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Best Tent Camping near Lewis, NY

708 Reviews

Tent campers visiting Lewis, New York can access several established campgrounds in the surrounding Adirondack region. The area features both designated campgrounds and backcountry options, including Poke-O-Moonshine near Schroon Lake and South Meadow Campground, which provide tent-specific accommodations in natural settings. Wilderness Campground at Heart Lake, located near Saranac Lake, offers tent sites with varying levels of amenities and serves as a popular basecamp for hikers exploring nearby peaks.

Most tent sites in the region require minimal preparation as they feature basic amenities. Campgrounds like Mount Philo State Park provide picnic tables and fire pits at each site, while backcountry options like Marcy Dam Backcountry Campsites offer more primitive conditions. Several locations prohibit fires, including South Meadow Campground and Marcy Dam, requiring campers to bring camp stoves instead. Water availability varies significantly between established campgrounds and backcountry sites. A visitor commented, "This campground is conveniently located near the trails for Mt. Marcy, Mt. Colden, and Avalanche Pass. Everything is first come first serve." Bear canisters are required at most backcountry tent sites in the region.

Tent camping experiences in the Lewis area often center around access to hiking trails and natural features. Backcountry sites like Lillian Brook campground provide unique advantages for tent campers pursuing multi-day hiking loops. As one camper wrote, "Great campground when doing the DIX loop. You have the Lillian brook flowing right next to it. Clear water with big rock pool to swim in." Primitive tent sites at higher elevations like Sno-Bird campground offer proximity to challenging trails but may experience colder temperatures and more exposure to elements. Walk-in tent sites throughout the region typically provide more seclusion than drive-in options, though they require additional effort to access. Weekday visits generally offer quieter experiences compared to busy summer weekends when many tent campgrounds reach capacity.

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Best Tent Sites Near Lewis, New York (47)

    1. Mount Philo State Park Campground

    10 Reviews
    Charlotte, VT
    17 miles
    Website
    +1 (802) 425-2390

    $23 / night

    "Nice trails that lead to scenic views of Lake Champlain. Bathrooms and showers were clean. Showers were quarter operated, 50 cents for 5 minutes. Firewood sold on site."

    "There are less than 20 sites total, and all sites are near walk-in paths to excellent views of Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks or the Green Mountains. The facility is small, but adequate."

    2. Poke-O-Moonshine

    2 Reviews
    Willsboro, NY
    9 miles
    +1 (518) 834-9045

    "Easy distance to Poko-moonshine mountain and several smaller mountains.Beautiful location. Removed from trafficked roads, very quiet. Can be busy in summer. Waterfront access to Long Pond."

    3. Wilderness Campground at Heart Lake

    9 Reviews
    Lake Placid, NY
    21 miles
    Website
    +1 (518) 523-3441

    $25 - $55 / night

    "There’s no explaining the views around here. The mountains are beautiful, Lake Placid is beautiful, and this campsite is amazing."

    "Rode in on a motorcycle late at night expecting to not be able to get in, but you can take a parking pass and drop an envelope with your fee at the entrance booth. $15 for a full day $8 after 1PM."

    4. South Meadow Campground

    1 Review
    Witherbee, NY
    11 miles
    Website

    5. Adirondack Acres Trail and Camps

    1 Review
    Keeseville, NY
    15 miles

    "This prime location is very private. There is absolutely no one around as far as the eye can see in the area close to the river. "

    6. Saranac Lake Islands Adirondack Preserve Campground

    15 Reviews
    Saranac Lake, NY
    31 miles
    Website
    +1 (518) 891-2841

    $22 - $40 / night

    "You'll need a boat or canoe (rentals available in Saranac Lake). Sites have tables, fire rings, and outhouses. You'll need a tent, bag, pad, cooking equipment, etc."

    "All campsites have picnic tables, firepits/grills, and privies. Saranac Lake Marina has great rental boats. I even think the dogs look forward to these camping trips."

    7. Marcy Dam Backcountry Campsites

    2 Reviews
    Keene Valley, NY
    21 miles
    Website

    "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."

    8. Lillian brook campground

    1 Review
    Keene Valley, NY
    19 miles
    Website
    +1 (518) 897-1200

    "You have the Lillian brook flowing right next to it.

    Clear water with big rock pool to swim in (COLD)

    You can collect the water but use a filter or tabs to be safe."

    9. Bushnelle Falls Campsite

    1 Review
    Keene Valley, NY
    18 miles

    $10 / night

    "Lots of tent sites and 2 lean-to.

    2 privy.

    Near the river and a huge falls too.

    Campsite is FREE (but entry is 10$ day)"

    10. Feldspar Lean-to

    3 Reviews
    Keene Valley, NY
    22 miles

    "One lean-to and 3 campsites.

    2 near the lean-to across the bridge.

    1 on the other side.

    There's also a privy.

    It's far out and the only way to access is by hiking."

    "If you’re coming from Marcy Dam by way of Lake Colden, this campsite is a great spot to stop for the night on the way to Mt. Marcy."

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Lewis, NY

66 Photos of 47 Lewis Campgrounds

Tent Camping Reviews near Lewis, NY

708 Reviews of 47 Lewis Campgrounds

  • Beth R.
    Jun. 27, 2024

    Smugglers Notch State Park Campground

    Newly Developed … Work in Progress

    Pros: Full hookup (sewer, water, 50 AMP) 1.7 mile from #7 Ranked World's Best Disc Golf Course: Fox Run Meadows New fire ring New picnic table Gorgeous Mountain View

    Cons: Grass site No amenities No Wi-Fi Soft ground, sinked during setup

  • Amber A.
    Jul. 25, 2016

    Ausable Point Campground

    Ranger Review: Crazy Creek Air Chair Plus at Ausable Point Campground

    Campground Review: Lakeshore camping! Beautiful little peninsula where you can watch the sunrise/set. Lovely in autumn. Good birding, water activities, sunsets, geology/gorge, short easy forest hikes, beach walking, all the good stuff you expect from this part of New York. Most of the site is off limits because of wildlife preserve, still a lot to explore. Good as base camp for a few days in the area. Get the tents sites near the lake! Popular for day use area (picnics, birthday parties, etc). Stay here and you can say you camped in Peru! (Lots of upstate NY towns are named for countries.)

    Gear Review: As a The Dyrt Ranger I receive products to test and review. I won the Crazy Creek Air Chair Plus in a campground review contest in June 2016. I had been thinking of purchasing both a camp chair (for camping) and an air mattress (for camping & backpacking), as on my last few trips I got pretty sick of sitting on my closed-cell foam mat and a recent knee injury was making me rethink my open-cell foam ultralight sleeping pad. Well, this Crazy Creek Air Chair Plus does both and does them both well. It starts out as a camp chair (adjustable angle, typical back height) and flips open to a full size air pad made by Klymit. Sounds great right? I flew to NY for a whirlwind family/business/camping trip soon after receiving the chair and had ample opportunities to try it sleeping on friends’ floors and in tents. The chair portion was super comfortable, way better than any simple camp chairs I’d used. I was nervous about sitting on more rugged surfaces (I’m just paranoid about inflatables!) but so far so good. You can also flip open the bed part while you're sitting and have an extended leg rest to protect against hot sand or dirt. The conversion to the sleeping pad was simple. It inflates fairly easily, but at high altitude after a long day of hiking you might be a little annoyed puffing it all up. Sleeping on it was great: my knee and back were happier than with my open-cell foam mats (similar to the typical Thermarest). The one issue I had was that there’s a big dip/joint where the mattress flips out in the conversion from chair to bed---it’s not really that intrusive but I guess my side-sleeping and height (5’4”) conspired to annoy me a bit. Also the R value is very low (it’s not insulting) just like every other air pad but in the summer that’s fine with me. All the other aspects of sleeping on it were similar to other pads I’ve used (it’s kind of narrow, your bag will slide around a bit, etc). Doesn’t pack down too small & isn’t ultralight, but you could remove the chair aspect to help with that. In sleeping mode it’s 20” wide, 70” long, 2.5” thick, 2 lb 13 oz (according to packaging). So while this is my very first camp chair and air mattress, I’m really happy with it after 7 nights sleeping on it and many hours in the chair. It’s not gimmicky at all!

    PS: Can you tell I’m way more picky about gear than campsites? :)

  • Craig F.
    Jul. 23, 2018

    North Beach Campground

    Amazing Location!

    We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at North Beach Campground.

    We spent 4 days in a full hookup site. The site was spacious, tree covered, and hard packed grass/dirt. Overall the site was very level with good water pressure. The water/electric sites in the middle of the campground were a bit snug. The campground is a city operated campground and we were impressed with the upkeep, maintenance and friendly service during our stay. The camp office is small, but has information on area attractions, Ice, and fire wood. The bathhouse/restrooms were well kept during our stay even with the volume of campers at the site.

    Location, Location, Location is the main reason to stay at North Beach. The campground is literally along the Island Line bike/walking trail and had direct access to the beach on Lake Champlain (life guards, snack bar, and patio bar). The city center of Burlington is only 1.5 miles along the bike path from the campground. Most days we either walked or biked into town (which has ample bike racks to park your bike).

    While we stayed in our camper, as a former die-hard tent camper, I was impressed with the number of tent friendly sites, because most campgrounds see tenters as “second class”. The tent sites were spacious, level, and not located in some obscure location.  

    We loved North Beach and plan to camp here in the future!

  • Kate K.
    Aug. 1, 2019

    Camel's Hump State Park — Camels Hump State Park

    Amazing Hike! Great Campground

    This is a short and sweet hike to one of the higher points in Vermont. It is a beautiful scenic (somewhat strenuous) hike to the summit. The views are pretty epic though. The designated primitive camping area is about 1.5 miles into the hike. If I recall it had about 10-12 sites. The area had a host who was there 24/7 and a shared area for eating and food storage (I guess Bear’s are a problem there). We hiked all day, so we didn’t have a fire and to be honest I can’t remember if there was a shared spot for them or not. Either way, this hike was gorgeous and so was the camping. I would love to go back!

  • Maribeth W.
    Aug. 30, 2016

    Lake Harris Campground

    Wet but beautiful!

    We got rained out!! Our site did have good drainage and ample tree cover so that helped. Easy access to buy firewood on the road into the campground.

  • Lauren S.
    Jul. 27, 2020

    Moosalamoo Campground

    Hidden Gem

    Tucked down a gravel road in the Green Mountain National Forest is this hidden treasure. Large sites, friendly campground host, the moosalamoo trailhead right next to campground. The trail connects to many others. You will pass several trailheads on your way up to the campground. Many of the sites are reservable, others are first come first serve. You will find a pay station as you enter the campsite. The camp host is at site 1. Surprisingly clean vault toilets. No showers. There are dumpsters on the way out for trash and recycling. I saw bear storage lockers but I did not use them as I had my bear keg with me. Behind the parking spur at the site there is gravel with picnic table and fire pit. Beyond that in the trees was a spot for the tent. I didn’t experience many bugs, no mosquitoes, what I saw the most of were caterpillars. But If you needed bug spray or forgot anything back in town a few miles Ripton grocery has you covered.

  • Lee D.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 8, 2019

    AuSable Chasm Campground

    Closest campground to Ausable Chasm

    We travel in a 17-foot camper van, but no one ever believes that we are no bigger than a standard cargo van and can easily fit in a regular size parking space. Upon arrival at Ausable Chasm, we were told we had to take a site with water and electric since we had a camper van. These sites were $13 more per night and we really did not need the hookups. We were finally able to convince the staff that we could take a standard tent site, which was more than big enough. 

    The road through the campground is dirt and rutted but the speed limit is 5 mph, so it wasn’t that bad, but it would be a mess if it was raining. 

    Bathrooms and shower rooms are individual rooms, but the doors are not labeled so it’s a game of “what’s behind door number 1?”  There was no light in the shower room that I looked at so a night shower would be out of the question. The bathrooms were clean and had soap, paper towels, a garbage receptacle, and a mirror in each. 

    Lots of ant hills throughout the campground so be cautious where you set up a tent. Each site has a picnic table and a fire ring. Large and nice-looking playground, pool, volleyball net, disc golf and mountain biking/hiking trails. It also looked like there were cross country ski trails but not sure if the campground or cabins would be open in the winter. 

    Biggest advantage is that Ausable Chasm(a separate business) is directly across the street from the campground and it is very close to the ferry that will take you to Burlington, VT, our next destination.

  • Miccal M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 24, 2024

    Patterson Brookside camp on West Hill Road

    This is a wonderful place to camp

    There are a handful of sites to camp at along the river here, each offering a slightly different experience.  The dirt road along the river is an easy drive, though it is single lane in a few locations, so be aware of oncoming traffic.  Some of the sites are drive in, some are walk in, but all are primitive. 

    There is no electricity, no cell coverage, not outhouses in this area.  Be prepared to pack out everything you bring in.

    This area is being heavily use and some spots are being shut down from abuse, please be aware that you have a lot of impact, and that impact can be positive or negative. Choose Positive!

    This area is closed in the winter due to snow, by the GMNF

  • Linsey S.
    Sep. 6, 2021

    Lake Placid/Whiteface Mountain KOA Holiday

    Great Campground, Full Amenities

    Spent 3 days, 2 nights here from a Wednesday-Friday. Very large and busy campground, close to Lake Placid and other cool activities to take in. Pros- hot showers, convenient laundromat, you are guided to your site by staff on golf carts. Cons- tent sites aren’t given much privacy, on the days we stayed we were put very close to the main building when we requested a spot near the back away from the busy area, kids allowed to run and yelling and screaming WELL after quiet hours.

Guide to Lewis

Tent camping near Lewis, New York, offers a variety of scenic locations and amenities for outdoor enthusiasts looking to immerse themselves in nature.

Tent campers appreciate these amenities

Some prices for tent camping range from $8 to $40

Tips for tent camping near Lewis

  • Arrive early at the Lake Colden area during peak season to secure a campsite, as spots fill up quickly.
  • Be prepared for muddy conditions at Sno-Bird, especially after rain, and consider bringing extra gear to keep your tent dry.
  • When camping at Bushnelle Falls Campsite, remember to pack bug spray, as mosquitoes can be quite bothersome in the warmer months.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the cost of renting a tent at Lewis & Clark Recreation Area?

While Lewis & Clark Recreation Area doesn't typically provide tent rentals directly, similar options at parks like Burton Island State Park Campground and Woods Island State Park Campground suggest rental costs range from $30-60 per night depending on tent size and season. For those needing equipment, many state parks partner with local outfitters for rentals. It's recommended to call the recreation area directly at least two weeks in advance to inquire about current rental options and pricing, as availability and rates can vary seasonally.

When is the best time to reserve tent camping at Lewis & Clark?

The best time to reserve tent camping at Lewis & Clark is 6-9 months in advance for summer dates (June-August), similar to popular destinations like Wilderness Campground at Heart Lake and Waterbury Reservoir Remote Sites. Holiday weekends and summer Fridays/Saturdays fill up fastest. Spring and fall weekends typically require 2-3 months advance booking. For more flexibility, consider midweek stays or shoulder season dates in May or September when the weather is still pleasant but demand is lower. Most reservations can be made online through the park's reservation system.

What amenities are included with tent sites at Lewis & Clark State Park?

Tent sites at Lewis & Clark State Park typically include picnic tables, fire rings, and access to water. Many campsites offer a designated tent pad area for setup, similar to Underhill State Park Campground where tent sites feature good privacy with trees between sites. Facilities usually include clean restrooms with toilets, and some sites may have access to showers. Most tent sites are within reasonable walking distance to these amenities. Some areas may also provide access to nearby hiking trails or water features, depending on the specific location within the park.

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