Best RV Parks & Resorts near Hartwick, 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.

Upon arrival we were surprised by the limited amount of sites, especially after coming from larger state parks. It wasn't necessarily a bad things for it to be small, but it seemed isolated from the beach, hiking trails, and other unique experiences. Our site(#31) faced directly to site#6 from the other loop. If you are traveling with another group, I would recommend booking these two sites. There is a small, hop-able, stream that runs in between them. Verizon cell service worked well and I was able to work remotely with video calls from our RV. We do have a Pepwave BR1 Max Pro to boost cell signal. We would stay here again to visit Cooperstown and Ommegang.

Had a great summer camping weekend at Little Pond.

Pros:

- Near wonderful, little-used hiking trails - challenging ones, too!

- Close to Catskill town options to explore, e.g. Livingston Manor

- picnic table and room to park at your site

- there is a dump station and recycling center.

- Clean bathrooms and shower facilities

- Nice tent sites with well-maintained fire pits (have rack for grilling over coals, very large fire pits, sturdy)

- payphone near entrance/park ranger's office

- firewood for sale at ranger's office

-wildlife: hummingbirds on the path around Little Pond, frogs, deer, birds

- foraging: plaintain, raspberries near camp, blueberries and huckleberries on hike

- views on hike

- ruins on hike

Cons

- no cell service, however, if you hike to a mountain top can have fun joking with those you call about that's what it took to be able to get a signal and be in touch with them :-)

- weekend around the lake is more like a park with day-trippers, as opposed to serene wilderness/lakeside camping. 

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There was a high school group (on Satuday?) there that made it feel more like a family/public place than a wilderness getaway. The hiking, however, more than made up for it. The trail we took to get to the top and, at last, have cell phone service and AWESOME views more than made up for that.

The Park Rangers were helpful and unobtrusive. They drove their carts around periodically but not like they were hovering in any one spot or making trouble for anyone. 

We like visiting the nearby towns and breweries. It was a wondrful weekend. They have some tent sites right on the lake for hike-ins. If you drive, you have to carry all your stuff for awhile before you get to yourcamp site. However, these are right on the lake in supreme spots, even with "old school" outhouses a stone's throw away.

I recommend Little Pond for a weekend. If you stay longer, be sure to check  out the surrounding area. We stayed at campsite 2, which was ok, but not on the lake. Go for a site on the lake, even if you have to carry your stuff to set up, it was breathtaking in the morning to see the mist rising off the lake.

From the park: 

Campground Phone:(845) 439-5480 Regional Office Phone:(607) 652-2032 Make Your Camping Reservation: ReserveAmerica

Little Pond is a quiet picturesque campground located in the Catskill Forest Preserve which offers a leisurely hiking trail around a 13-acre pond, and the opportunity to venture along trails leading to the ruins of an old farm or enjoy breathtaking views atop the Touchmenot Mountains.

The campgrounds, beach, boat rental, and Junior Naturalist Program offers fun for all ages; and for the primitive camper, we offer remote sites on the back side of the pond. Little Pond is located minutes from Beaverkill, a world renowned fly fishing stream. Amenities = 67 tent and trailer sites; 8"remote" tent sites; picnic area with tables, grills, or fireplaces; pavilion rental; playground; volleyball; horseshoes; soccer; basketball; ice sales; firewood sales; flush toilets; hot showers; trailer dump station; recycling center; sand beach; boat launch; rowboat, paddle boat, kayak and canoe rentals.

The campground offers accessible campsites with a mile long trail around the pond. A newly constructed ADA fishing platform is at the end of the trail near the day use area. There is also a new ADA path to the beach. Full listing of DEC's Accessible Recreation Destinations. Campsite Restoration Project This campground has sites that have been selected for restoration. While undergoing restoration the chosen sites will be closed. For the list of sites and more information on the project visit the Campsite Restoration Project page. People using the accessible trail at Little Pond Featured Activities boating Boating No motor boats allowed. Rowboats and canoes allowed. Rowboat, paddle boat, kayak and canoe rentals available. fishing Fishing A variety of pan fish.

The Beaverkill, renowned fly fishing stream, is with minutes from the campground. The Pepacton Reservoir is also close by. A special permit is needed to fish in this reservoir and can be obtained from the city of New York Board of Water Supply. Record sized brown trout and smallmouth bass have been caught in the reservoir. Fishing licenses are no longer being sold at any of our campground facilities, but can be conveniently purchased on-line or by phone.

Hiking Trailheads for both the campground trail and Little Pond trail are located within the campground. These trails connect the campground to the 33 miles of foot trails located on the 27,000+ acre Delaware Wild Forest, which boarders the campground to the north. swimming

Wildlife to Watch: White-tailed deer Wild turkeys Bald eagles Bears Coyotes Foxes

Historic Interest: The campground was constructed between 1965 and 1968. It opened for camping in 1968 with 67 sites; the picnic area and the beach in 1968. The 8 remote sites were added at a later date. The shower house was constructed in 1984. In celebration of the 100th year anniversary of the Forest Preserve in July 1985, a time capsule was buried in the campground. This capsule, containing the names of the persons camping in the campground at that time, was entombed in the base of a stone monument located in front of the facility supervisor's office. The capsule is scheduled to be opened on the 200th anniversary of the Forest Preserve.

It is pet friendly. We stayed with our 3 small children. Enjoyed bike riding through the park. water was beautiful. Lots of waterfront access. It was during the off season in early spring but still very well maintained and clean. Surprised to see so many campers there during the spring when we pulled in but not after seeing the views. Park is nice and easy to navigate with a 30ft travel trailer behind me. My husband loved the fishing! My children loved the water and trails. We visited the Baseball National Hall of Fame, Fenimore Art Museum and the Farmers Museum nearby in Cooperstown. This was our family's favorite spring break vacation ever. Showers had hot water and we were allowed to sue our generator no problem. Also my husband & I went to Brewery Omegang and had the best tasting ever!

We scheduled a pull through for 1 night last minute due to an unexpected change in plans. We are a full-time traveling family (2 kids - 8 & 13) and 2 English Bulldogs. We have a Class A motorhome and flat tow a Jeep. The campground was beautiful and easy to get in and out of. The sites were level and great size with nice spacing in between. The location was nice too! We did head over to the casino briefly and enjoyed that. We also took a drive to the University of Syracuse to tour the campus. Clean and wonderful park. Would definitely recommend.

This is a small campground set up on the periphery of Butternut Hill farm which is located on the main Route 20 in Bouckville NY.  At the time I submitted my review, I was not able to make edits on the basic campground listing;   I am not sure why the Dyrt platform wouldnt let me update the important details, but you can get more info and make reservations on the campground webpage which is here: 

https://butternuthill.net/

The campground is in a convenient location in Bouckville,  a small upstate NY village with a concentration of numerous antique shops, which is a draw for collectors in the area. There is also a famous Inn and restaurant, the Landmark Inn, which anchors the town, adjacent to a trailhead for a hiking trail along the historic Chenango Canal, an offshoot of the Erie Canal. 

The meadows and fields of Butternut Hill are the superb festival setting for several regional events, including several Antique shows, the Central New York Fiber Festival, a craft fair and a car show, events that are scheduled a few times a month throughout the summer. 

The campground is adjacent to the festival fields, lining a forest edge with expansive views of the surrounding valley. During special events, vendors and exhibitors have a convenient and inexpensive place to stay that is not far from the exhibit tents and festival fields, but people attending the events can stay there too, or campsites may be reserved at other times through the summer, on a daily, weekly or even monthly basis. 

Many of the sites are for RV's, which have electric and water hookups along with a picnic table and fire pit; rates fro these rang $40-50. There are also primitive tent sites which have a grassy tent area and fire pit but no picnic table and cost  $30 per night. There is a cozy log camper cabin available, at a very inexpensive price of $60 per night (bring your own linens). All camping spots are in close walking distance to the bath house, which has water, showers, and bathrooms. (Additional porta potties are set up during festival events.)  

I was there during the Fiber Festival, and I was impressed at how well organized the programing was, and how clean everything was despite large attendance. In addition, it rained really hard one day of the event, and though the access roads got a little muddy, the campsites seem well drained and did not get muddy. The campsites all back to the woods on the west side, so this serves as a good windbreak too. 

The campground office has some basic camping supplies available, but an advantage of being there during a festival event was a nice food tent and a variety of food trucks offering delicious fare!  If you were coming from a distance to attend one of the local special events, this is a good place to stay, though of course busy during the day. If you wanted to camp here at a non event time, you would find it to be a quiet pastoral location with access to some hiking and fishing spots in close proximity. For staying in the area, the camper cabin would be a great all-weather option if you can get it!

We stayed for two nights mid-week in June and had the entire loop to ourselves. That made the experience a 5/5, but after seeing the site layout, it seems like accessibility could be an issue with high occupancy. Check-in went very smoothly and we were greeted by the new owner of only 45 days. She was extremely pleasant. Most of the campground is filled with seasonal RVs which makes for a different experience. Our site was on top of the creek, close to the path down to the water and close to a hiking trail. During our visit we drove around the nearby towns and didn't find much to see or do with our time. I don't know if I would stay here again just for the visit to the campground given the higher cost, but we enjoyed the one time experience. Verizon cell service was decent, and enough to work remotely.

Awesome camping resort. Seasonal rates are excellent. We stayed from April until October then decided to stay over winter. They have a small winter section. You'll have the entire mountain side all to yourself! Snowshoe, cross country ski. Winter campfires. Owners Mike and Sherri are great. Dumpsters, laundry with coin machine. Very remote. Windy as all get out. Elevation about 1409 feet. View of the sunrise over the entire valley are awesome. Very very cool place. Some summer residents are a bit into their music, mostly on weekends. Bring your golf cart and beer cooler 🙄. Cov... I'm not saying that word, reduced activities here but it was still awesome. Two ponds to fish in, one you can swim in, kid friendly small pool, horseshoes and huge field to hit golf balls in with 3 holes. Pet friendly. Kid friendly. Huge club house and store that was closed for the big. Arcade, grill, pool table and small store. Lp gas. Wifi is so so. Backed up to state forest land. Enjoy!!!