Best Campgrounds near Great Bend, NY

We stayed at Swan Bay Resort in Alexandria Bay, NY, for our last trip this year. Spoiler alert… we had a great stay! 

This is a great park. It’s an easy mile from I-81 and just 10-minutes drive to Alexandria Bay downtown. The staff was great— friendly and helpful. Our waterfront pull-IN site was a level concrete pad and gravel with FHU and everything worked great. Oh, and the best part was our view of the St. Lawrence River with passing ocean liners and lots of migrating birds. 

The park has 2 swimming pools, a tiki bar, a food truck, and nice communal hang-out areas. There’s a marina with pontoon boat rentals. They put on Octoberfest during our stay which featured a live band and food and craft vendors. 

There are plenty of restaurants and stores nearby. Adjacent to the entrance is a self-service car wash with bay large enough for motorhomes. 

I have nothing bad to say about this place and encourage you to visit when you can.

We came to this campground after a week in Algonquin Provincial park in Canada and the contrast couldn't have been greater. Up north we stayed on a large, shady site in a radio free loop and everyone had canoes. In New York we had a cramped, open site and everyone seemed to have a motorboat on a trailer. Our neighbors across the road set up a movie screen . The overall feel was NOT "getting away from it all".
The facilities are good and there's a nice beach and well stocked General store, also a big boat ramp facility with some docks.
We chose this location because we were attending the Antique Boat Show in Clayton, 13 miles away, and this was the closest available. It suited us just fine for that.
Keep your stuff secure, there are brazen raccoons.

A great park on Sandy Pond and Lake Ontario.  Mostly Permanent sites with 6 transient sites overlooking the marina.  The park has a nice pool, pavilion, store and kids playground with a basketball court.  Great area for fishing, bass, trout, salmon and walleye.  Very clean and well maintained park.

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

a 20 mile ride of just woods on a bumpy road. Pretty cool! Surprisingly the place wasn't that populated as I expected it to be. I went to a accessible campsite near the dam so I can pull stuff i needed from my car. The restaurant in the town had great food, the staff were nice, and had two cute dogs!

Add this stop when visiting the Adirondacks! This was the perfect spot located on Cranberry lake -They have everything you need at their lakeside store, including boat and kayak rentals! The lake was beautiful, the campground was quiet and we had the best view of the stars at night (we were there during a meteor shower). You can tell the campers truly love this place and had nothing but great things to say about the owners. We will be back again soon

Beautiful lakeside campsites, Birch’s has a super convenient store that is stocked with anything you may have forgotten.. along with some easy bites and fresh Sammies. Best part was meeting the mascot pup, Brodie. We met some regulars and some passer through-ers, loved the community here! I can’t wait to go back!

Wow, stumbled upon this little gem this past August!! Always lived in the South so, wanted to explore somewhere different and what a great choice! Birches had everything we wanted, small town feel(as in everyone we met was super friendly), all the necessities, the charm, the views, the food and comfort. We will be back next year as long as they have room. This is one of those places you don’t want too many people to find out about, that way you always get a spot hahaha

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.

Exceeded expectations!! This place has it all, especially being as remote as it is. (Laundry facilities, fishing, firewood, quaint general store for supplies and fuel) We thoroughly enjoyed out time here, there were kids on site, boat rentals and extremely nice seasonal campers.. The campers became our friends,  they were all willing to help from the moment of our arrival, even shared fishing spots on the lake! Lots to do here between the lake and public beach/tennis courts within walking distance. Star gazing is FANTASTIC!

Jake from the Dyrt here! Birch's Lakeside Campground has all the amenities needed to enjoy a stay in upstate New York, a general store, laundry & propane on site keep everything you need right there!  Check them out and leave a review about your stay on the Dyrt!

Seasonal camper since 2011. On July 1st my wife and I along with a few others were struck by lightning. Owner made no effort to reach out to anyone and see how they were. I made our disappointment known and for that we were thrown out. Used the worst language you could imagine in front of our kids. Called us all miserable fucks and told us we could get the fuck out now. I don’t need your bullshit. Family oriented campground? It’s to bad you have to give any stars.

We have been camping here Seasonal for 12 years. On July 1,2023 myself and husband we struck by lightning. My kids seeing this happening. 911 was called we were transported to the hospital. We thank all EMTS and Staff for everything they did for us! Both EMT from 2 different agencies stated they would like maps of the park as they never know where to go once in there. The Owner of this campground went onto another media platform bragging about how great everything was handled which it was. My husband and myself both commented our thanks and appreciation. Not once did the owner reach out via text, phone call, email and driving by our site looking the other way did he check on us! My husband and myself commented on this platform stating this! We were truly disappointed with the owner. The owner commented back to us that he was on our deck speaking with myself! He was not speaking with me as I was in the camper getting medical attention. He has no clue who his Seasonal campers are! Fast forward to getting our contract renewal we did not receive one after 12 years. We went to try to speak with the owner as we approached he started screaming get off my property or I’m calling the cops. Now my kids were with us watching this happen he went on to call us miserable fucks amongst many other nasty names! Then proceeded to text me harassing messages. Needless to say my kids could have lost both of their parents and they watched us get struck by lightning then watched him call us nasty names!! The owner is very unstable. Just one of the harassing messages I received from him! I was literally on your front porch checking on you BEFORE the paramedics even arrived. As you clearly stated, there were several people in and out of your camper checking on you, leaving no room for me to even enter. So, I stayed out of the way while making sure paramedics could get to you and the others. The paramedics official report shows that both of you went to the hospital ONLY as a precaution. So, Stop evolving your story to justify your undertones of bitterness. So, STOP playing the victim that I was rude and angry when you were on my front porch after you were so utterly disrespectful to me, my staff, and other seasonals. STOP complaining that I never got to know you and your children. Spin that one around. Why didn’t you come to any of the events we put together and be friendly and chatty with me? Tons of other seasonals do. Furthermore, try complaining to the CEO of Walmart that he doesn’t know who you are or what you look like. I have absolutely no need to approach any guest as long as they are happy and they aren’t bothering anyone.“The Owner” and“This Place”.“Take a minute out of his day”. I refuse to allow anyone in my park that has such underlying hate. Please have your seasonal friends throw their temper tantrums at me as well so I can kick them out as well if they’re going to behave like you.

A big park right on the St Lawrence. Sites are concrete and level. WiFi was ok. Washrooms were clean and adequate. From waterside sites you can see vessels on the seaway. There are a lot of rules!

Sites are large level concrete. You can watch ships on the seaway from the front

Great view. Nice windy not too much tho. Quiet camp ground, sites a little close

We stopped here for a night going from Niagara Falls area to upper vermont. All sites are a back in site yet it was long enough for us to stay hooked up. We had full hook up. The sites are tight like most RV parks. The office is at the 19th hole. There is a bar that serves food called Divots. They had prime rib on the menu yet Sundays they close early so we didn't get to eat there. 

There is a 12 hole golf coarse that surrounds the campground. 

There are a lot of seasonal campsites that have decks, nice furniture out at their spots. They all left Sunday afternoon yet the rigs stay there.

we paid #37.50 for a one night stay. That is a good price for full hook up.

Tons of free campsites and lean-to everywhere.

Some with picnic tables and fire area.

First arrive type! 

I camped while hiking the full CL50 loop.

You can also swim or go fishing!