Best Glamping near Raquette Lake, NY

Beautiful, peaceful large pond/small lake. Loons. Ducks and ducklings. Beaver. Canoes($20/day) and kayak rentals. Firewood for sale ($9?) or gather downed wood. Fishing. Large sandy Adirondack beach and day use area. Pet friendly. Very friendly staff. Clean, stocked bathrooms/toilet with sink and soap. Well located water spigots. Nearby trails. Dump station. Boat launch (no motorboats allowed).

No hookups. No onsite showers (can use another Golden Beach Campground showers a few miles away.) No cell or internet. Maybe wifi near entrance?

Easiest access is from Raquette Lake. From the west you will drive over 5 miles on a dirt road (slow going if towing).

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.

As I sat having by my coffee, watching steam rise from the pond, I listened to the distant calls of Loons.

I’d describe this campground as a hidden gem, but it’s not for everyone. To get here you leave the paved road and take a gravel road a little ways. On our way we spotted a group of Turkeys wandering about. This campground is for the adventurous. No electric or water hook ups (for RVs) and no shower facilities, but there are restrooms.

Staff was friendly and helpful. Helped me pick out a site and made sure I was good once I set up. Bring or rent a Canoe and you can travel out to an island in the middle of the pond from which families jump from a large rock into the lake.

As the sun sets and the stars come out, you’ll look up and suddenly realize just how small you are as you stare at the heavens and see the Milky Way.

Nothing but peace and quiet. When it’s quiet hours, the only thing you here is nature and the occasional crackle of someone’s fire.

Would I go here again? Brown Tract is one of those places that after you go once, you find yourself going again and again. Our tripped was booked as soon as we could.

We stayed in the rustic campground right down the road from the main campground. We parked in a lot and walked about 5 minutes to the campgrounds on the lake. They were beautiful and well kept, even had a small pile of fire wood for us.

The site had a relatively nice outhouse, a picnic table, a fire pit and a grate for grilling. It was right on the lake. There were a ton of other people in the main campground but only one other camper in the rustic area. $25 a night to camp.

There was some noise from the highway but not too bad. Coyotes were howling all night and definitely heard some around our campground.

Great campground with secluded sites most with woods behind each site, especially the tent area. The RV and tent camping is well separated and there are different kinds of RV space available as well. The showers are a bit gross, but free. The cabins look nice but a little close together. They don’t pick up the phone right away so call a few times to get ahold of someone. We had water/electric for a trailer at $35 a night in perfect location between Keene Valley and Lake Placid. Sites were clean and the fire pits were beautiful! We camped in site 45 and were pleasantly left alone.

We've visited this campground 6 times since we found it 4 years ago, and keep coming back for more. Easy access, great staff, well kept facilities and a beautiful setting. What more can you ask for?

The sites themselves are a good size. They aren't huge, but you'll have enough room to get creative with your parking. Plenty of trees to hang your hammocks on. All sites have a picnic table and fire pit, and for the most part are fairly level. Not all sites have full hookups, some are just power, some are only grey water, and some are full. There are a lot of full timers here, so the grounds can look fuller than they really are as most often the majority of the full time sites are not occupied. But on big weekends, when everyone shows up, its still not too crowded.

The facilities are modern and well kept. The only issue I had was the shower heads are at about 5'2" above the floor. I'm 6' tall. So that kinda sucked. But the pressure and temp were great, so its still a win. Plus, camping isn't really about taking showers anyways, right? Other than that the bath houses are well maintained and stocked. And they are never more than a quick walk from your camper.

Did I mention there is a pool? There is. And its HEATED. Which is nice, as we often get up there early or late in the season, and a heated pool is a necessity. There's also a good sized playground, an arcade, and lots of games for kids (and adults) to play like basketball, shuffle board, corn hole or horse shoes.

They have a great little shop there too, with just about everything you'd need to make a great weekend. And the staff is fantastic as well. The river is a little weird to get to, but totally worth it for kayaking, sailing or whatever kind of boating you want to do.

So that's a lotta Pro's. I should list some Cons too, to keep it fair.

• The sites are kinda close, so you don't get a ton of privacy, and you can really hear what's going on next door.
• The roadways can get a little tight between the trees, and can make for some interesting backing in.
• Also, the roadways are mostly one-way, which can make getting creative with your trailer landing position tough.
• They offer free wifi.
• Not all sites have full hookups
• Personally I'm not a fan of such an abundance of full-time units. But at least they're well kept (for the most part) and it is a few degrees shy of looking like a trailer park. You know what I mean.

Check them out, and they'll become one of your favorites too!

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!