Best Glamping near Fonda, NY

This park is located approximately 12.5 miles from downtown Cooperstown and is set in the quiet rural countryside of New York. The mature trees make for beautiful scenery in the fall. There is a mix of sites varying from tent, RV, rental trailers, and camping cabins/cottages/lodges bringing the total number of sites to 120. Back-in and pull-thru sites are available. Site types include full hookup, water and electric, and no hookup with prices varying depending upon site. You can choose between 30/20 or 50 amp electric service. Interior roads are gravel and some site pads are gravel while others are grass. 

The park is nicely terraced and all the sites are level. Patios were a grassy/dirt area with a picnic table and fire pit. Our site (#41) was a pull-thru but there was no way we could drive our 45’ motorhome forward out of the site because of a large tree and narrow roads. So we ended up having to back out. The free wifi worked well as did our Verizon 4G phone and hotspot. We picked up a dozen or so television channels with our antenna. The park does have a fair amount of trees that would interfere with roof-mounted satellite dishes so you would have to pick your site carefully. But, there are some 30 amp and no hook-up sites that are clear. This is a typical KOA with lots of amenities including a swimming pool(which was closed for the season when we were there), a playground, volleyball court, basketball court, jump house, pavilion, recreation room, bicycle rental, and horseshoes. Showers, restrooms and laundry are also present and clean. There is a propane filling station. While there is no fenced-in dog park there is a pet walking area. The surrounding area is pretty rural and the closest town (Richfield Springs– which is very small) is five miles away and where you will find restaurants, gas station, grocery store, and more. A few miles from the park is a creamery that has a café. 

Approximately five miles away is Glimmerglass State Park which was great for hiking and kayaking Otsego Lake. There is a also a historic house at the park that you can tour and the country’s oldest covered bridge. Cooperstown is a little over twelve miles away from the park but well worth a trip. Not only is Cooperstown home to the National Baseball Hall of Fame but it is a charming downtown well worth exploring. Other nearby attractions include The Farmers Museum, Fenimore Art Museum, Hero’s of Baseball Wax Museum, Glimmerglass Opera, and Cooperstown Brewing Company.

We pulled in in the middle of memorial day weekend. The place was sold out. Staff was super friendly and had us check in on no time. The campground loses a start only because when it's at full capacity, it is very cramped. Some sites are much bigger than others and have more space though. The Schroon River run right through the campgrounds and you can rent kayaks and canoes or bring your own to go a ride. There is a little beach and just launch on site. The bathrooms are very nice and all individual with a toilet and shower in one. Another downside of you're more full-time is there is no laundry on site. You're 4 miles away from Lake George's downtown which is a great area. Plenty of nearby hikes. Each campsite had a BBQ-like fire pit. Campground has a very nice basketball court, pool and playground. Dog friendly and even we were there it looks like their looking to expand and make more sites. Only one cabin available at the moment.

We spent a relatively quiet long weekend here on loop F 97, which is a bit removed from the main campground. It was a bit noisy on Saturday night but nothing disturbing.  This site also is bordered by a small stream so expect mosquitoes and the occasional visit from wildlife (we had raccoons at our site each night, so kept food in the car). Each site has a fire pit and a picnic table.

There is a store just outside the entrance that sells ice, wood, groceries.  There are quite a few roadside firewood sellers that are reasonably priced.  The fire pit does not have a narrow grilling grate so bringing something to ensure your food won't fall through the widely spaced bars is helpful.  

As I said, our site was out of the main population, but it was a bit of a hike to the restroom which is something to keep in mind if you've really got to get to a bathroom first thing in the morning.  

There is a Walmart about 10 miles away in Gloverville, so keep this in mind if you are planning on picking up essentials when you arrive.  

There are no sites with electric.

The tent we stayed in was gorgeous! We fit 5 of us comfortably. Linens, blankets and pillows were provided. There was a fire pit, BBQ, picnic table with umbrella, covered platform, and a partition between campsites. There were plenty or outdoor activities to do such as swimming, tubing, kayaking, sports, and bike rentals. They had a gift shop and arcade on site as well. We unfortunately got hit with some pretty bad weather so we couldn't enjoy the grounds as much as we would have liked to but that was obviously not their fault. We had to evacuate the mountain our last evening because of really bad thunder and lightening but the ranger was very helpful and came around to warn us all and encourage us to be careful. They even refunded us for that last night. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a real "glamping" experience! You always see those fancy campsites on Pinterest or Instagram so now you can experience it yourself close to home if you live in NY.

We made the most of our rainy weekend by checking out the town and some caves. Plenty to do in the area of you want to venture out of the campgrounds but if you're there with good weather I doubt you will be bored!!

The road to our campsite was paved and in good shape but there were a few tight spots because of the trees that make it tricky for a big rig (Loop A seems to be the best for big-rigs). Great thing about this park is the hiking trails and lake so you don’t even have to leave to the park to enjoy great outdoor recreation. We found it enjoyable just to hang out in the park rather than trying to find things to do in the area. After hiking and paddling, we loved relaxing out at our campsite with a campfire. 

Our campsite was spacious but required some maneuvering to avoid scraping trees with our RV. Campsites are spacious, shady, and had good separation between the neighboring sites which we enjoyed. Generators are allowed but not too many people were using them. The few other campers around that used them were mindful of quiet hours. Since it was still a little cool and our windows were closed and we never heard anyone’s generator. The park was not very crowded when we were there, but we can imagine it could get very busy and noisy in the busy summer season. The beach area seems to be a draw for people so the summer camping season is probably packed. The snack bar and gift/supplies shop at the sandy beach area were not open as we were there late in the season. There is also a nice playground for kids to enjoy. 

This is dry camping so there are no hook-ups but there are restrooms and shower. Both were clean but the shower fluctuated between lukewarm, hot, and warm during my shower. Oh well, the shower felt good after our active days. There are two pavilions you can rent which are nice if big groups want to gather. Take note that only two pets are allowed per campsite, so plan accordingly if you are a pet owner. 

Access is fairly easy, just off I-87, and there are plenty of signs directing you which way to go. Saratoga Springs and Lake George are nearby if you want to explore. We recommend visiting the National Horse Racing Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, if you have time. We would definitely stay here again.

Booked an "Elite 50amp" site but had no realistic map to go by. Many if these types of sites are parallel to the water, but the map makes them look like back in sites. If your site neighbors are in their spots already when you arrive it will probably be hard to navigate unless you have a 20' rig. We don't, ours is over 33'and we were lucky that our site neighbors were both home to move their trucks so we could get in. Once in our site had a steep drop off to the lake, not all are like this, but be cautious about this if you have young kids.

They have many activities you can do on site (swimming in pools or lakes, kayaking, paddleboarding, fishing, floating, bike riding, playgrounds or weekly planned events). They advertise having a trolly shuttle but never saw it while we were there.

Had some issues with the lack of lighting on the roads while walking our dogs and this only made it worse when the seasonals fly around in golf carts paying no mind to the large trucks trying to get by. The dumpsters were FAR away from everything so that was also an annoyance. They also have hundreds of sites and only one area with dumpsters, seems like poor planning. At the end of the weekend people had piled many garbage bags near the small garbage cans around the grounds.

The roads are narrow and many should be one way, but are not. It would have been impossible many places in the grounds to pass a rig on the road due to the amount of other's vehicles, golf carts, decorations etc... so patience is important when arriving and departing. The gas powered golf carts were also a bit of a negative only because our site was next to a speed bump, so the noise was a little but worse for us.

Had an issue with water pressure on Saturday around 10am and called the office to make sure there was not a known water issue. Front desk knew nothing and said they would send maintenance but we never saw anyone. The situation improved so we think it was just a high demand time of day.

We would return here due to the proximity to Lake George and Saratoga, but we would choose a totally different type of site.

We were on site 219 to give you perspective when viewing photos.