Best Tent Camping near Elka Park, NY

Shawangunk was SUCH a nice place to stay. So many good things - though a few things to keep in mind when you're booking, too. 

I definitely recommend trying to get the walk-in (meaning you can't drive to them) sites (8-15) because they're just a little bit more set back and kind of wonderfully wooded all around. 8 & 9 seemed like the star sites, because they're up and away a little bit more than 10-15.

Here goes:

The Good:

• The nicest, most level tent site you'll ever find. So easy to set up, and no worries whatsoever about roots or rocks.
• Bathrooms and wash area, water access, etc. are all very easily accessible from any campsite
• Nice new picnic benches
• Gorgeous area - especially in the walk-in sites (i.e., not car accessible), where you're a little separated from the pavement
• Holy crap is this the perfect location for exploring the Gunks, Mohonk Preserve, etc. You couldn't be more central to everything that's going on around it.
• Phenomenal access to a trash can. It's very central and made throwing out dog poop really, really simple.

The just okay:

• Campsites are pretty close to a road. It's not particularly busy, but the speed limit is 55 so you do get some pretty decent whooshing sounds while you're trying to sleep.
• The tent site is literally the only flat part of most campsites. Even our picnic table at site 13 was slightly tilted. Not an issue, really, but it was noticeable.
• With all the heavy bear traffic signs that were up, I was surprised to see how close bear boxes were to our tents. They seemed to be 1-10 feet away from tents in each campsite. 
• Take with a slight grain of salt my recommendation of sites 8-15 - 8 & 9 are up a little higher and might be better, but 11-15 are within 50 feet of a wet area, and the bugs in late May were pretty annoying. I'm guessing other sites would have been better, and our hikes were almost bug-less.
• Campsites are CLOSE together. I was relieved to be in a site we had to walk to, because having the car right there combined with other tents would have been a little claustrophobic. 

Overall we really did love staying here. It was pretty empty and we were able to have two cars in the parking spots (usually you can only have one in the assigned spot) without putting anyone out. It was full of friendly people and my dog had an awesome time romping through the leaves and people watching. Definitely recommend this site if you're hiking or climbing in the area!

We stayed here in August 2020.

This is a really interesting campground that's situated on a hill overlooking Rudd Pond in Taconic State Park.  Almost all of the sites have platforms to pitch your tent on, although there are a couple of flatter spots without platforms (although they still have a slope.)

There's space near the platform that is flat-ish with a picnic and a fire pit.  Some of these are better than others, ours was not that flat, but we made it work. You get a pretty decent view of Rudd Pond, and the sunsets are pretty. There is also a trailhead at the end of the campground that connects to the other trails in Taconic State Park. There's a swimming beach and during non-covid times, boat rentals.

The campsites are pretty close together, so if the campground is full, you are rather close to your neighbors. It was close to half full when we were there, and it still felt like a fairly noisy campground, even after quiet hours. 

My one complaint in these covid times is that compared to the NY-DEC campground we stayed at, I felt that the safety measures were less adhered to here. They had signs asking people to wear masks in the bathroom building, but far fewer people were. I also didn't see the staff do any cleaning of the restrooms while we were there - the paper towels ran out at one point and I had to flag the staff down to get them to go take care of that.  

Still, I thought it was a really cute place to stay, and I think we would stay here again.

Had a great summer camping weekend at Little Pond.

Pros:

- Near wonderful, little-used hiking trails - challenging ones, too!

- Close to Catskill town options to explore, e.g. Livingston Manor

- picnic table and room to park at your site

- there is a dump station and recycling center.

- Clean bathrooms and shower facilities

- Nice tent sites with well-maintained fire pits (have rack for grilling over coals, very large fire pits, sturdy)

- payphone near entrance/park ranger's office

- firewood for sale at ranger's office

-wildlife: hummingbirds on the path around Little Pond, frogs, deer, birds

- foraging: plaintain, raspberries near camp, blueberries and huckleberries on hike

- views on hike

- ruins on hike

Cons

- no cell service, however, if you hike to a mountain top can have fun joking with those you call about that's what it took to be able to get a signal and be in touch with them :-)

- weekend around the lake is more like a park with day-trippers, as opposed to serene wilderness/lakeside camping. 

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There was a high school group (on Satuday?) there that made it feel more like a family/public place than a wilderness getaway. The hiking, however, more than made up for it. The trail we took to get to the top and, at last, have cell phone service and AWESOME views more than made up for that.

The Park Rangers were helpful and unobtrusive. They drove their carts around periodically but not like they were hovering in any one spot or making trouble for anyone. 

We like visiting the nearby towns and breweries. It was a wondrful weekend. They have some tent sites right on the lake for hike-ins. If you drive, you have to carry all your stuff for awhile before you get to yourcamp site. However, these are right on the lake in supreme spots, even with "old school" outhouses a stone's throw away.

I recommend Little Pond for a weekend. If you stay longer, be sure to check  out the surrounding area. We stayed at campsite 2, which was ok, but not on the lake. Go for a site on the lake, even if you have to carry your stuff to set up, it was breathtaking in the morning to see the mist rising off the lake.

From the park: 

Campground Phone:(845) 439-5480 Regional Office Phone:(607) 652-2032 Make Your Camping Reservation: ReserveAmerica

Little Pond is a quiet picturesque campground located in the Catskill Forest Preserve which offers a leisurely hiking trail around a 13-acre pond, and the opportunity to venture along trails leading to the ruins of an old farm or enjoy breathtaking views atop the Touchmenot Mountains.

The campgrounds, beach, boat rental, and Junior Naturalist Program offers fun for all ages; and for the primitive camper, we offer remote sites on the back side of the pond. Little Pond is located minutes from Beaverkill, a world renowned fly fishing stream. Amenities = 67 tent and trailer sites; 8"remote" tent sites; picnic area with tables, grills, or fireplaces; pavilion rental; playground; volleyball; horseshoes; soccer; basketball; ice sales; firewood sales; flush toilets; hot showers; trailer dump station; recycling center; sand beach; boat launch; rowboat, paddle boat, kayak and canoe rentals.

The campground offers accessible campsites with a mile long trail around the pond. A newly constructed ADA fishing platform is at the end of the trail near the day use area. There is also a new ADA path to the beach. Full listing of DEC's Accessible Recreation Destinations. Campsite Restoration Project This campground has sites that have been selected for restoration. While undergoing restoration the chosen sites will be closed. For the list of sites and more information on the project visit the Campsite Restoration Project page. People using the accessible trail at Little Pond Featured Activities boating Boating No motor boats allowed. Rowboats and canoes allowed. Rowboat, paddle boat, kayak and canoe rentals available. fishing Fishing A variety of pan fish.

The Beaverkill, renowned fly fishing stream, is with minutes from the campground. The Pepacton Reservoir is also close by. A special permit is needed to fish in this reservoir and can be obtained from the city of New York Board of Water Supply. Record sized brown trout and smallmouth bass have been caught in the reservoir. Fishing licenses are no longer being sold at any of our campground facilities, but can be conveniently purchased on-line or by phone.

Hiking Trailheads for both the campground trail and Little Pond trail are located within the campground. These trails connect the campground to the 33 miles of foot trails located on the 27,000+ acre Delaware Wild Forest, which boarders the campground to the north. swimming

Wildlife to Watch: White-tailed deer Wild turkeys Bald eagles Bears Coyotes Foxes

Historic Interest: The campground was constructed between 1965 and 1968. It opened for camping in 1968 with 67 sites; the picnic area and the beach in 1968. The 8 remote sites were added at a later date. The shower house was constructed in 1984. In celebration of the 100th year anniversary of the Forest Preserve in July 1985, a time capsule was buried in the campground. This capsule, containing the names of the persons camping in the campground at that time, was entombed in the base of a stone monument located in front of the facility supervisor's office. The capsule is scheduled to be opened on the 200th anniversary of the Forest Preserve.

This is a very nice modern campground with great access to amazing hiking and climbing in the area! About half the sites are walk-in and half the sites are drive-up.

Pros:

• Communal fire pit and supplied wood
• Covered communal pavilion with picnic tables, big sinks for washing dishes, and lighting (which shuts off at 9:47PM)
• Big flat tent bases to set up on
• A picnic table at each site
• A "comfort station" for the campsites farther from the main pavilion with bathrooms and big sinks for dish washing
• No big RVs

Very minor cons:

• $3 for a 4 minute shower
• One parking space per site
• The music from a party at the neighboring property was audible, but not super loud on a Saturday night (earplugs did the trick) - this wasn't an issue on the Friday or Sunday night I stayed
• We were assigned our reserved site rather than choosing it
• A bit expensive without the AAC or Mohonk membership

Wonderful campsite 11 right next to the stream. unfortunately no hot water for my 3 days there.. mens bathroom sink near entrance was not working.. closet spigot working was near campsite 27. No firewood sold at campground at this time. NO cell phone service.. most campsite are very close together so not much privacy. Dead end road so virtually no road traffic at all. Most campsites are rocks and dirt. No fire ban 8/2022 at this time. Its about a 30 min ride to Phoenicia. Bathrooms clean. Very close to hiking trails- Slide mountain trail and giant ledge right next door

Campground Review:

The campgrounds are pretty basic, but have everything you need. It is mainly a rock climber campground, so this may not be the best choice if you want a campsite to drink and party at. All of this happens, its just a little earlier in the night! Most go to sleep relatively early with a full day of climbing ahead of them. That being said, the climbing community is pretty friendly and the campgrounds have eliminated fire rings at each site and opted for one, communal fire pit to encourage more social interaction. There is a pavilion near the fire ring with sinks and bathrooms with pay showers. They are kept relatively nice. There is also another "comfort station" with sinks and vault toilets near the other side of the campground. Most of the campsites are drive-up sites, but there are a few hike-in sites(like we stayed in the first night) where the Matador Beast28 Technical, Packable backpack was great for hiking in some clothes and campsite necessities. The second night, we stayed at site 31(drive up) and I recommend that as it is near the comfort station and back enough from the road and other sites that you have some space to yourself.The view of "the trapps" 300 ft cliffs from the campsite is amazing. Please be aware that, although the website says they are open in March, they will not open if there is snow on the ground. We found out the hard way on a previous trip.

This is the closest campground to world renowned rock climbing in "the gunks" and also offers many other outdoor activities including some great hikes and rock scrambles, swimming holes and waterfalls. People travel from all over the world to rock climb here. Most are experienced climbers and go on their own, but there are guide services in town if you're looking to get into the sport. There is also a ton of great hiking. Bonticou crag has a pretty intense rock scramble to a great overlook and hosts some great cross-country skiing trails in the winter. The Mountain House Resort Property(you have to pay) has some great hiking including "the lemon squeeze." The town of New Paltz is only a ten minute drive away and offers some great options for food. Mexicali Blues, Mcgillicuddys, and huckleberry are all very different places to eat in town, but they're all great in their own way.

Pros :

• Near world class hiking, rock climbing, mountain biking, swimming holes and waterfalls
• clean, well maintained
• near New Paltz, NY (food, antiquing, outdoor stores)

Cons :

• No fire pits at campsites
• not open all year

Product Review :

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time - for this trip I tested the Matador Beast28 Technical, Packable backpack. I used this pack for getting gear to and from our hike-in campsite, as a day pack for a short hike, and as a climbing pack for getting my gear to the cliff.

My first impressions were that the pack was well made with solid materials. It also looks great and, although not waterproof, seems like it would hold up to some pretty solid rain before letting any water in. The main compartment zips most of the way down, making it easy to get to gear, even if it was packed in the bottom of the pack and the small, zipped lid compartment is great for a few small items you need quick access to(headlamp, phone, snacks). There was also a front stash pocket that I kept a small towel and my belay gloves in, It was nice to have but wont hold much. The gear loops on the outside of that pocket were nice for a few extra carabiners and hand sanitizer. The water bladder compartment and securing straps worked great and the hose routed relatively well through the pack and down the loops in the shoulder strap. If you have a large mouthpiece on your hydration pack, you may have some trouble feeding it through the pack.

As for the fit, I loved the way this felt and the straps adjusted to fit me very well. Im 6'4" and many packs of this size end up being too small for me. that was not the case with this pack and there was almost no load shifting while climbing or hiking. The compression straps were a nice touch.

I was a little confused about the size of the side mesh pockets when I first got the pack, as they are not even close to big enough for a water bottle. Im guessing that, since it already has the hydration compartment, they viewed this as an opportunity to keep this pack's profile a little smaller/tighter and I really appreciated this. I kept a few cliff bars, headphones, and a buff in there and it was nice that the pocket was tight enough that the items felt secure.

There are only three things I didn't love about this pack:

1. It doesn't feel like it holds 28L. Maybe I need to do a better job packing it, but for reference, my Outdoor Research drycomp summit sack(27L) clearly held more gear than this pack.
2. On a hot day the pack does nothing to get air between your back and the pack and this leads to some uncomfortable sweatiness that just wont dry until you take the pack off. I frequently use the Black Diamond Bullet11 pack and it does a much better job of getting back ventilation in a small technical pack.
3. It doesn't seem that there is a simple way to attach trekking poles to this pack. I thought the gear clips on the compression straps would work for the pole tips, but that wasn't the case with the BD, REI, or Komperdell poles I tried.

Overall, this is a great pack that I will use for cold weather day hikes, climbing, and travel. Big thanks to Matador for putting so many features into such a packable pack!