Best Glamping near Natural Bridge, NY

Unfortunately when we arrived at southwick the rangers & staff had all gone home so we were unable to get a map or check in. We went to our camp site & there were people playing very loud music until about 12am, no rangers around the say anything about quiet hours so I had to. Sites are on top of eachother & there’s no boarders inbetween, fine for some people but not for me. After it rained one night our site & others around us were completely flooded. The beach area & bathhouses we’re nice though so that helped the stay not be a complete wash

As I sat having by my coffee, watching steam rise from the pond, I listened to the distant calls of Loons.

I’d describe this campground as a hidden gem, but it’s not for everyone. To get here you leave the paved road and take a gravel road a little ways. On our way we spotted a group of Turkeys wandering about. This campground is for the adventurous. No electric or water hook ups (for RVs) and no shower facilities, but there are restrooms.

Staff was friendly and helpful. Helped me pick out a site and made sure I was good once I set up. Bring or rent a Canoe and you can travel out to an island in the middle of the pond from which families jump from a large rock into the lake.

As the sun sets and the stars come out, you’ll look up and suddenly realize just how small you are as you stare at the heavens and see the Milky Way.

Nothing but peace and quiet. When it’s quiet hours, the only thing you here is nature and the occasional crackle of someone’s fire.

Would I go here again? Brown Tract is one of those places that after you go once, you find yourself going again and again. Our tripped was booked as soon as we could.

We've visited this campground 6 times since we found it 4 years ago, and keep coming back for more. Easy access, great staff, well kept facilities and a beautiful setting. What more can you ask for?

The sites themselves are a good size. They aren't huge, but you'll have enough room to get creative with your parking. Plenty of trees to hang your hammocks on. All sites have a picnic table and fire pit, and for the most part are fairly level. Not all sites have full hookups, some are just power, some are only grey water, and some are full. There are a lot of full timers here, so the grounds can look fuller than they really are as most often the majority of the full time sites are not occupied. But on big weekends, when everyone shows up, its still not too crowded.

The facilities are modern and well kept. The only issue I had was the shower heads are at about 5'2" above the floor. I'm 6' tall. So that kinda sucked. But the pressure and temp were great, so its still a win. Plus, camping isn't really about taking showers anyways, right? Other than that the bath houses are well maintained and stocked. And they are never more than a quick walk from your camper.

Did I mention there is a pool? There is. And its HEATED. Which is nice, as we often get up there early or late in the season, and a heated pool is a necessity. There's also a good sized playground, an arcade, and lots of games for kids (and adults) to play like basketball, shuffle board, corn hole or horse shoes.

They have a great little shop there too, with just about everything you'd need to make a great weekend. And the staff is fantastic as well. The river is a little weird to get to, but totally worth it for kayaking, sailing or whatever kind of boating you want to do.

So that's a lotta Pro's. I should list some Cons too, to keep it fair.

• The sites are kinda close, so you don't get a ton of privacy, and you can really hear what's going on next door.
• The roadways can get a little tight between the trees, and can make for some interesting backing in.
• Also, the roadways are mostly one-way, which can make getting creative with your trailer landing position tough.
• They offer free wifi.
• Not all sites have full hookups
• Personally I'm not a fan of such an abundance of full-time units. But at least they're well kept (for the most part) and it is a few degrees shy of looking like a trailer park. You know what I mean.

Check them out, and they'll become one of your favorites too!

Beautiful, peaceful large pond/small lake. Loons. Ducks and ducklings. Beaver. Canoes($20/day) and kayak rentals. Firewood for sale ($9?) or gather downed wood. Fishing. Large sandy Adirondack beach and day use area. Pet friendly. Very friendly staff. Clean, stocked bathrooms/toilet with sink and soap. Well located water spigots. Nearby trails. Dump station. Boat launch (no motorboats allowed).

No hookups. No onsite showers (can use another Golden Beach Campground showers a few miles away.) No cell or internet. Maybe wifi near entrance?

Easiest access is from Raquette Lake. From the west you will drive over 5 miles on a dirt road (slow going if towing).

Overall, our trip to this campground on an island was awesome! The sunsets were spectacular and our site was literally just steps from Lake Ontario. All sites are full hook up. Wifi is available and fairly good. Trash is picked up from your site between 8-10am each day. Staff was VERY nice and helpful. Most sites are spacious enough though you can see your neighbor. Fire pits are behind the camper pad so you can see others at their fire pits but most were spread out and I didn't hear the neighbors conversations. Being right on the lake and on the west facing side allowed for the prevailing winds to be felt. One night we couldn't sit outside due to the high winds. The Midge gnats were horrible for about a day and a half. They were around all week and I understand this was the time of year for them but the one day, you could not walk outside without being swarmed. In fact, I took pics of the swarm up above the trees. I've never seen anything like it before! We went out to eat the night they were so bad you couldn't cook, eat, or sit outside. There is a store with limited supplies, a "cafe" that served food but hours were not regular, a nice pool though too chilly in mid June to use. You can rent a golf cart which isn't really needed but fun. The opposite side of the island near the marina (not a full service marina just docks for your boat if you bring one)  and sunrise view had more spacious sites and you could access the lake easier. I don't think swimming is allowed though in the lake. The interior sites not on the water were okay, but a bit close in areas. The campground was not full most of the week we were there but began filling up by the weekend. There is a winery that does tastings on Friday afternoon and evenings which was fun. The closest towns are Watertown to the east which has any store you could need (Walmart, Lowes, etc.),  Henderson Harbor (not much there), Sagett's Harbor (cute but small with a couple cool restaurants though skip the brewery as they had no local beer and the food was just okay), Cape Vincent (cool lighthouse and small downtown), and Clayton which is about a 50 min. drive. We loved Clayton. Eat at Bellas on the St. Lawrence River! There is fishing at the island and a lot was being caught but most of it was small fish. Our friends went Go Karting somewhere close by. There are a few state parks that had great hiking trails and scenery. We had a lot of down time just relaxing while taking in the beautiful view. I'd happily go again!

First thing about Cranberry Lake: the staff are wonderful. We arrived when the check in staff had the day off. Not a problem we only needed wood which was available just down the street from the campground. No need, the ranger, who let us know the overworked staff was off, brought it to our site once he had figured out the key. Sweet. Our site was on the uphill slope so we had some road noise due to that. We walked a bit of the campground until we realized it's larger than first assumed. I will say do your homework, check out the site photos which you can easily find online. Get a waterfront site but be aware the privacy isn't great at many sites, at least the ones we saw. There is a shower house which is great but be ready to drive to it, as I said the campground is bigger than expected! Some sites are super close which would be great for groups who may like to visit or it could be a nightmare with loud folks. The lake is beautiful. We weren't set up for it but if you can plan for the sunset view I think it's worth rescheduling your trip for the right site. Brand new sewer dump area for folks who need it.