3 campgrounds with availability this weekend
Winding Hills Park's large private campsites welcome pets in their wooded campground, offering both non-electric and electric sites with fire rings and picnic tables. Sites are spacious and far enough from each other for some privacy despite limited screening between them. Dogs must be kept on leash throughout the park, including along the walking paths around the lake and pond. The bathrooms and shower facilities are consistently kept clean, with free hot showers available to all campers. Boulder Point Campground and Jellystone Park Gardiner also accommodate pets, with Boulder Point offering a more primitive camping experience for tent campers, small trailers, and vans, while Jellystone provides cabin options for pet owners seeking additional amenities.
The trails around Winding Hills Park lake provide excellent opportunities for dog walking, though swimming is prohibited for both humans and pets. The lake area offers fishing opportunities with benches positioned around much of the shoreline. Campers report good experiences with well-maintained grounds and attentive staff who regularly patrol the area. The New York City North-Newburgh KOA, located approximately 15 miles east, offers additional pet-friendly accommodations including full hookup RV sites with concrete patios and cabin options. Local hiking options include nearby Mohonk Preserve and Lake Minnewaska, with Bonticou Crag trail mentioned as a favorite dog-friendly hiking destination. Cell service varies by provider, with some campgrounds reporting limited connectivity for certain carriers, worth considering when planning to stay connected while camping with pets.
"We got a red carpet site by the Gaga pit and near the water park (Cindy bear lane) and it was a convenient yet noisy site. Kids were at the playground 8 am or before and the noise woke us up."
"With a new check in area, Gardiner has really stepped up. They expanded the pool area to include another pool plus splash area and water slides."
"Small dog park, communal spaces, and a camp store all made the place feel like a little village. They even have a wine store- cab sav was good. WiFi I work remotely and WiFi is always an issue."
"The staff was nice and they were dog friendly!"
"We have stayed here multiple times since it’s so close to home. Reservations are needed only for major holidays during camping season; Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day."
"The trails to walk on are perfect to get out of the campsite for a few hours. There are no spots with sewer hookup but they have a dumping area."
from $25 - $30 / night
"With Covid/social distancing requirements, many sites are closed so it’s extra quiet and spread out. I stayed at site 6 with my seven year-old daughter from Tue-Thur."
"When you are camping with a large group of friends and don't all have access to a car, this is the perfect spot."
Campground full this weekend
Get a text when availablefrom $17 / night
"Love the proximity to NYC - I always look for areas that are not too far, but not too close to NY. Beautiful but small-ish tent sites."
"We are looking forward to stopping by Round Pond again in the near future."
from $25 - $40 / night
"My original site had been moved by ReserveAmerica without notification but the staff at Korns Campground moved me to an even better site with a closer proximity to the bathroom."
"We parked right next to our camp site and had water, fire pit, outlets, and our car all in one area. One of the owners came out to make sure we were all ok."
from $30 - $60 / night
"Great place situated in a great area with lots to do all within an hour's drive. Even camping during a pandemic was peaceful & fun!"
"This is a Thousand trails campground so it was free. I think the regular price is $64. Full hookups, tents and cabins to rent. Pleanty to do in and around campground."
"This property has several sites for you to setup your tent, camper, van, or RV (only small tow behinds or popups, no large RVs) Nearby are wineries to explore. Nice bathrooms and showers!"
from $78 - $400 / night
Campground full this weekend
from $99 / night
"I definitely recommend trying to get the walk-in (meaning you can't drive to them) sites (8-15) because they're just a little bit more set back and kind of wonderfully wooded all around. 8 & 9 seemed"
"There are drive-up sites and also walk-in sites. No fire pits at individual campsites, though. Only a group fire pit."
TravelerFree site ran by Peekemoose forest. There are supposed to be 12 along throughout the valley, this is the only one we were able to locate. Was able to access easily with a minivan and has a nice flat area. Can see the highway from the site.
ScoutOctober leaves starting to fall makes for a very quiet, peaceful midweek evening in one of the two dispersed car camping sites. Exactly what I was hoping for - private and empty and lovely. Easy to find - two dispersed car sites are to the left at the fork in the road before the trailhead.
GuideMade a reservation (site44) since I arrived as the sun had set. Office registration was open until 8. Staff was neither friendly nor unfriendly. Bathroom was dated but fine and a short walk from my site. CG was emptier being a Tuesday night in mid-October, so was plenty of space.
Great trail following the Hudson River. Beautiful fall colors.
ScoutI stayed here in March 2026 for a night before going snowboarding at Belleayre Mountain. It was in the middle of a snowstorm on a Tuesday night, so I had the whole place to myself, which was nice.
ScoutNice campground, bathrooms are clean but dated, first come first serve for the sites.
Travelerbeautiful quiet space, great home base for the Catskills and small towns around here. note there's only a few spots. road conditions were fine.
RangerI'll start by saying this is a site-specific review (C20). I booked using Campspot and didn't select my own site but put in the criteria for my rig (30ft TT plus truck) and got a 50A back-in spot. The site was big but abnormal. Between the picnic table placement and the trees, I ended up right around 50ft from the electric and water, and the water spigot was so low I could barely put on my camco filter. With the uneven dirt roads, I had to unhitch with my truck in a gigantic puddle (lol). The site was otherwise fine aside from my gate code not working on Day 2. As for the campground as a whole, I thought it was pretty unique place by the river that offered several good amenities and activities, like downstream river tubing, an arcade, bathroom/shower facilities, a small store, little trails, and more. I would say this place borders the more primitive side.
ScoutPast reviews has mentioned that the office seems to be closed often, while I found that to be true I had no reason to contact anyone. This is definitely one of the cleanest quiets site I’ve ever visited
GuideDefinitely a wide variety of sites—look at the site pictures before booking—there are two areas where it’s just an open field with bonfires and picnic tables that I’d avoid. I could see a large group going there or something but personally it doesn’t offer any privacy.
BUT if you book one of the other sites that DOES have privacy you’ll be in camping heaven. The “hike in” sites are more like “walk-in,” I was worried at first but it’s some are as little as a few yards from the road. The most annoying part was lugging the cooler back and forth, but totally worth it
Camping areas near Montgomery vary from wooded tent sites to full-service RV parks with access to hiking trails and fishing areas. Most campgrounds in the region are open from May through October, with limited availability during off-season months. Sites range from $30-$45 per night for basic tent camping to $60+ for full-hookup RV sites.
Hiking trails around lakes: Boulder Point Campground provides primitive camping with access to nearby trails. "We stayed for one night. Very nice, private pull-through site with many trees. Wonderful store with fun things to buy! Decorated nicely for Halloween. Well kept grounds!" shares Lisa D. about the nearby New York City North-Newburgh KOA.
Fishing opportunities: West Point FMWR Round Pond Outdoor Recreation Area offers a lake for fishing. "There is a large lake to kayak and fish in. NO SWIMMING. The lake is a nice size and has a trail so you walk the entire length with benches around a good portion to sit and/or fish," notes Amanda B. about Winding Hills Park.
Apple picking: Clarence Fahnestock State Park Campground provides access to seasonal orchards nearby. "It is easy to get into town to take the train to and from NYC. If you are in to apple picking it is a short drive," explains Asher K.
Clean shower facilities: Beaver Pond Campground — Harriman State Park offers free hot showers. "Free Hot showers in the bathrooms, with plenty of room to change," says Megan B. Similarly, Laura E. mentions Winding Hills Park has "hot showers in a quiet and wooded campground."
Quiet weekday camping: Many campgrounds are less crowded during weekdays. "We stayed here on a Thursday night in September prior to taking off backpacking. The campground was clean and quiet," notes Rebecca S. about Beaver Pond Campground.
Level camping sites: Winding Hills Park offers even ground for tents and small campers. "Site we stayed at was nice and level for a tent, plenty of trees for a hammock," reports Karl F.
Seasonal restrictions: Most campgrounds operate from May through October. "We were there at the end of October, towards the end of the season, and there were only a few other campers there, and it was a weekend!" reports Laura M. about Winding Hills Park.
Reservation systems vary: While some require advance booking, others operate first-come, first-served. "When not going on a holiday it is first come first serve spots which is good if you just need to spend one night here. Pull into whichever site you want and at some point the groundskeepers will come to collect your money," explains Amanda B.
Cell service limitations: Thousand Trails Rondout Valley and other campgrounds have spotty service. "We had horrible cell service (we have sprint). Could not make calls or use internet at campgrounds or the park but did see others who were using cellphones...so if you have sprint don't plan on making calls," mentions Amanda B. about Winding Hills Park.
Playgrounds and activities: Jellystone Park Gardiner offers extensive children's programming. "This campground is great for kids. It has a event just about every weekend with kid activity," notes Jennifer I.
Campground layout considerations: Sites vary in proximity and privacy. "Sites are a little on the small side and stacked a lil closer than I like, but we had a good time," Jason shares about New York City North-Newburgh KOA.
Swimming options: "They have 2 pools which require signing up ahead of time for 1 hour slots," explains April L. about Thousand Trails Rondout Valley, while others note limitations on lake swimming in certain areas.
Site selection and hookups: "The rv/trailer only section is really nice, wooded. Has a classic campground feel. The other tent/cabin side was loud and not private," Greg S. advises about Thousand Trails Rondout Valley.
Late arrival procedures: "I was a little worried about checking in. The website says the park closes at 8 pm and we were due to arrive at 830. But the gate was open and we easily found an open site. Someone came by to register us and take our payment in the morning," shares Laura E. about Winding Hills Park.
Special considerations for dog friendly campgrounds near Montgomery: RVers note that pet areas vary by campground. Some sites have designated pet areas while others have trail access. "Dogs must be kept on leash throughout the park," is standard across most dog-friendly campgrounds in the Montgomery area.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dog-friendly campsite near Montgomery, NY?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Montgomery, NY is Jellystone Park™ Gardiner with a 4.2-star rating from 33 reviews.
What is the best site to find dog-friendly camping near Montgomery, NY?
TheDyrt.com has all 132 dog-friendly camping locations near Montgomery, NY, with real photos and reviews from campers.
Keep Exploring
