The best EQUESTRIAN camping near
Madison , NEW YORK

Camped here on a Thursday night in late September. Only found one designated campsite, which was available, but there’s a lot of good space for dispersed camping right nearby. Access at the end of a long, but well maintained, dirt road. Campsite consists of a fire pit and picnic table. Some litter, not too bad. No toilets. Bugs aren’t an issue. Water access at a lovely nearby pond. Highly recommended. Only giving 4 stars because the best free sites have water pumps and vault toilets, but this is a great camping experience

Sitesare spacious, lots to do for kids, facilities are new and clean.

Beautiful forest with miles of trails. I found this spot passing through on my bike and had no problem pitching a tent in a secluded spot in the woods. There are official camp spots with water access which are also free to use. Highly recommend!

Spacious FHU sites. Pull thru and back ins

One of my favorite campgrounds in NY. Its so peaceful at night. My favorite time to come is August during the meteor showers.

Convenient to the highway with 24 hour shuttles to the casino 5 minutes away, yet quiet and beautifully maintained. Offers a pool, playground, hiking trail, fishing pond, paddleboat rentals, camp store, very clean bath houses throughout, maintained sites, fire rings at each site and organized in loops to offer wooded and full sun sites depending on what you are looking for. Visited at least once a year since 2016 with our most recent visit being June 2018. Hoping to visit again this season.

There was a lot to do at this site from boating to swimming to hiking around. A really great place to visit and take the family.

I stayed at Charles’ farm with a friend of mine. We had a great time! Charles was there to greet us, he was a little quiet in the beginning but we had a great chat. We bought some kabob meat from him and cooked it up on the fire pit with some corn for dinner. There isn’t a heap to do once you’re on the actual farm, but if you want a place to walk through pastures, relax, watch the sunset, see the stars, and be outside, this is the place for you. There are fish in the pond, but we didn’t do any fishing this time so I’m not sure if you have to bring your own gear or not. Make sure you bring long pants if you want to walk through the back pasture to avoid burrs in your legs! We pitched our tent near the pond next to the cabin. It was a great spot with a fire pit right there, plenty of wood provided, a lovely bench to watch the sunset from. The outhouse is small but functional. After we left the farm we went and picked apples at nearby Deer Run Farm. Overall we had a wonderful time. Thank you Charles for having us!

This is a gorgeous environment! I’ll start by saying that when we go back, we’ll throw all of our stuff into our packs so that we can walk in all in. Kind of like the shortest backpacking trip! I actually think this would be the perfect environment for someone who wants to test their skills staying ‘alone’ in the ‘backcountry’ without really being either. It’s a nice in between for those who are looking for more solitude than the average campground provides but without having to hike into a back country site.

When you arrive at CBG farm, Charlie (and if you’re lucky, his friendly dog Drift) will meet you at the meat store and then show you the way (a 2 minute drive around the corner) to the Shady Pines camp. You’ll park in the grass across from cornfields, and then ride with Charlie around a path through the woods and fields to check out the sites. We chose to stay near the “lake”, a pond that Charlie put in, and stocks wth fish.

It’s a gorgeous spot. We set up a hammock, put our tent out in the field, used the wooden table to cook our dinner, and made a fire. The cows were nearby and we could occasionally hear them mooing, but a friend asked if it smelled like cows, and it really doesn’t! It actually smells like apples. You can still hear a few cars drive by but they’re mostly drowned out by the crickets.

Theres a cabin and an outhouse a short walk away, and an incredible outdoor kitchen that we didn’t need to use but would love to grill some burgers next time we go.

We truly loved this spot and can’t wait to bring some friends next time! Anyone in the Central NY area needing a night away should check out Shady Pines!

This is a nice campground. I mean really nice. Very well thought out. All sites are full hookups (i think) and paved. Definitely geared towards the RV or trailer crowd.

Very well kept up, bathrooms are very modern and well stocked. Staff are attentive and useful, and they operate a great store with lots of options.

For activities, there are some great hikes around the campground, as well as excellent playgrounds, fishing, an awesome pool, and of course, free shuttle rides to the Turning Stone Casino right up the street.

The only real negatives would be the proximity to some railroad tracks, which can be somewhat active and very audible in some spots (you'll want to stay towards the south / front of the park if this kind of thing bothers you). That and some sites aren't that close to a bath house, so if you're not planning on duecing in your box, you might be looking at a longer walk than others based on where your site is.