Best RV Parks & Resorts near Elka Park, NY

I went here with two of my coworkers for a relaxing weekend getaway. I'm use to the rough and tough it of backpacking the AT Trail so this place had quite a few amenities I am not use to! Haha. We stayed at a platform tent site and were able to park two vehicles on site but the grounds had plenty of parking not too far from the sites. Each of the sites had a large platform (enough room for one very large tent or 2-3 smaller tents), a fire pit, and picnic table. You are very close to your neighbor in this area but when we were there everyone was very respectful. There was potable water a short walking distance away as well as flushing toilets. There was a very large open grassy field for play/sports, a playground and life guarded portion of the lake for swimming. This location was very accesible to the Bish Bash Falls trail and even had a few side trails to explore. This place is very good for easing on first timers and there were quite a few children so those who are parents should consider this a great place to get kids involved in the outdoors as well. There were other accommodations such as RV hook ups, events, and rentals but we weren't there long enough to take adavatage of those. Overall a great experience and relatively cheap for what you get. I believe it was around $30 for two nights which was the minimum.

This is a Thousand trails campground so it was free. I think the regular price is $64. Full hookups, tents and cabins to rent. Pleanty to do in and around campground. Grounds has a pool, concession stand,game room, playgrounds, sports feild and more. Sites are well groomed. We had one and a babbling brook was 30 feet behind us. Great spot for morning coffee. Clean restrooms,showers and laundry. Dump stations if need and a service to come to your rig to collect waste if you don't want to move it. Local shops just minutes from campgrounds. Walmart and other bigger shops just a short drive away! Scenic Willride on 44-55 to Mohonk House and trails. We be going back.

This was my first stay at any TT campground and I wasn't sure what to expect with this campground as the reviews are so mixed. While I don't have other TT campgrounds to compare this to, I do have a lot of experience in state parks and private campgrounds. If you are looking for an RV resort-type place, this isn't it. If you are looking for a CAMPground, this is a wonderful place! The grounds are well-kept and the bathrooms are clean. Th campground itself is pretty quiet, although there is some noise by the playground. Once school is out, I'm sure it will be busier.

The only problem I had was that my Starlink didn't work at the first site (372 - full hookup) but they let me choose another site (435 - no sewer) and I was happy as a clam. Oh yea, the sewer connection in 372 ran uphill for me, but my pipe sits very low.

It took me a while to identify a campground that was convenient for exploring the Hyde Park area, in particular the FDR National Historic Site (20-30 minutes away) and the Walkway over the Hudson, but this campground also offers plenty to keep the whole family occupied. It was Christmas in July while I was there, with decorations and planned activities to accompany it. All these amenities do come at a price. This year the most basic site with water costs $46; add electric on up to sewer and cable tv and you'll pay as much as $60/night.

With that you get free wi-fi, a heated pool, a lake for fishing and boating, a game room and snack bar, movies, other sports, and the security of a gated entrance. That's great if you're a family looking for entertainment for your kids, but I spent so much of my days running around exploring the area that I didn't feel I got my money's worth. Sites are close, some are sunnier than others. I was below the bath house/rec hall, but wasn't disturbed by lights or noise (I was in a tent) except from my next door neighbors.

If you don't need all the amenities, check out state parks in the area, but if you've got kids and want full hook-ups, want a snack bar so you don't always have to cook, I doubt you could beat the offerings here at Interlake RV Park.

I go here if I want amennities. They have full hook-ups for my RV. The staff was nice and they were dog friendly!

I stayed there for 3 weeks for work it was quite priced very reasonably for full hook up and about a half hour from stunning views.

So this campground was a mixed bag for us. We enjoyed the activities, and the site itself was nice, but there were some definite issues. Positives: There are lots of things to do in the park, especially for kids, as many other reviews have discussed. The lots are large and nicely wooded with working full hookups and good water pressure. Negatives: Roads: We have a large 5th wheel RV, and we were assured that it would fit. It did- technically. We were within 2 inches or less of trees on 4 or 5 instances getting in and out of our site, and I had to drive off of the road on several occasions to make it through. We are used to a tight fit in RV parks, but this was over the top. They need to clear some of the roads if they are going to accommodate rigs over 40'. Activity equipment: So although there were tons of activities and playgrounds, unfortunately a lot of the equipment was run down or not working. The arcade only had a few games that actually still worked, and at least 2 of the playgrounds need to be torn down because they are in such bad shape. Permanent campers: It seemed like at least half of the sites were occupied by permanent or semi-permanent residents, as they had structures built around their rigs, lots of decorations, etc. In some cases, it looked like the rigs were owned by people who came in on the weekend, or stayed part-time, and most of those RV's were fine. However, there was a significant number of people who obviously lived in their run-down RV's, and those sites were invariably filled with junk and were poorly kept. Additionally, some of the"permanent" residents rode circuits around the park in their golf carts, and were very unfriendly towards us. Booking site: Online booking is not done through the park's website, instead you are directed to a 3rd party site that requires a separate account and is very difficult to navigate. It contained a few dead links and required the booking party to sign several online forms about campsite rules, but some of the required signature areas didn't actually contain any forms. You were just signing a blank area in the site with no associated info. The site then required some sort of approval process for the booking to be confirmed. I received an email that the approval was partially completed, and then never got anything else. I had to call the site to confirm my reservation went through. I also never received any kind of check-in info prior to arrival. We camped at Rip Van Winkle Campground in a Fifth Wheel.

I’ve yet to have a bad experience at a state park. They are always better maintained and are typically more beautiful and interactive than national park campgrounds and even most RV parks.

The sites are amongst the most spacious I’ve ever seen. RV sites offer 30/50 amp electricity. There are several hiking trails, a bike trail, a really awesome playground, boat dock, and lots of picnicking.

The bathrooms are clean. The showers are large, but they do operate on a push system where you can’t adjust the pressure, temp, or how long the water comes out, so just be aware of that. Lots of water fill ups in the campground. Dump station on the way out. Two different book exchanges. Mostly filled with Danielle Steele, which is not my preference, but maybe someone will spice it up in the future.

ATT and Verizon fluctuate between 1-3 bars. It was enough for me to work - downloading files, sending emails, and conducting non-video zoom calls. At night we were able to stream with just a little buffering needed throughout.

Lots of bunnies, weasels, chipmunks, birds, and butterflies. Plenty of space to walk the dog. Be sure to bring your dogs rabies records!! They don’t let you in with just the tag, it has to be the paper records. We’re full time so not a problem as it’s always with me, but they are very strict on rabies requirements

Definitely recommend.

We found this site on Campendium, we needed a site close to the Lebanon Valley Speedway to watch a friend race. Our site #1A was a quick back in site with full hookups and a perfect view day or night, right on their pond.

This area has a large seasonal population but they are super friendly and it was a pleasure to see the kids (and adults) fishing, paddling on the lake, swimming in the designated area and sitting/playing on the nice beach. Over the weekend they had organized corn hole games and several other ways to get physical and have a blast. They also had a community “Father’s Day” breakfast (fathers ate free!) which was open to all and yummy!

I love this campground, my family and I come every year. Super clean, friendly staff and lots of entertainment. We have seen live music and they have free breakfast events. Lots of activities for the kiddos. I have stayed in every corner of this campground but my favorite sites are the 30’s. Full hookups, back in, lots of trees and really roomy. Lots to do around like New Paltz, Mohonk Preserve, Lake Minnewaska and my favorite hike Bonticou Crag…

Although No cell service site was nice . Was our first shakedown camping trip. Very nice (clean) bathrooms and showers. Private level site surrounded by trees. EZ access to fresh water spigot. Enjoyed our stay, would return.

Rip Van Winkle is a beautiful campground, it’s well run, well maintained, and has a lot to do! I was a little skeptical that we wouldn’t get to choose our site, but you can’t go wrong, they are all wooded, private and well situated. The campground is centrally located you many things to do. Minnewaska state park was gorgeous, and the hikes around Kaaterskill as well. The creek on the property (Plattekill) is great, the pond is fun to fish in, the RC track is great for those who are into it, laundry facilities are efficient, full hookups are the cherry on top. Highly recommend.

Ranger review: GCI at Brookside Campground

CAMPGROUND REVIEW We ended up at this campground because the family we were traveling with needed to accommodate their 50 foot camper. As a rule of thumb- I try to visit as little RV parks as I can, but we were trying to find somewhere that would accommodate both of our needs.

While it is true that this campground does specialize in large groups and is one of the only places in the area that will host a rig as big as my uncles, that was about the only thing it had going for it.

Grounds were dilapidated. It was like they had too much to handle. The lawn was overgrown at our site, the bathrooms were always in need of something... it was just a glorified trailer park.

I will say that the spots were spacious, particularly pertaining to tent sites. However- the brook that the campground is named after is mostly stagnant. So prepare for an abundance of mosquitos!

Another perk is the location. It was really nice to be right near The Catskills. However, I will most definitely be taking advantage of the smaller and quieter campgrounds around.

Would recommend for: people with big rigs. Large groups with children. The sports “complex” and pool actually looked very nice and well maintained. There were kids everywhere.

RANGER REVIEW ON... GCI OUTDOOR CHAIRS

So if you’ve been keeping up with my ranger reviews, you know I am always very pleasantly surprised by the things I’ve gotten the opportunity to test out that I never knew I needed. Camping Chairs were actually on my list of things to acquire this year for our trips, so I was psyched (as usual) when I found out GCI Outdoors would be what I got to check out.

I purchased the “Eazy” chair and the Roadtrip Rocker.

So first, the Eazy chair. It’s a good looking chair that comes packed away in a pouch that slings over your shoulder. It’s pretty heavy, but we happened to be car camping this time around so that wasn’t a big deal. The arm rests are sturdy, the chair is comfortable to sit in.

The Roadtrip rocker I was really excited about. And the thing is pretty awesome. The patented hydrolics is pretty nifty and it’s really neat how it works. I was surprised to find that it packed so easily into its sack, and has a sling so that you can carry it where you need to go.

Grab your own here:

https://www.gcioutdoor.com/camping-chairs/roadtrip-rocker/

Mixed reviews. Pros: State park is in a beautiful part of the country - the Hudson River Valley - with a good location for visiting the towns, villages and hamlets on the valley. State park also has a good hiking trail network with trailheads connecting to the campground. Cons: the campground itself needs some work. There’s only one bath house with just a few showers and toilets. It’s in pretty bad shape - dirty, bad drainage, and sometimes backed up toilets. I found one other restroom house in the park and the doors were boarded up and locked. The campsites are okay - mostly tent sites. Some are better than others. There are only a handful of sites with electric hookups and only one (site 51) is level. Some have a steep descent off the road, abs there’s a lip on the road that can scrape bottom of campers/RVs. This happened to our neighbor and it took out his RV sewer system, which will be not only a hassle but a costly repair. Back to pros: the campground and state park is nicely forested with beautiful tall trees. Everyone we met was very nice. Lots of families having a good time. We stayed here for 9 days in July 2021. Campground is empty during the week, and more crowded on weekends. We would return here if in this area again, but the state park & campground needs some upgrades.