Nathalie R.
Scout
ScoutWinona State Forest
Campsites well established
The campsite itself was extremely buggy and it was a bit further into the road then I thought to get to the second campsite. But once we got there it was open and well marked
Camping near Gouverneur, NY
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SUMMARY PRESENTED BY
Camping in northern New York near Gouverneur includes a mix of established state parks and free dispersed sites spanning the region between the Adirondacks and the St. Lawrence River. Within a 40-mile radius of Gouverneur, campers can access primitive dispersed sites at Payne Lake and Green Pond in Bonaparte State Forest, or opt for more developed experiences at state parks like Jacques Cartier, Kring Point, and Wellesley Island. Most campgrounds accommodate both tents and RVs, while several state parks also offer cabin rentals. The area features excellent waterfront camping options along the St. Lawrence River and secluded inland forest sites with varying levels of amenities and privacy.
Most state park campgrounds in the region operate seasonally from May through early October, with some closing after Labor Day weekend. Reservations are recommended for developed campgrounds, particularly for waterfront sites which book up to nine months in advance. Electric hookups are available at several state parks including Wellesley Island, Kring Point, and Jacques Cartier, while dispersed sites like Payne Lake and Green Pond offer free primitive camping with no amenities. Many campgrounds feature boat launches, fishing access, and swimming areas. Cell coverage varies throughout the region, with limited service at more remote sites. A visitor to Jacques Cartier State Park noted, "We book early so we can get a waterfront site. Everyone swims, kayaks, and paddle boards off their sites."
Waterfront camping represents the primary draw for many visitors to the region, with sites along the St. Lawrence River and its bays receiving consistently high ratings. Campers particularly value the combination of water access, swimming opportunities, and scenic views. According to reviews on The Dyrt, Kring Point State Park stands out for its location between Goose Bay and the St. Lawrence River, with one camper describing it as having "access to the water great for boating and swimming." Some campgrounds like Cedar Island require boat access, adding to their appeal for those seeking more remote experiences. For quieter, more budget-friendly options, the dispersed sites at Green Pond and Payne Lake offer peaceful settings with fewer amenities but greater solitude, described by one camper as "our go-to area close to town but still just want to get away from it all."
Best Campgrounds near Gouverneur (65)
1. Wellesley Island State Park Campground
"Our site is located adjacent to a mowed grass path that leads to the main road, close to the camp store. Beautiful area, lots of hiking and biking trails and swim area."
"Walking areas. Access to water for swimming."
from $20 - $200 / night
Check Availability2. Kring Point State Park Campground
"Access to the water great for boating and swimming. Kring point has islands as well you can jump off the rocks into the water."
"Water nearby, brand new bathrooms with showers and two kitchen clean up stations are a short walk away. Every site has a fire ring with a grill and picnic table."
from $20 - $109 / night
Check Availability3. Payne Lake Dispersed Site
4. Green Pond - Bonaparte State Forest
"This is our go to area close to town but still just want to get away from it all. DEC is nice and stop and talk to the campers. There is a doc down the road for boats and fishing!"
"This is my second time camping at this location and I’ve enjoyed it so much. Not very well know and really quite however the training range can be a little loud at times."
5. Jacques Cartier State Park Campground
"Half of the loop is in the woods and the other half has spacious, grassy sites bordered with woods behind them."
"There’s a great guarded beach if you have young ones with a newer playground right next to it. They pick up your trash everyday, just leave by the road."
from $17 - $30 / night
Check Availability6. Swan Bay Resort - The 1000 Islands Premier RV Park & Marina
"It’s an easy mile from I-81 and just 10-minutes drive to Alexandria Bay downtown. The staff was great— friendly and helpful."
"We paralleled Cayuga Lake (which is part of the Finger Lakes) for some time and then took the Great Lakes Seaway Trail."
7. Eel Weir State Park Campground
"We found a site on the edge for good privacy.
Sites are well maintained. Bath facilities need maintenance. ""I love how it has great fishing and nice camp sites even let's you bring a boat nice clean showers and bathroom can easily find firewood near by as well.."
from $17 / night
Check Availability8. Cedar Island State Park Campground
from $14 / night
Check Availability9. Natural Bridge/Watertown KOA
"The sites are small, but there are mature trees between them & woodsy areas around the campsites. The campground is clean and well kept. The laundry room and bathrooms were clean."
from $40 - $131 / night
Check Availability10. Cranberry Lake Campground
"This is a Great Lake for kayaking, clear and calm, lots of nooks and crannies to explore."
"Beautiful ADK campground with the whole lake to explore from the launch on site. Pros: canoe rentals on site, lakeside camp sites, hiking nearby, all-tent loop."
from $20 / night
Check Availability
Drive Time
- 43 min from Watertown, NY
- 1 hr 39 min from Syracuse, NY
- 1 hr 50 min from Utica, NY
- 3 hrs 21 min from Burlington, VT
Recent Camping Photos near Gouverneur, NY
75 Photos of 65 Gouverneur Campgrounds
Amandalynn P.
Green Pond - Bonaparte State Forest
Taylor H.
Lake Bonaparte Marina & Campground
Donna S.
Natural Bridge/Watertown KOA
Joseph B.
Jacques Cartier State Park Campground
Carol B.
Kring Point State Park Campground
Jeremy H.
Keewaydin State Park Campground
Matt S.
Swan Bay Resort - The 1000 Islands Premier RV Park & Marina
Thomas B.
Dewolf Point State Park Campground
Brian O.
Wellesley Island State Park Campground
Elizabeth P.
Higley Flow State Park Campground
Paul B.
Birch’s Lakeside Campground and Marina
Sally
Cranberry Lake Campground
Recent Reviews near Gouverneur, NY
231 Reviews of 65 Gouverneur Campgrounds
Christian D.ScoutKeewaydin State Park Campground
Great place with a few quirks
Very nice campground, pool is awesome when it’s hot and, the water’s edge of the campground is beautiful, expect noise. Not a quiet place. From fellow campers to boats and sirens. No tru till station just a water line when you enter. Also check sites out was extremely up hill. Camper barely cleared.
- LLeighla S.
GuideOld Forge Camping Resort
Very nice , clean campground.
My boyfriend and I rented out cabin 26 at this camping resort and it was very worth it ! Our cabin was right next to the bathroom/shower facility. We also had a very spacious cabin with a fire pit outside.
- LLeighla S.Guide
Winona State Forest
Nice spots, lots of horseflies.
Very nice night spent at Winona State Forest with my boyfriend and our dog, Michelob. Lots of horseflies and mosquitoes but big spray did help and the fire. We have a truck bed tent we used for this trip and a canopy tent to put all of our stuff under. Each site does have a fire pit of some sort.
- rrandyScout
Santway Park
Not much there
Not very welcoming at night. Kinda creepy.
Ryan A.GuideCranberry Lake Campground
Family Friendly with Thoughtful Sites
I've stayed here twice, once in 2024 and again in 2026, both on Memorial Day Weekend. In 2024 I woke to the sound of loons but did not hear them in 2026.
This is a large campground on the shores of Cranberry Lake with access to many hiking trails and other activities. Quite a few of the sites are lakefront but they seem to book up fast. Most of the sites are spaced out fairly well although a few are close and will result in you seeing & hearing everything your neighbors are doing. However, they are mostly designed well and blend into the environment. A few seem like afterthoughts and are right on the road, so you'll want to choose carefully.
Dumpsters are in the center of the campground near the bathhouse, which has hot showers. There is a sandy beach area near the entrance of the campground and a volleyball area near the dumpsters/bathhouse.
It's a beautiful area and is mostly quiet. Other campers were respectful and didn't play loud music although a few talked loudly late into the night. There are lots of trailer camping sites, so you should expect to hear generators although most people were considerate and only ran them in the daytime.
This is a great campground for exploring the Adirondack Mountains. The town of Cranberry Lake seems mostly dead so don't plan on eating in restaurants nearby.
Janet R.
LegendCranberry Lake Campground
Camping at Cranberry Lake
This has been one of my favorite campgrounds and I have camped there many times over the last several decades. Always well maintained, but peaceful state forest campground with spacious sites, many right on the water. There is an official beach, but the water sites really have their own access for canoes and nice swimming. The water is crystal clear, sunsets magnificent, canoeing and hiking opportunities abound, and even on a "busy" summer weekend the campground is quiet and the fellow campers are low key and respectful. For a tent camper, this is an ideal location and I love it. Fire ring, even tenting spot, picnic tables, etc. There are numerous accessible campsites, a shower building, and regular restrooms as well as privvies. Small trailers can fit and their is an RV dumpstation, but this is not a campground for big rigs and hookups. The campground is a little off the beaten path and in the further reaches of the Adirondacks for most campers, and the vicinity is one of the largest and most pristine areas in the ADK wilderness. Come well supplied with groceries and camping needs as there isnt much nearby. The SUNY Forestry school maintains a Ranger school at nearby Wanakena on the west side of the lake, and a Field Biology station on the south side of the lake. Nice hiking in the area
Marc D.GuideOld Forge Camping Resort
Very large camping resort
This is a surprisingly large facility with multiple options, including cabins, tent, and RV sites. We were there in late October on a Saturday night when they were having a big Halloween festival, so very crowded but festive environment. Everybody packed up and left the following morning.Close to the town of old Forge and Lakes. Beautiful area.
- CChuck W.
TravelerSwan Bay Resort - The 1000 Islands Premier RV Park & Marina
Great Stop
Great camp. Easy in and out for big rigs. Right on the St. Lawrence River. Many amenities to include 3 bay R.V. wash as well as car wash. Nice sites and some on the water with docks and a boat ramp.
Guide to Gouverneur
Camping near Gouverneur, New York offers year-round opportunities in the transitional zone between the Adirondack foothills and St. Lawrence Valley. This region ranges from 400-800 feet in elevation with winter temperatures often dropping below 0°F. Winter camping remains available at several dispersed sites while most established campgrounds close after Labor Day.
What to do
Fishing experiences: Green Pond in Bonaparte State Forest provides accessible fishing opportunities. "There is a doc down the road for boats and fishing!" notes camper Amandalynn P. The nearby military training range can occasionally create background noise.
Boating access: Many sites allow direct water access from individual campsites at Wellesley Island State Park. One visitor mentions, "We usually get 2 sites and place as many as 5 tents between the 2 sites!" Another camper adds, "Large open sites with not much shade but it is the only loop that gets US Verizon service."
Winter camping: While most established campgrounds close after Labor Day, dispersed sites at Payne Lake remain open year-round with limited facilities. "Public access boat ramp with limited parking available on both sides. No amenities on-site," reports a visitor who used a WeBoost to improve cell signal strength in the area.
What campers like
Riverside camping: Many campers appreciate the direct water access at Jacques Cartier State Park, noting "Half of the loop is in the woods and the other half has spacious, grassy sites bordered with woods behind them." The park features a guarded beach with newer playground equipment adjacent to it.
Budget options: Free camping at Green Pond offers a quiet alternative to busier parks. A camper describes it as "not very well known and really quite however the training range can be a little loud at times." Another noted it's "our go to area close to town."
Island experiences: For those with boats, Cedar Island State Park provides a unique camping option. "You need a boat to get here, making it one of our favorite places to camp in NY. There are quite a few sites here, all pretty private, but still make reservations," advises one visitor who appreciates the separate docks for campers.
What you should know
Booking windows: Reservations open 9 months in advance for waterfront sites at Kring Point State Park. A frequent visitor notes, "We've camped here every year but it's getting difficult to get in here" and recommends planning far ahead.
Cell coverage: Signal strength varies throughout the region with Wellesley Island's Heron Loop noted as the only section receiving consistent US Verizon service. At Payne Lake, visitors report "getting two bars of Verizon signal with the help of a WeBoost."
Weather considerations: The region experiences significant temperature fluctuations. One camper at Jacques Cartier warned, "I came here totally unprepared and ended up getting soaked. I didn't check the forecast and it started pouring. It was hot and sunny and then cold and wet."
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I find camping sites near Gouverneur?
Where can I find camping sites near Gouverneur?
The Gouverneur area offers several excellent camping options within driving distance. Higley Flow State Park Campground is a top choice with well-maintained sites, clean facilities, and water activities for families. It's especially beautiful at sunset and offers both secluded and group camping areas. Another popular option is Cranberry Lake Campground, known for its crystal-clear waters perfect for kayaking and exploration. For campers seeking additional alternatives, Whetstone Gulf State Park and Eel Weir State Park also provide camping opportunities in the general vicinity.
What tent camping options are available in Gouverneur?
What tent camping options are available in Gouverneur?
Tent campers in the Gouverneur area have several scenic options to choose from. Old Forge Camping Resort is particularly family-friendly with a well-stocked welcome center and serves as an excellent weekend getaway. For those seeking a waterfront experience, Sun Outdoors Association Island offers spectacular sunset views with sites just steps from Lake Ontario. While primarily known for full hookups, it accommodates tent campers as well. Additional tent camping can be found at Kring Point State Park and Cedar Island State Park, both offering beautiful settings within driving distance of Gouverneur.
Is there camping available near 50 Gouverneur Street?
Is there camping available near 50 Gouverneur Street?
While there aren't campgrounds directly at 50 Gouverneur Street, several quality options exist within reasonable driving distance. Birch's Lakeside Campground and Marina offers comprehensive amenities including a general store, laundry facilities, and propane on-site. Wellesley Island State Park Campground is another excellent option with full hookup sites, hiking and biking trails, plus a swim area. Both provide well-developed facilities for comfortable camping experiences in the greater Gouverneur region.
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