Campgrounds across the Lake Placid region provide varied options for outdoor accommodations within the Adirondack Mountains of New York. Established sites include the Lake Placid/Whiteface Mountain KOA Holiday with tent, RV, cabin, and glamping facilities, and Meadowbrook Campground between Lake Placid and Saranac Lake offering more primitive camping experiences. The Wilderness Campground at Heart Lake serves as a popular basecamp for hiking adventures into the High Peaks Wilderness area, while Draper's Acres provides year-round camping closer to town. The region features a mix of state-operated facilities and private campgrounds, with accommodations ranging from rustic tent sites to full-hookup RV spots.
Most developed campgrounds in the Lake Placid area operate seasonally from May through October, with only a few sites remaining accessible during winter months. The Adirondack region experiences significant seasonal variation, with summer high seasons bringing warmer temperatures and increased tourism activity. Several campgrounds require advance reservations, particularly during summer weekends and fall foliage season when visitation peaks. State-operated facilities like Fish Creek Pond Campground and Wilmington Notch offer well-maintained facilities but fill quickly during prime months. Weather conditions can change rapidly in the mountains, particularly at higher elevations. As one visitor noted, "The location to the high peaks couldn't be better. The staff was great! The only negative is that the sites are a little bit difficult to navigate and find, especially when arriving at dusk."
Proximity to hiking trails represents a significant draw for campers in the Lake Placid area. Several campgrounds provide direct access to popular trails, including the Scarface Mountain trail from Meadowbrook Campground and numerous High Peaks access points from Heart Lake. Many visitors use these campgrounds as basecamps for exploring the region's extensive outdoor recreation opportunities. Campers report variable experiences with amenities, with state campgrounds typically offering basic but clean facilities. Road noise affects some camping areas located near main thoroughfares. One camper shared: "We stayed at the Heart Lake Campground for a week and a half utilizing it as our home base for adventures into the High Peaks Wilderness and the greater Adirondack region. We had a very pleasant stay here and personally found the weekdays to be best for 'camp days' given there were few people."
"Close to hiking trails, Whiteface Mt Parkway & Lake Placid. Nice, helpful staff. It is NOT wheelchair accessible. There are steep steps to the office, no grab bars in the bathrooms."
"Lots to do, hiking trails within walking distance. Just a short drive to white face mountain and the village of lake placid."
$22 - $40 / night
"Outhouse was a little rough around the edges, but doable. Town is close by for ice and things. Our island had 4 other campsites on it and we barely saw or heard our neighbors."
"This lake is so peaceful and the remote islands that are only accessible by boat make this spot really special. It's a gorgeous place to get away from everything and to really connect to nature."
$22 - $40 / night
"Bike path, kayak rentals, close to Lake Placid Olympic center, Wild Center in Tupper Lake"
"A quiet campground just outside of Lake Placid"
$18 / night
"Only about a hour and a half from the border of Canada. This is a great home base for Lake Placid area and Whiteface Mountain. Great clean bathrooms with free hot showers."
"free showers, close to Whiteface Mt & Lake Placid"
$30 - $40 / night
"Good location for major trailheads and near by lake placid keene. Tent sites are not very big. Although weconfortavly fit with one vehicle. Free hot showers."
"We had a full hookup, pull through site surrounded by trees. There was some road noise during the day but it was nice and quiet at night. The bathhouses looked very "rustic" but we didn't use them."
$18 - $40 / night
"This is a very basic campground situated in a small village in the Adirondacks – situated between Saranac Lake and Lake Placid. "
"It's an average campground, but has a really good location between Lake Placid and Saranac Lake. Our site had the standard DEC picnic table and fire pit."
$25 - $55 / night
"I didn’t spend any time inside the Loj by the lake because I was camping with my dog and intentionally stayed off the Wi-Fi the whole trip, but family made use of the connection option."
"The lean to I had was right on the lake and on the edge of the campground. It's a bit of a trek to a bathroom but well worth it."
$20 - $40 / night
"There are great hiking and biking trails as well. The camp ground is very wooded and private and many sites are right on the water."
"As it isn't too far of a drive for us, it quickly became our go-to campgrounds for quite a while due to the mostly flat campground and who doesn't love hearing the slow trickle of water splashing close"
$20 - $40 / night
"It’s perfectly secluded, but still not far from Lake Placid. You do have to travel a little ways (6-10 miles) for a grocery store, but the view is worth it. I highly recommend this beautiful place."
"Our site was tucked back into some trees and you couldn't see any other sites from it. To look around, it was as if we had all of the Adirondacks to ourselves!"
"This campground is conveniently located near the trails for Mt. Marcy, Mt. Colden, and Avalanche Pass. Everything is first come first serve."
"The scenery was gorgeous and there were lots of nice hikes around."
GuideWe loved camping at Crane Pond. It was a little over 3 miles to hike into the waterfront sites. There is an outhouse nearby, several campsites, fire pits, and we went for a swim in the pond. Overall great experience!
LegendThis review is for primitive backpack or paddle in camping alogn the breathtakingly beautiful Sagamore Lake. On the southwest corner of the lake is located the historic Camp Sagamore, one of the so-called Great Camps of the Adirondacks and which is now a comfortable lodge and camping retreat which hosts lifelong learning workshops on crafts and history throughout the year. If interested in visiting it, see this link: https://www.sagamore.org/
However, beyond the grounds of the Camp is the vast Blue Ridge Wilderness of the Adirondack State Forest Park which completely surround the lake. Adhacent to camp Sagamore is a parking lot for campers and hikers, which includes an outhouse, picnic table, launch for canoes or kayaks, and trailhead for hiking and backpacking. The trail encircles Sagamore lake is is about 3.8 miles long. There is primitive and dispersed camping all along the trail and and along shore and beyond as long as you practice Leave No Trace principles. This basically means no campsite amenities other than the glorious woods and lake, but you will have your pick of remote spots to pitch a tent without having to backpack for hours. The trail does attract a fair number of day use hikers or paddlers, but few campers. The trail is reasonable to tackle for beginning dispersed campers, with the added safety of being able to hike out to the Camp within a couple miles in case of emergency. Highly recommended!
LegendThis is a small rustic state forest off the beaten track, remote from but not too far from the village of Inlet in the Adirondacks. It is smaller than some of the other are forest campgrounds, and more quiet and peaceful. While in a rustic location at a distance from the main road, amenities do include picnic tables and firerings, flush toilets as well as privvies, and a trailer dump station 9but no hooksups) Sites are spacious and private and well shaded. You can paddle and fish right here, with lots of good hiking in the area. Fairly easy to get to from the Utica area, and with reasonably close access to a quaint Adirondack village, but still providing a remote expereince at the edge of the wilderness.
Note: just 3.5 miles from the campground is the very nique and special Ferd's Bog reserve. There is a floating boardwalk into the trail, under the shadow of Cascade Mountain. Myriad unique boreal plants for view by botany fans, about a 1.2 hike in and back, and easy trail access from nearby Uncas Road, more info here: https://cnyhiking.com/FerdsBogTrail.htm
LegendThis 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
LegendThe Golden Beach campground has two sections: one is the main campground, with the usual state forest amenities including bathrooms, showers and beach, shared with a couple hundred campsites along the east side of Racquette Lake. However, the campground also manages a string of more remotely placed campsites located along the shor of the south bay of Racquette Lake, removed from the main campground and its amenities but with much more space between sites and direct access to the lake. They also are clustered in small spurs directly accessible to Rt 28, which has pluses and minuses. For me, these quieter more rustic sites are preferable, especially with the easy access for canoeing right on the lake. Picnic table, tent site, parking spot and fire ring are all provided, right along the beautiful lake. The smallest spur has only 2 campsites, which is perfect when you want a quiet spot! Big trees, peace and quiet, beautiful Adirondack experience, also not too far from the main campground and many hiking trails in the area
GuideThis is a nice little private campground in Shelburne, just outside of Burlington. Close to Lake Champlain. Good place to spend the night and good access to activities. Sides are somewhat small close together. Bathrooms spotlessly clean. Older couple is the staff, very friendly and unhelpful.
GuidePretty nice campground all things considered, bathrooms are definitely rustic but kept clean. Some of the campsites are very close together, and others have a decent amount of space between them, not necessarily a lot of trees in between campsites for privacy. Beautiful views of the water, and surrounding mountains. Staff was extremely friendly!
TravelerI wish I had my bike!!! I didn’t know that this was a biking campground and there were SO MANY trails. Made the most of them with running, but overall, a fantastic campground. Showers were clean, staff was very friendly. Sites and attractions within walking distance (but busy roads to cross).
RangerWe stayed in site 33 which is in the equestrian camping area. It’s really open with little tree cover which is perfect for those who work remote using Starlink. We had fantastic connection. The sites in the equestrian camping area are huge and so clean. The bathrooms are the cleanest I’ve seen so far and we do this full time. The only disappointment was that the hot water doesn’t get very hot in the shower so you better do some jumping jacks to get pumped before showering during colder temps! The trails are well marked and well maintained. Overall, this is a fantastic campsite. There’s even a brewery a ten minute walk down the road. We didn’t go but looks nice. Get your supplies before you arrive! Not many places around to quickly grab charcoal if you need it.
Lake Placid provides a range of camping opportunities throughout the Adirondack region of upstate New York. Established campgrounds like Meadowbrook Campground and Draper's Acres offer traditional tent and RV sites, while the Wilderness Campground at Heart Lake serves as a popular base for hiking the High Peaks. Accommodation options span from basic tent sites to full-service RV hookups, cabins, and glamping facilities. Several campgrounds, including Lake Placid/Whiteface Mountain KOA Holiday, provide more amenities like showers, electricity, and water hookups for those seeking a less rustic experience.
Camping season in the Lake Placid area generally runs from May through October, with most developed campgrounds closing during winter months. Fish Creek Pond Campground operates from April to late October, while a few facilities like Wilderness Campground at Heart Lake remain open year-round for winter camping enthusiasts. Reservations are strongly recommended during summer and fall peak periods, especially for weekends. Many campgrounds require advance booking through ReserveAmerica or directly with private operators. Sites with water access or views tend to fill fastest. One visitor noted, "Bathrooms are mostly clean and the showers are nice. The campground is ok, but needs a bit of a facelift. You can hear sounds of the city, so you're not truly in the woods."
Camping locations near water features receive consistently positive feedback from visitors. Saranac Lake Islands Campground offers boat-in tent sites that provide greater seclusion and direct lake access. Proximity to hiking trails ranks as another important feature for many campers, with trailheads to popular Adirondack peaks accessible from several campgrounds. A camper shared that Wilderness Campground at Heart Lake offers "gorgeous" views with access to multiple trails. Road noise affects some campgrounds closer to highways, while more remote options provide quieter environments. Bathhouse facilities vary widely across campgrounds, from basic to recently renovated. Sites with hookups typically command higher rates but offer convenience for RV travelers and those wanting more amenities during their Adirondack camping experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
What camping is available near Lake Placid, NY?
According to TheDyrt.com, Lake Placid, NY offers a wide range of camping options, with 154 campgrounds and RV parks near Lake Placid, NY and 15 free dispersed camping spots.
Which is the most popular campground near Lake Placid, NY?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Lake Placid, NY is Lake Placid/Whiteface Mountain KOA Holiday with a 4.4-star rating from 44 reviews.
Where can I find free dispersed camping near Lake Placid, NY?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 15 free dispersed camping spots near Lake Placid, NY.
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