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Best Tent Camping near Holtsville, NY

210 Reviews

Coastal areas surrounding Holtsville, New York offer tent camping opportunities with unique beach access and woodland settings. Fire Island National Seashore provides walk-in tent sites accessible by ferry, with Watch Hill Fire Island Campground offering designated tent campsites behind protective dunes. Battle Row Campground in Old Bethpage maintains 5-7 spacious tent sites set back from RV areas, while Ward Pound Ridge Reservation, located about 45 miles northwest of Holtsville, features tent-only camping with lean-to options throughout its extensive trail system.

Tent campsites at Fire Island require specific preparation due to their unique access requirements. Campers must take a ferry to reach Watch Hill, then walk approximately half a mile on boardwalks to reach tent sites. According to reviews, some sites lack privacy with neighbors positioned directly behind, while others offer more seclusion. Fire Island enforces a two-night minimum on weekends and prohibits open fires, though charcoal grills and camp stoves are permitted. Battle Row requires campers to bring their own fire containers as no permanent fire pits exist. Insect protection is essential at coastal sites, with multiple campers reporting significant mosquito and horsefly activity, particularly at Watch Hill.

The tent camping experience varies significantly between coastal and inland locations. One camper noted that backcountry beach camping at Fire Island allows visitors to "space out from other campers" with spots along the dunes that feel completely private, especially after Labor Day. Battle Row provides shaded, spacious tent sites with clean facilities, though some visitors mention highway noise and occasional feral cats. Ward Pound Ridge offers a more traditional woodland camping experience with sites that accommodate up to eight people in two tents, though some campers find the grounds "too well trimmed" for those seeking a more natural setting. Primitive tent camping areas throughout the region generally require advance reservations, with Ward Pound Ridge notably requiring in-person booking at their office.

Best Tent Sites Near Holtsville, New York (6)

    1. Watch Hill Fire Island Campground — Fire Island National Seashore

    7 Reviews
    Bayport, NY
    9 miles
    +1 (631) 597-6074

    "You can get a permit to backcountry camp instead of reserving a designated campground spot. Just walk down to the beach after check-in and walk east until you see a pole with a tent symbol on it."

    "Only about 20 min drive and 30 min ferry trip for us we got to watch hill. Awesome place close to home easy check in and very friendly ppl."

    2. Fire Island National Seashore

    1 Review
    Mastic Beach, NY
    11 miles
    Website

    $25 / night

    3. Battle Row Campground

    4 Reviews
    Old Bethpage, NY
    21 miles
    Website
    +1 (516) 572-8690

    $5 - $60 / night

    "I have lived 6 miles from this campground for the last 20 years and never knew they had tent sites. The park is clean the bathrooms are well maintained and there is a playground for the kids."

    "They have shower and restroom facilities , the showers were amazing and also so clean ! I had such a great stay and this is deffinatly one of my top favorite campgrounds."

    4. Ward Pound Ridge Reservation

    10 Reviews
    Cross River, NY
    42 miles
    Website
    +1 (914) 864-7317

    $45 - $55 / night

    "Close to the city and civilization, yet large enough to have nice trails and creeks to feel away from it all. The camping sites are very different so it’s useful to go in person and select the area."

    "There’s elevation gain, creeks, and open fields for stargazing. You have the options of a lean to here."

    5. Mountain Lakes Park

    3 Reviews
    North Salem, NY
    44 miles
    Website
    +1 (914) 864-7312

    "Mountain Lakes park is a great place to camp within driving distance from NYC. A fun option available at Mountain lakes is to rent a yurt to camp in."

    "A gorgeous piece of land that contains lakes, a lookout and Mt. Bailey, the highest point in Westchester County. A dirt road loops through the property with trails off and through it."

    6. Webb Mountain Park

    Be the first to review!
    Stevenson, CT
    39 miles
    Website
    +1 (203) 452-2806

    $10 - $35 / night

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Holtsville, NY

11 Photos of 6 Holtsville Campgrounds

Tent Camping Reviews near Holtsville, NY

210 Reviews of 6 Holtsville Campgrounds

  • T
    Sep. 5, 2023

    Heckscher State Park Campground

    Good Campsite For Families And Weekend Trips

    I camped here solo on Friday and Saturday over the Labor Day weekend. Overall my experience was positive.

    Camping Sites

    Each camping site has a picnic table and barbeque grill. The sites are designated by printing on the roads and do not have clear boundaries between them. My site had good shade coverage and was free of rocks and other hazards. 

    I had enough space that I didn't feel like I was intruding on my neighbors and vice-versa. That said, there aren't clear paths to the restroom building so it's not uncommon for people to cut through the edges of sites to get there. In my experience I (and others I saw) tried not to go right through the middle people's setups to do so.

    If you're looking for privacy, the sites at the rear seemed to be less-densely packed, even though every site was occupied. Quiet hours are generally adhered to but not enforced - there were some campers that had noise running later.

    Amenities

    The restroom building is in the middle of the campground and was clean and had plenty of stalls.

    Potable water is available at regular intervals, about at the corners of each group of four campsites.

    Cell phone reception is limited - I had data but it was very slow which led to my phone's battery draining quickly.

    Access

    A car is an absolute must for this part - the entrance is directly off of Southern State Parkway with no pedestrian access. Train stations are nearby so you could take the train most of the way and rent a car from there.

  • Ellen C.
    Jul. 15, 2019

    Heckscher State Park Campground

    Like camping in a city park, the beach cottages are the highlight

    My husband and and I camped one night at this newly reopened park over the weekend in Long Island just to check it out and were pretty disappointed by the tent camping area. There are 69 tent/trailer sites(no hook ups). There is no distinguishing separation between each site nor a designated driveway for your car- you merely pull up on the grass. It's basically like camping in your local city park. People park wildly all over the place, which also makes it more difficult to determine which site is which by the number painted on the roadway. Each"site" has a picnic table and an barbecue grate on a post. There is one bath/shower house in the center of all of these sites with no path provided for folks to walk to and fro, so naturally people will walk right through your site randomly rather than around the road. While the bathroom building itself is in decent shape and has a large amount of toilet stalls and about five showers, the condition of women's room was absolutely ghastly inside.

    At some point during the evening, a maintenance worker on a golf cart showed up with a mop and some cleaning supplies and cleaned the men's side of the building. I was so relieved when I saw him, but he seemed to neglect the women's side completely, so I resorted to using the men's facilities all night.

    There are no fire pits on any of the sites, although I learned afterwards that they do allow you to bring your own metal fire pit as long as it is elevated off the ground. There are large dumpsters located throughout the camping area and a large trash bag is provided (if needed) at the camp office when you check in.

    The highlight of Heckscher State Park is the newly constructed heated cottages located on the shore of Nichol's& Great South Bays.. There are currently 11 cottages--- with more under construction. There are cottages suited for two, four, and six people and range in price from$225-$285 per night during off peak seasons and$250- 320 per night during the peak seasons.

    The cottages are fully furnished, with a full kitchen and large bathroom with a walk in shower. The cottages are a short walk from the beach and also include a fire pit with Adirondack chairs and an outdoor shower on the exterior each property. I do not have photos of the inside, but they do have them on the Reserve America website if you are interested.

    While the cottages are lovely and their location is fabulous  they are quite pricey and  no TLC was spent in the$22 tent/rv camping area, other than a new registration office which is not yet completed as of this weekend. I do hope they invest some funding in the primitive area to add fire pits,more water spigots, clearer site markings and for the continued maintenance& upkeep of the bath/shower house.

    * I emailed the parks departement about the issues mentioned above about the camping area and received this reply:

    I am sorry that you are upset with the conditions in our recently opened campgrounds. We have replaced all of the picnic tables. Although, they may look old because they are weathered since these picnic tables were put together during the Winter, however, they are brand new. All of the barbeques are also new and were installed during the Winter. We have changed and modernized the light fixtures and we will be replacing the rusted doors that you mentioned. There are also plans to install a playground within the campground beginning this Fall and we are looking for other improvements and additions to the campgrounds. As you probably noticed there is a new building under construction, at the entrance to the campgrounds, and it will serve as a check-in area, as well as, additional comfort stations, including family restrooms. Your suggestion of fire pits is a good one and the Park Managers will evaluate the feasibility of installing these. Lastly, I have spoken to the Park Manager who will review the cleaning operation to ensure the restrooms are appropriately maintained. I apologize for our employee not cleaning the women's room. Again, I am sorry for your negative experience but we are continuing to make improvements to the campgrounds.

    Sincerely, George Gorman Regional Director New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation

    I will check back later this year to see if anything was changed and report back.

  • Christy C.
    Jun. 10, 2017

    Camp Gateway- Brooklyn NY - CLOSED — Gateway National Recreation Area

    "Camping" in Brooklyn

    We tried this campground without knowing what was safe and where to stay for visit New York City. It is located in Brooklyn and is little removed from everything. The sites are at Floyd Bennett Field which is an old airfield. The atmosphere here is eerily cool at the same time. You basically park and camp on the asphalt by the old hangars. No hookups at all but they do have a camp store and bath house. If you are tent camping, there are some grassy sites.

    The campground is located right on Jamaica Bay so there were people fishing all the time from the seawall. At night, you could hear cars doing burnouts right next to us. To get to all the action in the city, we had to take a bus and then the subway. The travel was a headache but better than trying to drive in to New York City in our RV. One way to improve here would be to have some security at night as well as access to clean water and dump station. They remained locked most of the time for some reason.

    The best part of this place was the free tour of Hangar B by some guys doing restoration of old planes (HARP). They had some great stories and gave us history of the planes on display.

  • Mayra D.
    Mar. 27, 2021

    Cedar Point County Park

    Perfect beach site

    We have gone there a few times. They don’t take reservations but there’s always some sites open. We have walked in and book a site. Twice though in June we had tons of ticks 😬 but overall is a good site! A couple of times we had loud neighbors and it seemed that the ranger was out for lunch so nobody was making sure that quiet hours were enforced.

  • A
    Sep. 10, 2024

    Kettletown State Park Campground

    Great location, but not a good experience

    Camping Review:

    This campsite is beautifully located in the woods, offering a peaceful and serene environment. There are no busy roads nearby, which ensures a quiet setting during the day.

    However, there are several downsides to consider. The camping spots are uneven, making it challenging to set up tents or campers. Additionally, swimming at the nearby beach is restricted to residents of the village, so visitors are not allowed to swim there.

    During our stay, there were multiple large groups, including a Christian group that preached (screamingly) and played loud music until midnight, despite the designated quiet hours. Unfortunately, the management did nothing to enforce the rules, which was disruptive.

    Another significant issue was the state of the sanitary facilities. They were extremely dirty, with feces present in various places. It took a long time before anything was cleaned, which obviously kept us from using the facilities.

    Overall, while the location is beautiful, the poor management, noise issues, and dirty sanitary facilities seriously detract from the experience.

  • W L.
    Jan. 8, 2022

    Heckscher State Park Campground

    Great Late Fall Weekend Cabin

    This was a last-minute booking for us and we were delighted with the beachside cottage, with enough amenities that mom and dad did not worry we had their cutie with us for "camping". She's too little for backpacking into the woods but finally got to stay overnight and help with the campfire!

    Pros

    • Modern facility with full kitchen accessories (coffee maker, plates, wine opener, can opener, silverware, pots, pans, cooking utensils, toaster, oven), sponge/dish liquid. Microwave.1
    • Clean interior, clean campground
    • modern cottage with propane fireplace, WiFi access, bathroom with shower, large screened in porch with bar height table and 4 chairs, deck with chaise lounges, two bedrooms (1 with 2 twin beds, 1 with full), coach, chairs, plenty of clean storage places and hooks. You have everything but bedding, food, drinks, and personal items.
    • cottages far enough away from each other
    • fire ring with Adirondack chairs
    • dumpster and recycling within walking distance
    • lots of bone dry firewood around for campfire
    • walkable beach
    • beautiful
    • wildlife: deer, rabbits, turtles

    Cons

    • a bit pricey
    • playground is driving distance not walking
  • Emily S.
    Sep. 20, 2020

    Watch Hill Fire Island Campground — Fire Island National Seashore

    Backcountry Beach Camping

    You can get a permit to backcountry camp instead of reserving a designated campground spot. Just walk down to the beach after check-in and walk east until you see a pole with a tent symbol on it. After that you can choose where you want to set up camp. There are many spots along the dunes and allows to really space out from other campers. It felt like we had the entire beach to ourselves because there was no one else even close to around us, we went the weekend after labor day.

  • Kari M.
    Sep. 16, 2016

    Camp Gateway- Brooklyn NY - CLOSED — Gateway National Recreation Area

    Best getaway in New York!

    Camp Gateway is one of my favorite places to go when I want to get away from the busy city! It's in such a great location because it's close to the city yet seems so far away. You feel like you are miles away from the busy city because of all the trees, and the campground creates a great outdoor feel. If camping is "boring" for you, this still is a great place to go because you can schedule tours and the Statue of Liberty isn't far away, so you can go visit that. I really enjoy hiking around the area, and they also have some great paths for biking. I rented my bike from a local shop close by- Avaitor Sports Shop. The only downside is that they do have a few guidelines and rules- lets are not allowed in the tent sites, no alcochol allowed and no charcoal grills. This does help keep the campground pretty clean, which is always nice. There is a lake nearby that has boat launches and I've seen people kayaking too. The campground was nice, and the campsite had a fire ring and table. Our camp spot was a little farther away from the restrooms, but it wasn't too bad. They also have showers available too. I would recommend this campsite!

  • M
    Jul. 21, 2016

    Nickerson Beach Park Campground

    Long Island Camping

    There are not many places to camp on long island that are actually on the Atlantic ocean side. This is basically a parking lot but right on the other side of the dunes is Lido Beach. Which is fantastic for surfing. There is an indoor bathroom/shower room that is open here for 3 seasons too.

Guide to Holtsville

Tent camping near Holtsville, New York ranges from sheltered woodland sites to coastal environments, with seasonal availability varying widely. The camping sites within a 45-mile radius of Holtsville experience humid summers with temperatures typically in the 75-85°F range, while spring and fall camping offers milder conditions. Winter camping is limited to select inland locations that remain open year-round, including Battle Row and Ward Pound Ridge Reservation.

What to do

Hiking local trail systems: Ward Pound Ridge Reservation offers over 40 miles of trails with various difficulty levels. A camper noted, "I believe there are over 40 miles of trails in this area. Would definitely recommend for those who want to camp near NYC but not drive too far."

Water activities: Mountain Lakes Park provides multiple lakes for recreation directly accessible from camping areas. According to a visitor, "The area, as the name implies, is home to several lakes which can be used for various recreational purposes. There are also many hikes which can be trekked straight from the campgrounds."

Beach exploration: During summer months at Watch Hill Fire Island Campground, campers can access oceanfront beaches. A reviewer shared, "You can get there by ferry. Very quiet and comfortable. Birdsong in the morning and the sound of the waves."

What campers like

Privacy options: At Fire Island National Seashore, backpacking farther from designated areas provides seclusion. One camper reported, "Very secluded, and peaceful weekend by the water. Make sure to get a reservation if you're going in between march 15 and labor day."

Clean facilities: Battle Row Campground maintains well-kept bathroom facilities. A visitor noted, "This was my first time camping here and I was amazed at how clean the sites were and quiet the campground was. The showers were amazing and also so clean!"

Year-round availability: Ward Pound Ridge Reservation offers camping throughout all seasons. One regular camper mentioned, "They have great sights and are open all year round. I've stayed in hammocks, tents, lean-tos, and even did a good share of car camping."

What you should know

Reservation requirements: Most tent camping sites around Holtsville require advance booking, with some having specific processes. A camper at Ward Pound Ridge shared, "The one downside is that you need to book in person but it can be done well in advance if need be."

Insect preparation: Coastal campsites particularly require comprehensive insect protection. A visitor described the situation at Watch Hill, "Take a quick walk down to the beach. Two-night minimum on weekends, and no fires. You can bring charcoal to cook on the grills provided or camp stoves, though."

Fire restrictions: Battle Row Campground has specific fire container requirements. A camper explained, "There are NO fire pits, you must bring your own. Fires are allowed but you must have a fire container or bucket for your fire off of the ground."

Tips for camping with families

Playground access: Battle Row offers centralized recreational facilities for children. A reviewer stated, "The playground is new and centrally located. They also have a horseshoe pit."

Educational opportunities: Watch Hill provides ranger-led programs specifically designed for younger campers. One parent noted, "There are park rangers on site and have excellent programs for kids."

Shelter options: Hidden Lake Farm provides alternative accommodations beyond traditional tent camping. The site offers "2 lodging options to choose from. Pets welcome!"

Tips for RVers

Site spacing: Battle Row separates RV and tent areas to provide adequate space. A camper observed, "There are lots of RVs but not close to tent sites. Ours was #59, well shaded and spacious."

Utility hookups: While tent sites lack dedicated hookups, many campgrounds provide central water access. According to a review, "The water spigot and the gray-water dump are not right by the tent sites. Seems silly since the tents are the ones using them."

Access considerations: Most tent camping areas near Holtsville have limited RV accessibility due to road conditions or environmental protections. Tent camping options exceed RV-suitable locations in this region, particularly at coastal sites requiring ferry transportation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Holtsville, NY?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Holtsville, NY is Watch Hill Fire Island Campground — Fire Island National Seashore with a 4-star rating from 7 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Holtsville, NY?

TheDyrt.com has all 6 tent camping locations near Holtsville, NY, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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