Best Glamping near Ellisburg, NY

There is TONS of beach to explore at this little State Park in New York. I used to visit here as a kid years ago because my grandparents owned a cottage on the lake. Since they sold it, visiting Southwick is the next best thing. Lake Ontario is an amazing lake to be on and the water is pretty warm in the summer time. the waves don't get too big, so it is very safe for kids. Southwick itself has great camping spots right next to the beach. It is a little pricey if you only want to visit for the day, $8, but you can get a tent spot for $18 which is comparable to other state parks. Showers are available, and there are some short trails that are good for running or probably cross country skiing in the winter. There is also a sizable playground near the beach that is great for the kids.

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!

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!

Beautiful new buildings on site, variety of campsites. Favorites are the beachfront sites, access to the beach and beautiful Lake Ontario. Small campground but very nice.

Campgrounds are great. Only deducted a star because if the weather. Got to the park on Friday night with storms looming about. Our fire out was underwater. Lake Ontario was so high, there was barely any beach, and the wind was insane.

Bathrooms were immaculate. Store only takes cash.

BEST beach in CNY-sandbar goes on forever-campsites roomy and we’ll taken care of-bathrooms are meticulously cleaned-we always camp in the electric loop about 1/2 mile from the beach-sunsets are gorgeous from here as well-camp here 3-5 trips yearly

Good hot showers. Friendly staff. Is currently in a construction zone and is experiencing flooding and dune erosion. The natural beauty still shines through these.

I Could go on an on about this campground. go check it out!

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

We really enjoyed our stay at Brennan Beach! It was PACKED on the weekend, but they have a really efficient check in process and the staff is super nice. Probably some of the nicest campground staff we've met yet.

A lot of locals camp here seasonally, and if you're not from around there, you'll stick out. We had a few awkward interactions but nothing serious. Mostly just funny.

Definitely one of the nicer TT spots!

Cabins have a screen and a stone fireplace. Lake Ontario has great fishing. The beach is smaller than it was before now that it is guarded. This is a great spot for large gatherings and you can rent out the big Adirondack style covered areas. Also is just as good for tents with wildlife nosing around.

We camped here on a holiday weekend. Great place to watch the sun set. They have nice hiking/biking trails. The site are a little on the smaller side and it was a little crowded. The campground was clean and staff friendly.

Very nice rustic camping, amazing location, rocky beach. Love it there

Nice place to camp all electric no water hook ups bath house clean but could use more

Selkirk is quiet and peaceful. Electricity is available on many sites. The beach is good for children and they have a great recreation program for the kids. While we were there they had a reptile exhibit with huge snakes and crocodiles, another day they had tie dyeing t-shirts, other days they had bingo(candy was the prize), exercises, and crafty things to make. Firewood is available on site, with delivery if you buy 1/4 cord and up.

Well maintained and clean

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.

I love going here! Going across to the island is so fun and feels so special. The views are beautiful i definitely recommend the sunrise size. The sunset is of course beautiful but sunrise sites are much bigger and can lead right to the water which is much nicer. It’s a lot less windy and easier to be in the water. But it’s lovely here and really a nice place to to.

Excited to get started

We stayed at Association Island on Lake Ontario in Henderson, NY, for a three-night excursion to celebrate my daughter’s end-of-9th-grade and start-of-summer. We’re so glad we did! 

When I made the reservation, this campground was a KOA, but has since changed owners and dissociated. They’re owned by Sun Outdoors who was willing to honor the reservation, site request, and discounted pricing.(Thank you, Sun Outdoors!) 

The approach by way of a single lane bridge to the island is beautiful. Once on the island, it’s obvious that this is a great place for retreat. Surrounded by Lake Ontario, it’s a secluded and idyllic setting for a RV campground. 

Our site(#G07) was on the sunset-side of the island and the last of the row beside a walking trail. It was wooded, roomy, and has full hookups, a fire ring, and picnic table. I could probably have fit another RV in the site and still had space to stretch. 

The sites all seem to be well maintained, the campground has paved roadways, a marina for small boats, swimming pool, and ice cream shop. We didn’t explore off the island and didn’t use the bath or shower facilities. 

Each of our interactions with staff was warm and friendly. We especially appreciate this when staying anywhere. 

We met a bunch of people who’ve visited the park for several consecutive years- all of whom told us there have been many upgrades and improvements since the ownership change. 

Except for the 9-hour drive through three states, we can’t wait to return. We paid a KOA-discounted rate of$88 per night plus a$25 site lock fee. We stayed in our 37’ Class-A motorhome.

Campground was clean with newly paved roads. Unfortunately (and fortunately for future visitors) there is a lot of construction going on as the grounds are now owned by Sun RV Resorts (from KOA). That was annoying and disruptive to us but the improvements will be nice for the future.

Pool was nice and clean but one of the pool decks was closed for construction. Pool water was freezing this time of year. The rest of the amenities were dated and/or undergoing improvements so unavailable.

Staff was awesome! Very helpful and accommodating. Bob gave us amazing local recommendations!

Fishing was fun…lots of places to go to fish and the scenery was awesome.

Great for families. Lots of kids safely and respectfully running around on bikes, scooters, etc.

Sunsets were phenomenal! I mean, jaw dropping gorgeous.

One HUGE downfall was the amount of BUGS! Millions (not exaggerating) of midges and mayflies swarming the grounds from Lake Ontario. Be prepared to deal with this as we were not and had to vacuum inside the RV (ceilings, floors, walls) every night for about an hour to get rid of them inside. Not the campground’s fault but worth noting that the bug issue was not nearly as difficult other places such as inland or along the St. Lawrence in our observation.

Within an hours drive of lots of cute, small river towns with tons of ambiance. Water sport potential was huge if you have your own watercraft (boats, jet ski, kayaking, etc). Many state parks and historical areas as well. Highly recommend a boat tour of the St. Lawrence River!

Overall, our trip to this campground on an island was awesome! The sunsets were spectacular and our site was literally just steps from Lake Ontario. All sites are full hook up. Wifi is available and fairly good. Trash is picked up from your site between 8-10am each day. Staff was VERY nice and helpful. Most sites are spacious enough though you can see your neighbor. Fire pits are behind the camper pad so you can see others at their fire pits but most were spread out and I didn't hear the neighbors conversations. Being right on the lake and on the west facing side allowed for the prevailing winds to be felt. One night we couldn't sit outside due to the high winds. The Midge gnats were horrible for about a day and a half. They were around all week and I understand this was the time of year for them but the one day, you could not walk outside without being swarmed. In fact, I took pics of the swarm up above the trees. I've never seen anything like it before! We went out to eat the night they were so bad you couldn't cook, eat, or sit outside. There is a store with limited supplies, a "cafe" that served food but hours were not regular, a nice pool though too chilly in mid June to use. You can rent a golf cart which isn't really needed but fun. The opposite side of the island near the marina (not a full service marina just docks for your boat if you bring one)  and sunrise view had more spacious sites and you could access the lake easier. I don't think swimming is allowed though in the lake. The interior sites not on the water were okay, but a bit close in areas. The campground was not full most of the week we were there but began filling up by the weekend. There is a winery that does tastings on Friday afternoon and evenings which was fun. The closest towns are Watertown to the east which has any store you could need (Walmart, Lowes, etc.),  Henderson Harbor (not much there), Sagett's Harbor (cute but small with a couple cool restaurants though skip the brewery as they had no local beer and the food was just okay), Cape Vincent (cool lighthouse and small downtown), and Clayton which is about a 50 min. drive. We loved Clayton. Eat at Bellas on the St. Lawrence River! There is fishing at the island and a lot was being caught but most of it was small fish. Our friends went Go Karting somewhere close by. There are a few state parks that had great hiking trails and scenery. We had a lot of down time just relaxing while taking in the beautiful view. I'd happily go again!