Best RV Parks & Resorts near Ogdensburg, NY

Not really sure what to say about this campground, other than I would not stay here again (thus a one-star rating). It really is not what you would think of as a “campground” or “RV Park.” It is a decent price at $40/night + tax for a 50-amp full hook-up site but it is pretty dumpy. There are tons of seasonal campers that look like they have not moved in years. Most of those units are pretty run down park models and people don’t seem to care. In all fairness, we visited early in the season and many people had not “opened” up their campers yet. There are a few transient sites that you can rent by the night in the center portion of the park. Our site was grassy but not very level. There is a picnic table and fire pit. The electric worked fine and the sewer and water were easy to reach. They do have a rental cottage right on the water which has a great view but couldn’t see inside to tell if it was nice or not. There are restrooms and washer/dryer somewhere on site, but we did not look inside. The grounds seemed pretty well cared for with the grass being mowed and no trash lying about.  Access to the park is easy in and out off route 12 and well-marked.

The campground is fairly small and not great for a decent dog walk so I found the Zenda Preserve which is a nice hike around a farm field. There are numerous other trails managed by the Thousand Island Lakes Trust that are very nice (we also liked the MacSherry Trail in the town of Redwood). 

On the bright side, the campground is close to downtown Clayton. There are really cute shops, restaurants, and museums and the downtown parks are great places to watch the sunset. The Wood Boat Brewery brews great beer and has really good food. There are numerous other places to stay for a couple of nights or week which would be preferable.

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I am one of the lucky ones who gets gear to review from time to time. We recently tested out the Aftershokz Titanium Bone Conduction Headphones at this gorgeous campground in the Adirondacks! Pretty cool…

Gear Review

What we liked most about this product:

• Versatile: Can be used just about anywhere you want to be able to listen to music or a podcast (without disturbing others), but also want to be able to hear people coming down the trail, birds singing, the ocean crashing along the shore, etc. They are just as great in a library as they are outside.
• Compact: While they don’t fold down as small as a pair of traditional headphones, they are pocket-sized and can easily be stored in a jacket or a pocket of a backpack.
• Lightweight: You barely feel them on your head and are very comfortable to wear for long periods of time.
• Better for Ear Health: Because the headphones use bone conduction technology rather than sit inside your ear, they are much better for the long term health of your hearing.
• Blue Tooth Technology: Cordless is wonderful…enough said!

What could be improved:

• Adjustability: If they were made to adjust to each person’s head size, they would be even more comfortable. If you have a smaller head, they drape down a bit at the nape of your neck and bounce a bit while walking/cycling. They fit my husband’s head perfectly, but are a bit large on me.

Product Video Review: https://youtu.be/uj20w4_Yu14

Campground Review

Wow, what a gorgeous campground! This one came recommended from a friend and we fell in love at first sight. The campground reminded us of summer camp on the lake, as it seemed frozen in time. Each site has a picnic table and open grill and all sites are non-electric. We stayed in site #45, right on the edge of the lake, with great kayak access.

We spent one day kayaking on the lake and another day hiking. While the mosquitoes weren’t bad at the campground itself, they are terrible on the trails this time of year, so bring your bug spray, or better yet, bug shirts! We’ll need to come back in the winter and do some snowshoeing on these trails, so we can enjoy them mosquito free.

The bathrooms are kept tidy, the shower house is classic and clean, and there is an extensive recycling facility (yay for NY and ADK!). There is also a sand volleyball court and basketball hoop. Bonus: There was a huge stack of free wood piled near the shower house!

The Village of Cranberry Lake has some supplies, but not much except the very basics at the general store. You’ll need to head to Star Lake or Tupper Lake for anything of significance.

We did our usual reservation-less “pull up and see what they have open” style of camping, but during the main season, this place is busy! You’ll definitely need to plan ahead and make reservations if you plan to be here during the crazy season.

I’ll start by saying Swan Bay is a busy, family-oriented campground. We arrived on a weekend and it was pretty busy but loved it during the week when everybody left and things were quieter. Our site (#38) was a Passport America site so we got a great nightly rate of $42 which is half of the regular nightly rate. Our site was a “standard site” near the pool, boat launch, activities, and Tiki Bar which surprised us because sites close to activities are usually desired and not discounted. Campsite costs depends on whether you get a waterfront (which is $95/night even in the off-season), water view, pull thru, or standard site. Most sites do not have shade but they added a new section that does have some old mature trees and sporadic shade. All the sites are the same in that they have paved parking areas with gravel in front, pavers for a patio and full hook-up. Some of the newer sites now have a bit of shade from trees. There are lots of rental park models and cottages close to the pool and Tiki Bar. Within walking distance is a Price Chopper Grocery, Dollar General, gas station, and wine and liquor store.  

There is a free boat launch and boat slips (not sure if they are free) for guests. I was hoping to spend a bit of time on my paddleboard but soon realized it is very windy here and found very few windows to paddle. Our neighbor (who has camped here seasonally for the last four years) mentioned that he lost three awnings to the wind. So, don’t leave your awning out when you leave your camper and beware of winds if you want to be on the water. Check-in was quick and easy. The park is gated so you get a gate card to enter the park. You also get a BOGO card to use at the Tiki Bar which has specials during the week (like margarita Monday, bucket of beer, bloody Mary’s, etc.). The pool and Tiki Bar were not very busy when we were there. There is a second pool but it was not open yet for the season. In between the pools is a community fire pit with nice Adirondack chairs which is pretty cool. The playground is awesome and huge with lots of cool features for kids to explore. The dog park is very nice and a decent size to throw a ball for your dog. It also has potable water for drinking, which, for some reason, did not work during our stay. There are gobs of activities for kids and adults. Plenty of rentals too – ranging from boats, kayaks, golf carts, etc. 

A couple of the downsides of this park are the price (unless you get a discount like we did), sites don’t have much privacy, the park gets crowded and noisy, and there was lots of noise from the construction work within the park they were doing. If you are in the back of the park, you get some road noise from Route 12 and the refrigerated truck at the neighboring Price Chopper. Overall, we loved this park during the slow season and during the week when there were not kids running around and adults playing loud music and drinking constantly.

We usually head for the Adirondack lakes further down the road but it's still in the foot hills, close to our home and very pretty especially at sunset. It's convenient for the locals nearby to group camp there so it can be a little busy and loud during the day if you don't get a more private site which there are plenty of. Those sites are large and wooded, most all paved (not always very level!) and if you don't get a water site you may still be able to drag your small boat and walk to the water bit there is a nice boat launch. It's convenient that the park supplys trash containers by the roadside of your site for recyclables and trash and also pick it up often. Since this river has many dams and is used for hydro power the water level can go up and down 2-3 feet from one day to the next. It didnt affect our kayaking fun, swimming or fishing and was intriguing. I came across the largest and most beautiful sounding loon early in the morning...perfect before we had to pack it up and leave. Will post a video of the loon calling another along with pictures. Turn up the volume.