Best Cabin Camping near Paul Smiths, NY

We've been camping at Button Bay for years, and while it can be hot and buggy in the summer months, there is no place we'd rather be in September! There are two campground loops to choose from. The first is where you'll find the lean-tos and the dog trail/beach. This area is super quiet, offers a bit of shade, and plenty of privacy. We almost always get the Catalpa or Willow lean-to because we bring dogs and it's easy for them to run to the lake and cool off.

The second camping loop has a few waterfront camping cabins, which we are dying to check out, but haven't yet. The main camping area is essentially a huge field, so not much shade or privacy. The benefit of this area is that it's closer to everything - the playground, pool, nature center, kayak and canoe rentals, and the trail out to the point. There are also amazing views of the lake and the mountains right from the camping area.

I think this is one of the best state parks in Vermont for families with kids, and for dogs. There isn't a great place to swim in the lake here, although plenty of people swim off the point. There is a nice pool, but it closes after Labor Day weekend. If you want to swim in Lake Champlain, I highly recommend Kingsland Bay State Park, just a few miles north.

Definitely hike the short nature trail out to Button Bay Point. It's especially lovely in the evening as the sun is setting. Enjoy!

This site has good tent sites that are separate from RV area and rental cabins. Very reasonable rates and friendly staff, also showers on site tho they're a bit rustic. Great experience; if you tent, try to grab a spot on the outer ring for a quieter time, larger space and better views

Lovely State Park in the 1,000 Islands where water activities are the main attraction. Make sure to check out the island too! The park spans the island and a little snaking river-like bay. Really pretty to explore on boat. Easy and very pretty trails on site, walk along the shore too. Decent wildlife and great birding. Feels very isolated though easy to get to. Bring your passport, you can see Canada from some of the picnic grounds. Incredible sunsets!!!

Quality State Park facilities, clean. Camping ranges from tents in shady woods to cabins. Some sites are pretty private, even the ones that aren't are quiet.

Note: Robert Moses apparently did a lot in New York State. This park is near Canada! There is also a Robert Moses beach on Long Island near NYC (Fire Island National Seashore) and Robert Moses parkway near Niagara Falls. These are all 8+ hours from each other! Be careful with your mapping apps and in getting advice for travel.

Great tent / RV / cabin site on an island in Lake Champlain. Tent area is a large field with cabins on the rock bluffs and RV row along the road. Staff was very friendly and accommodating. Latrine and showers available at the site. Small rocky beach is available for great swimming and kayaking/SUPs.

Great Cabins! Lots to do!

The cabin is cozy and on the water! You’ll love it!

Normal KOA with the same activities but the location is beautiful. Whiteface Mountain isn’t too far and you can drive to the summit and hike to the top. The town of Lake Placid is also very lively and they have lots of nice shops and restaurants. Amazing location with lots of wildlife and the cabin at the campground was very homey.

I have done tent, cabin and t.v. camping here. a lot of family activity in my favorite place. the outdoor choices are plenty, but the campground is slipping trying to be too much and seems to let the infrastructure slip. it is owned by corporate KOA and it shows that the making money is more important than making it a home away from home that I use to love.. still will come back

We found this sweet spot perfect for our weekend winter stays to attend our daughter’s collegiate alpine ski races at the hill where the Olympics once were. Clean, cozy and warm can describe our cabin that was on the beautiful river and wooded enough for privacy but close to the mountain and anemities in Lake Placid. Our dog Crawford loved exploring as did we. This is a place where we are planning on some summer and fall weekends to experience the Adirondack’s and have a place to land each day. Highly recommend.

This campground has the best staff you can find in northern New York. The whole time they are open they have activities planned for the kids all summer long. The staff is always smiling and welcoming you into the campground. Quiet and comfortable place to stay. If your kids like to read. There is place they can find a book and read a book.

Stayed here on a busy Memorial Day weekend. The Cabin was fantastic and so much was provided! Our favorite being the Keurig with Coffee pods and the option to purchase more from the amazing onsite Store! (That also offered and excellent menu of food throughout the day) The Lake Placid area is beautiful and there's so much to do! Hiking in the High Peaks is great and for those who aren't able to hike, The Whiteface Highway is minutes down the road and will take you to the top of the mountain, offering excellent views of the Adirondack Mountains! There's also hiking by the Ausable River on the Campgrounds with a beautiful waterfall.

Our family has been camping here every summer for the past 40 years. We couldn’t believe it today when we heard from the front desk at check-out that they are closing this location for good at the end of the season (mid-October). No explanation was offered other than KOA purchased another campground less than a mile down the road (KOA Wilmington/North Pole) and that it would be the only option after this year. We went over to check out the “new” property and it is nothing at all like the KOA Whiteface. It’s not nearly as scenic, the pool is gross, the cabins look ancient, not much privacy at all. It makes no sense. We just don’t understand why KOA would shutter one of its most beautiful properties in favor of the rundown mess down the street. What gives KOA?!

We stayed for a weekend and were lucky enough to get a premium site on the water. We stated in site 206 which was very large and had a private little beach area.  There are two totally different areas to camp so I would look closely at the campground maps. Many of the sites deeper in the woods looked damp and buggy to me but we have had a very cool wet spring. The park is kept up beautifully, the bathrooms were very clean and the staff very friendly. Large beach and playground. The cabins looked very nice also although we only saw them from the outside.  Be sure to visit the nearby Eisenhower Locks and see the ships go through. Really fascinating! I have read that Verizon has good service there but my AT&T service was not good and kept bouncing  off Canadian towers so be careful!

My friend is a local and recommended this campground for the sunsets. The rain made that difficult to confirm, but we loved the place. It’s the standard weird-ass New York thing where you have a site and you can park wherever the hell you want within it (so foreign to me), but you should spend some time with the map. Site 158 is probably the dopest (we were next door in 159), but there are some others near the lake that would be sweet. The further back from the lake, the more of a camping-in-the-deep-woods vibe. Looks like some folks leave a camper here all summer (can’t imagine spending that much, but it’s probably cheaper than a lake house) and many bring boats. I think if you’ve got a SUP, canoe or kayak, you’re gonna dig this campground in specific and the area in general.

There’s no explaining the views around here. The mountains are beautiful, Lake Placid is beautiful, and this campsite is amazing. It’s pretty secluded, and from what others have said.. yes, beware of the roads coming in. 40MPH is too fast for these torn up roads. The campsite itself is great. They have cabins, lean-tos, and tent sites. My boyfriend and I braved the 12° nights and pitched a tent. There were a lot of campers, but the sites are spaced out and people were very respectful of noise/lights/other campers. I was bummed out to see no wildlife, but we did see a moose print on the hike up Mount Marcy!! (Unfortunately I only made it about 3/4 of the way and had to come back down. Not in amazing shape, but working on it 😂)

This is really one of my favorite spots. The Adirondack Loj is warm and inviting. The facilities are clean and well kept. I will FOR SURE be visiting again soon.

Bike path, kayak rentals, close to Lake Placid Olympic center, Wild Center in Tupper Lake

Although we live only about 25 miles from this VT State Park, and have biked by here many times, we've never camped here. We selected it because it was nearby for our second outing with our new (used) R-Pod camper. Turns out it's a wonderful park. Perfect Lake Champlain views from a few prime sites, nice cool breezes off the lake even though the temperatures we reaching into the 90's! Lots of lean-tos in the first loop and some cabins in the second. Foot trails connect the loops and a day-use area that has playgrounds, a swimming pool, and a large picnic shelter. (Pool closed in 2020 and 2021 - Covid) No beach, but you can walk a half mile trail to a rocky ledge where you can swim. Boat launch is about 7/10 mile drive (or foot path). Huge spaces for RVs and very private lean-tos. All mostly empty during our weekday stay in June. As in all VT State Parks, no electric or water hookups.

Solid 10/10 would camp again! We stayed at the Heart Lake Campground for a week and a half utilizing it as our home base for adventures into the High Peaks Wilderness and the greater Adirondack region. We had a very pleasant stay here and personally found the weekdays to be best for “camp days” given there were few people—weekends are PACKED and there were more than a couple of party sites. It did appear that you would be able to drive in without reservation on a weekday and find yourself a site! Specifically, our site was fairly flat and most were like this but there were some that appeared to have a slope if you happened to be car camping. There are two wash houses with showering and bathroom amenities that are cleaned weekly (from what we observed). Multiple water fill stations sprinkled throughout the campground area. This campground is primarily tent centric, however, there are yurts, lean-to’s, and a handful of cabins available (and of course the ADK Loj has rooms). There is Wi-Fi at the Loj and meals are served but we believe these are for Loj guests only.

We had a relaxing weekend getaway. The staff was nice to make sure you are taken care of

This is a very basic campground situated in a small village in the Adirondacks – situated between Saranac Lake and Lake Placid. Every site has a picnic table and an open fire grill and most of the sites on the outer ring have a lot of privacy as they are lined with trees and shrubs. Lots of spaces for larger RV’s, but we saw mostly tent campers.

Bathrooms are mostly clean and the showers are nice. There is a quality dishwashing sink by the bathrooms. Overall, the campground is ok, but needs a bit of a facelift, repainting, etc. Also, you can hear the sounds of the city (cars, leaf blowers, and other things that remind you that you are not truly in the woods).

The best part about this campground is that it is conveniently located between two awesome places and is relatively inexpensive, so if you don’t plan to spend much time in the campground itself, it’s perfect.

We used this campground as a basecamp to mountain bike on an awesome trail just outside of Saranac Lake, the Bloomingdale Bog trail. The following day, we did a quadrathlon that involved kayaking the length of Lake Placid, hiking to the summit of Whiteface Mountain, kayaking back, and then finished the day at Lake Placid Pub and Brewery for dinner. Highly recommended, but plan on a 9-10 hour day on the lake/trail!

With its central location, this campground is close to everything you may need, most even within walking distance.

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.

Cranberry Lake is located in the northwestern part of Adirondack Park. There are quite a few campgrounds here but most of them are geared toward touristy attractions that will draw in more people. To me, that makes the experience a little less genuine. If you're looking to get away from the noise and tourists, give Cranberry Lake a shot. Be prepared for non-motorized activities. If you get on the lake, you'll have to row or paddle.

Cranberry Lake is a fantastic place to get away from it all. It really has so much to offer. Many of the sites offer quite a bit of privacy from your neighbor, and are laid out nicely for tent camping. We go there to kayak so it’s also nice that there are a lot of water front sites. If hiking is your thing, there’s a nice trail right within the campground. It’s not a terribly long hike, but it takes you up to a spectacular view of the lake and islands. Bonus points for the campground being within 30 minutes of two breweries (Tupper Lake) 👍🏻