Best Tent Camping near Fonda, NY

This place is great! $10 for a tent site right on the canal and the staff is super friendly

Awesome place for camping and swimming. Beautiful views and great staff. Each tent site has its own fire pit with a grate for cooking.

Small and quite place to camp and relax not far from home! They have added more every sites so there are less tent sites but the ones they have are on the water so it’s is nice! Everyone is very friendly!

Both the Glimmerglass State Park and the Glimmerglass Festival Opera House list their location as Cooperstown, but in actuality the Park is 8 miles outside of Cooperstown on the northeast side of Otsego Lake, with the Opera House nearby on the northwest corner of the lake nearby. If you are going to visit one, you should also visit the other! In fact the park is an ideal spot to stay if you are wanting to take in any of the Glimmerglass music or theater productions which have quite a professional lineup in the summer season. If staying at the park you will also enjoy the amazing beach and waterfront on Otsego Lake, and great kayaking on the lake as well as the stream flowing into it. You can also hike, ot take a day trip into Cooperstown, especially for museums and all things baseball.

The camping opportunities give you three options: the main campground by the park office, which is wooded and shady and has electric hookups as needed, and is close to the beach, but you will have a lot of neighbors. If you want a quiet tenting experience, choose the Beaver Pond primitive tenting campground! This offers a small number of large, well spaced and private tent only sites set back in the woods by a beautiful pond and by the Beaver Hiking trail. Very peaceful with more solitude than the main campground, but a longer walk to the beach. The third and newest option, the Travis Field campsites, reminds me of an overflow parking area at an outdoor festival, unfortunately just a bunch of basic tent campsites plunked in an open grassy field located in between the beach and the Beaver Pond sites. I am guessing the park has greater demand for campsites than the original campground offers, so they put these spots up in an open field, and maybe folks would rather have these sites than nothing if they want a week at the lake, but they would not be a first choice unless perhaps you have a group that wants to gather together and take a block of these sites. I didnt check out the cabins, but there are some, which might be especially good if you want to come in the winter as the park is open year round

Big sites! Good tenting sites. Great hiking trials with views. We love that it is close to Saratoga Springs as well.

I called and booked ahead of time knowing I'd arrive late and leave early, which was absolutely no problem, so I'm very thankful for that. I paid over the phone, was given clear instructions on where to park, and was told to enjoy my stay. This location is great if you're in a van or RV and need a quick place to stay for the night in this area of NY in mid- / late-October (because it seems NY closes its state parks quite early) or if you're here for the rock-hunting. From what I could see late at night (which honestly wasn't much) I wouldn't recommend for tent-camping as the sites were quite close to each other and not much soft ground for sleeping.

Family of four plus one dog tent camped one night after being disappointed by Lake George tourist traps. We welcomed the well-maintained spacious wooded campgrounds. Lots of sites to choose from allowed for privacy. Firewood system was one of the best I've seen. You can fill a large burlap bag with your choice of logs for about $7. This made it easy to choose a fire bundle balanced with kindling logs and large logs. Bathrooms were well maintained, but showers used push in knobs (like the kind in older school bathrooms) that last about 30 seconds per push causing the water temperature to fluctuate. Not my worst camping shower, but was not enjoyable. The trails and lake made for a full day of natural outdoor fun outweighing the weird showers.

If you like camping without a lot of extras, this is a good choice. We stayed here for the ADK Balloon Festival in September twice. Pros: cost and close to town. Cons: small sites (my pic is of 2 sites together), loud! We had people party all night both times we were there. Also a truck pulled in late and just parked next to our tent site and left by 5 am so it was used as a rest stop and they were loud. The cannon from the fort and the music from the MinneHaHa also added to the ambiance. We won’t be going back as it doesn’t have electric at the sites but if you are a bare bones camper and don’t mind loud neighbors, it may work for you.

Beaver Valley Campground is family owned and operated, originally a baseball camp, it still has that baseball draw for those families whose youngsters are playing at the Field of Dreams and close enough to serve as your campground as you travel to visit the Baseball Hall of Fame, Herkimer Diamond Mines, area micro brewery's and even a ride to the Finger Lakes. Beaver Valley has camper and tent sites, and even cabins that fit 2- 20 plus people. There is a large baseball field that could be rented and used. The bathrooms are impeccable, the grounds are groomed, well kept and clean and there are 2 pools, one for the little children and a larger one older people. There is a large pond for fishing and paddling around in. We camped with a 34 foot trailer and because we booked late, we were unable to get a site with sewer. When we needed to have out tank cleaned out, we went to the office and within minutes, we had a visitor at our site to take care of things. This was our second visit to this camp ground and it is at the top of our list of the best kept and run campgrounds that we have stayed at.

Rustic camping with all the amenities awaits you at Devil Doc campsites. You will find three tent sites and a small cabin with loft on the property presently. There are plans to expand into another cabin for the bathhouse. A RV trailer is currently being used as the bathrooms as well as a common room for hanging out. Future expansion will see a group site near the upper pond get developed, and a leanto with a glass face. (!) firewood is also available on the premises.  Free to roam around the property, you will inevitably end up hanging around Rich up near his house. The patio is always alive with music, people, and chipmunks who horde peanuts. Basketball is always an option (Rich is a big fan), as well as chilling near the ponds and creeks. The local store is a short 3 mile ride away, if there is anything you forgot, or Rich doesn’t have. Rich could be the most hospitable host we’ve had so far. Music, libations, fire wood and coffee. All were offered and shared. We had a great time there, and will be back. 

The Devil Doc Campsite are just inside the Adirondack Park foothills. With close proximity to Northville and Gloversville, the world is never that far away. Or a good restaurant. The PeckHill state forest is close by for mountain biking. You can park at the trailhead on CR 101, or at Stump City brewing, to ride the trails. Lots of hiking and great fishing are found in the area, along with plenty of water sport opportunities.

My son and I had a great weekend there, and will surely be back. Soon!

I have to preface by saying that I signed up to The Dyrt just to leave a review for Devil Doc campgrounds. I could not have had a more lovely experience at Devil Doc - and my GSD Daisy would emphatically agree! As they say, a tired dog is a good dog, and this girl is wiped out! We loved our stay so, so much. 

Rich is the owner and he's an absolute riot. A dude with an obvious zeal for life, his mission for this campground is to share this truly beautiful place he's lucky to call home with other people who are seeking to immerse themselves in nature. He and his buddy, Rick, live on acres and acres of forested property, with my favorite campsites located at a seemingly magical pond surrounded by beautiful pine and birch trees. They are constantly improving the campsites/property and although I thought it was perfect as is, Rich has grand plans for upgrades (i.e. outhouses and additional electric sites)! These guys really do so much to go out of their way to provide an amazing experience, from brewing coffee in the AM to helping you in whatever way they can, so please show respect, mindfulness, and clean up after yourself.

The campsites themselves are huge - this isn't a state park site where you're smushed on top of your neighbor. There are all types of campsites available for various camping styles; not all are adjacent to the pond. Although Daisy and I were the only ones there (Rich kindly accommodated our early booking request), I could envision how perfect it would still be even if the campgrounds had been fully booked out. There's enough space for everyone to feel some semblance of privacy and he also has a couple of completely private sites located a short distance away from the pond. However, the pond is really hard to beat. 

In terms of preparation, bring all your standard camping gear. Purchasing firewood is totally unnecessary because there's plenty of it, literally, everywhere. I'd recommend bringing a hatchet. However, if you're not into that, then Rich and Rick sell firewood, too. You'll see their hard work meticulously lined up when you first drive in :)  There's no running water at the tent sites, but the pond is available and with a carbon water filter, it was delicious. Bringing your own water also works. 

Hiking is also available directly from the campgrounds and connects to nearby trails, leading wherever your heart desires, from treks to the lakes nearby to one that even goes all through the Adirondacks. 

Honestly, we were incredibly spoiled to have this place all to ourselves and with such wonderful hosts who are clearly good people! We got lucky in so many ways - between the early booking being accepted and the weather miraculously being perfect the couple nights we were there. It was exactly the getaway we needed from the stress of NYC and the pandemic. I've been raving about our trip ever since we returned home and will definitely be back at least one more time this summer!

Can't wait to see you guys soon! 

<3 Ellis & Daisy

My buddy and I were looking for a campsite for a quick overnight stay before a bike trip around the Adirondacks, and this spot was a perfect fit. Coming in late after driving all day, we unfortunately didn’t get to meet Rich in person. He did however give us good directions to navigate the narrow driving path in the dark to reach the pond camping area, and even had a large two room tent already set up that we were able to use - a convenient and kind gesture! The old school bus was a fun perk to check out in the morning as well. Most state ran parks in New York close up before the middle of October, and this is a great option for an off season camping spot in the area. Thanks Rich!

Lake George RV Park may be the greatest campground we’ve stayed at yet! 

Located about 2-miles from the New York State Thruway(I-87), this park is ideally situated for a Lake George area vacation. We spent 6-days in early-August and it really wasn’t enough. 

The staff treated us so nicely and the array of resort-level amenities are beautifully-maintained and clean. They run a free trolley within the campground and to the local retail outlets. The park is so large, you’ll be happy to see that red trolley coming around to take you to and from your campsite and the swimming pools(plural), game room, theater which offers nightly entertainment, paddle boats, cafe, dog park, and much more. In addition, a local trolley service operates an hourly ride to and from Lake George Village. The cost is just$1 per person per trip(free for young kids) and discounted tickets are available for sale at the campground. The many opportunities for activities and entertainment are top-notch. Not just“campground-nice,” but really nice! And everything they offer is included at no extra cost(except food, of course). Check out their mobile app for updates to activities, a trolley tracker(fun+ helpful!), and more. 

The camp store was well-stocked with food and drinks, souvenirs, and RV/camping supplies. 

Our pull-thru site(#109) was level and the full hookups all worked fine. Like most of the park, our site was nicely wooded for shade, but none of the trees were in the way of our motor home. Each site had its own trash can and they collected garbage daily. That’s nice and convenient. 

Lake George RV Park is such a great place to stay that I hate to point out anything negative, but it’s why we rely on reviews. Two negatives to report. The site was a nice size and beautiful in so many ways except for the sandy dirt. With how charming everything is, I was surprised they didn’t at least put down gravel let alone concrete or asphalt in the sites. It was impossible to keep the dirt and sand out of our RV— and we tried. It also rained a few times during our stay which made it even worse. The other negative is their nonexistent wi-fi. It’s 2022, and we rely on wi-fi for connectivity to the office along with the ability to watch tv using streaming services(especially on a rainy night). The size of this place probably makes it difficult to provide good coverage, but it would be a huge improvement if they could figure it out. 

It’s obvious that this is a family-operated campground because they offer so many niceties that corporate owners have done away with elsewhere. I positively can not say enough about how great this campground is. It’s a tremendous place and we can’t wait to go back! 

THINGS I LIKED: 

• Clean and meticulously maintained property and facilities. 

• So many activities and entertainment options(at no extra cost!). 

• Proximity to Lake George Village. 

THINGS I’D CHANGE: 

• Cover the sites with gravel, concrete, or asphalt. The sandy dirt is too messy. 
• Install reasonable wi-fi service.