized. They do have a small arcade but it did not stay open past 8 pm and did not appear to be air-conditioned.

Our campsite was a full hookup with a large grassy area for setting up our outside chairs and picnic table. Although we enjoyed our stay we felt it was a bit overpriced for not having much to offer. They also have a very long list of rules & while they do allow pets there is a list of breed restrictions you need to be aware of before booking a reservation. They also charge for electricity on any stays one week or longer which we had not encountered previously at campgrounds where we have stayed.

Overall we enjoyed our stay but not sure we would stay again.

This is a great example of what a state park should be. It not only preserves a place of unique biological diversity and geologic interest, it is also well set up and well maintained to maximize low impact outdoor recreation and environmental education. A new state of the art regional environmental education center is being built now that will open in spring, as well as new handicapped access kayaking docks that complement Accessible trails and campsites throughout the park. This is a great destination for families, handicapped campers, and natural history enthusiasts. There are several campgrounds, one is large and open and meant for large RVs, others are drive-in forested tent sites or trailer sites with hookups, and several walkin sites. There is also a colony of rustic camper cabins. The campgrounds have brand new restroom facilities and playgrounds, and the main lake has a new beach house. The lake is a fascinating meromictic lake with clear calcium-rich waters that are not only pristine and beautiful to look at, but also great for swimming and snorkeling as the waters are crystal clear and very deep. There are hiking trails, paved bike trails, a nature preserve for bird watching at Round Lake, a golf course, and great kayaking or canoeing. It is also located right next door to the Erie Canal State Park for those who want to hike or bike the historic Erie Canal. Though you might expect a park like this to be in a remote location, it is actually just a short distance east of the suburbs of the Syracuse metro area, so it is an easy park to get to, plus staying there also provides easy access to stores for supplies, or access to local cultural activities or restaurants for those who want that. One of my favorite state parks in New York!

Pick this park has it was going to be my sons first trip camping. It’s a smaller park with a small hiking trail around the lake there is swimming at the lake with lifeguards, only down side was it had just one central bathroom for the whole campground having to wait for shower stalls was a little issue but very hot water even after waiting which was good and depending where your camp site is it’s a bit of a walk to it..

This campsite was beautiful. It was very secluded and in the woods, right next to the lake as well. I enjoyed how spread out this campground is compared to most and the location is beautiful.

We booked this as our first real camping trip with our new trailer, can’t recommend that for everyone lol, but we had a lovely time.

We had a back in site with a fire pit, picnic table, and no hook ups. It was gravel and not super level, but we made it work. There was a potable water spigot a few sites over and a bathroom with showers a short walk away.

This is a great spot for tent camping, so if that’s your vibe this place is perfect. We had a lot of tree cover so we didn’t even need our air conditioning on during an 85 degree day. There are a lot of mosquitoes, but with some bug spray and a couple thermacell mosquito repellents, we were comfortable the whole time. I loved cooking over the fire, the pit had a cinder block wall around it to set a grate on and block the wind. We had a lot of privacy because the campgrounds next to us were empty, but even if there were people nearby there was about 20-30 ft between our site and the next.

The lake is small but calm and great for kayaking. There is a little “beach” there for swimming, but know that it’s a soft lake bottom further out.

We really liked it here and booked another visit in August.

Campground is a maze of campsites through densely wooded forests so it’s pretty private and shady even though it’s full no matter what season we visited. No hookups but that means people have generators, though the campsites are big and you won’t necessarily hear your neighbor running theirs. It’s pretty bustling and everyone spends their time at or along the lake. Nice place though the kids were missing a playground.

We had never been to site before so when we booked, we thought we were next to a bathroom. Turns out you had to walk through woods to get there in the mud. Our entire campsite was flooded so we just set up our tent on my brothers site with them. Ended up being wonderful and the lake was beautiful. Bathrooms were regular campsite bathrooms. Never very clean. Especially because it was wet out.

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.

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

We had a great stay at this park. We enjoyed biking and exploring the lovely blue-green lakes. The swimming area was awesome. We were on the edge of a the large RV section in Pinewoods with premium sites. However, they are all in the bright sun - no shade. It was great having the camp store so close!

I have camped here many times and it is always great. sites good size, Great Lake swimming, fishing.

Our family had a wonderful time at this clean, well-maintained, and beautiful park!! The park was very accessible for my daughter who is in a wheelchair, and VERY kid-friendly!!

Campground just made a lot of new updates to beach, bathrooms and park. A whole new loop was put in of full hook Rv sites which is very rare for a state park.

This is a very nice campground. There are many sites with electric available at every site. There are some sites with full hook-up available and also specific areas that allow pets. Swimming is available at the large beach. You can rent a kayak and enjoy the beautiful lake. There are miles of trails to explore. There is a camp store, laundry room, recreation room, playgrounds and much more.

This park is beautiful and very clean. The water is Crystal clear and very blue, you will think you are in the Caribbean Islands. We visit this park very frequently to rent a boat or to hike the trails.

Have been camping here off & on since I was 12 (1975). Great place for trails, fishing, swimming & plain camping. There are electric & non-electric sites as well as a Cabin Colony. Pet friendly

As a long-time resident of Syracuse, this state park has always been one of my favorites to go to. The lake is the biggest draw, it's crystal blue and impeccably  well maintained. You can take a walk around the lake and then stop at the beach to cool off. Connected to the beach is a food pavilion, grilling up burgers and serving frosty treats.  The campsites are spacious, the bathrooms are clean and well-kept, and the playgrounds are newer models. As a group of four, two adults and two kids under ten, all had a great time.

Our campsite, was directly in front of a small playground so it made it easy to sit in our lawn chair and watch the kids play. The bathroom was only a little farther than the playground and had a sink to wash your dishes in. 

The camp office is located just when you drive in, and everyone was very friendly. A campstore is also a short walk from the campground and has the necessities one may need.

I couldn't complain about anything other than wishing the sun stayed out longer on the trip.

Loved our spot this time. Site 121. On a hill and nice breeze on these hot days.

I’ve stayed here in the pine woods loop 3 times with my family. Some sites are a bit small and some are spacious so look them up on the website. They offer electric only in that loop but have full hookups in an open area. The bathrooms are nice, new and clean. You might find a wait because they don’t have a lot of them. The lakes and beach are beautiful and there’s a nice wide trail that would be good for handicapped people as well. Great opportunities for photo ops. I highly recommend.

Site was very shaded, and probably the most secluded of anywhere else in the loop, since we were on the end. However, we were surrounded by nothing but poison ivy on 3 sides. It was crazy. I’m shocked we didn’t all get it; we were just very careful not to venture out of the cleared area. The playground was in clear view of our site, which was great for our 5-yr-old. As far as campgrounds go, this is probably my least favorite of everywhere I’ve stayed. I’m used to the more secluded, wooded sites in MD state parks, but this was essentially a ring of tightly-packed sites with virtually no separation, with a large field in the middle. Ours was one of the only sites with any kind of shade. It was PACKED, and very noisy. Bath house was centrally located, in the middle of the field. Relatively clean, but not nearly enough to accommodate all campers in the loop. Only two shower stalls, and there was always a line. Campground aside, the park itself was very nice. The lakes were gorgeous, and there were really nice, wide, paved walking trails around them. There was also a sandy beach area for swimming. We were there for a family reunion, so spent most of the time at the picnic shelter, with the exception of a brief walk around the lake. Wish we could have explored the park more. Overall, this is a pretty park, but I wouldn’t camp there again.

We really loved this place and would love to come back.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Beautiful clear blue lakes 

Nice, long trails around both lakes 

Swimming area 

Kayak rentals 

Nature educational building 

Decent sized sites

CONS: 

There are signs all over that you can’t swim in the lake. Only in the designated area. 

Hard to get a kayak to rent at times

NEARBY ATTRACTIONS: Golf course Mini golf

Such a large park with lots of space. Sites with various hookups. The water is breathtaking!! And the beach and property is clean and wonderfully maintained!