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Enjoy the Adirondack Mountain countryside's pristine mountains, lakes and streams when you escape the city to say at Lake Placid/ Whiteface Mountain KOA. The Lake Placid and Whiteface region of the Adirondacks is one of the oldest vacation destinations in the country, and camping gives you plenty of opportunities to take in the big views, big scenery and big history this area is known for.
Located in Wilmington, NY near Lake Placid and Whiteface Mountain, our campground is your gateway to all the world-class recreation you will find in this region. That means fly-fishermen and hikers alike will feel right at home when choosing one of our tent camping or other sites as your home base. We are also an ideal destination for a romantic getaway or a family adventure in the great outdoors.
The Adirondack Mountain Club’s Wilderness Campground offers a variety of primitive camping opportunities. The seasonal washhouse is available during the spring, summer, and fall; this facility has men and women’s washrooms with showers, toilets, and sinks. During the winter months guests are able to use the facilities in the High Peaks Information Center. All food must be stored inside a vehicle to avoid attracting wildlife. Campsites There are 32 campsites located in the Wilderness Campground. Each campsite has a fire pit and picnic table. A limited number of sites are large enough to accommodate a pop-up camper or small trailer. A maximum of 6 people and a maximum of 3 tents are allowed per site. These sites are open year-round. Lean-tos The Wilderness Campground has 16 lean-tos, several are located adjacent to Heart Lake. Lean-tos are a traditional three-sided Adirondack shelter, they offer protection from weather but have the feel of sleeping out in the open. Each lean-to has a fire pit and picnic table. The lean-tos are open year-round. Canvas Cabins There are six canvas cabins in the Wilderness Campground, each sleeps six people in three bunk beds. The canvas cabins have mattresses but no pillows or linens are provided. Each canvas cabin has a fire pit and picnic table. They are open from the weekend prior to Memorial Day through Columbus Day.
$25 - $55 / night
$30 - $40 / night
$20 / night
Ranger
My husband and I really enjoyed our stay here 5 years ago due to the hiking along the river that was available. Sometime between then and now, the KOA moved down the road a couple miles, so when we arrived, we were really disappointed--now we just paid for overpriced "camping". Despite that, the staff was very friendly and the showers were warm.
Scout
We stayed in the Venus yurt from Saturday August 3rd thru Thursday August 8th 2024. We were going to stay until the 10th, but we had an incoming hurricane and decided to leave before the exit flooded.
Overall, their website pictures are NOT current and I believe the reviews on their website to either be inaccurate or very old.
Day 1: the yurt smelled heavily of febreeze and was smaller than the pictures showed. The mattress, which had no cover on it, had been turned over(the bottom had nubs on it so it wouldn’t slide- this was face up). When we flipped it over, there were obvious fresh red fluid stains and other stains on the top of the mattress. For the price we paid, we would have expected either a waterproof cover enclosing the mattress or that the owners would have swapped out this mattress. The fact that the cleaning staff felt it was ok to turn it over expecting nobody to check was a bit revolting. We went to the office to get it removed, but the best they could do was provide 2 comforters to place between the mattress and our sheets.
When we left to meet up with friends, we found the door lock was broken. We could only lock it from the inside. Our friends were in RVs and apparently the site was digging for new sewer lines, so when the wind shifted, we got a fresh scent of raw sewage.
When we went to take showers at the facility nearest the yurts, we found there was no hot water, the showers had to be pumped to run(no continuous water flow in either the showers or the sinks), and only 1 of the 4 stalls had lockable doors. Both of these were reported to the office the following morning.
Day 2: found that by the store were 6 showers with hot, continuously running water. 3 were out of service and only 1 locked. This was reported to the store/office multiple times.
The lifeguard on duty at the smaller pool across from the store was sitting down in a regular chair with a table with an umbrella between her and the pool, face down in her phone with one hand, holding her sunglasses up with her other hand, while 3 small children(~8 years old) were sliding and playing unsupervised. As a former life guard/ wave pool certified lifeguard, I would have fired her on the spot. That is an unacceptably dangerous situation.
The mini golf course was in disrepair, the arcade was empty of machines, and the activities touted on their website were nonexistent.
The charcoal grill, which we would have used, had a large rusted hole in the bottom right side taking out~25% of the usable bottom, making it basically useless. Thank goodness for butane camp stoves.
Day 3: shower lock situation had not improved(did not improve during our stay despite the office being made aware) Our neighbors left the yurt to our left and the person cleaning the yurt did a cursory cleaning at best. No sign of COVID cleaning discipline whatsoever. We spent the majority of the day offsite
Day 4: lawn mowing started at 8:15 am. The grass absolutely did not need to be mowed. Very loud stand behind rider mower that kicked up dust more than anything as it had been very dry. Took them~3 hours. As a person on vacation, this clearly woke me up early. Very disappointing.
Day 5: got a bit cold in the early morning, so we turned on the heat. It blew dust, filled the entire yurt with a burning smell and caused my partner to use her rescue inhaler. We turned it off quickly, opened the door and 2 windows to clear the air, and found the heater had not been cleaned.
Day 6: decided to leave due to the pending hurricane. As I was checking out, a gentleman checking in was told he had been moved further into the campsite in case the river flooded and was told that, if the river did flood, they had a plan and to not be surprised to see RVs in the road. That was their plan?!?!?
Overall, we will not be returning and will not be recommending this to anyone. If anything, we will encourage anyone looking to camp in the Adirondacks to avoid this campground.
GuideTo start off, we are avid KOA campers. So when we looked at this campground, we expected the typical layout which had a swimming pool and other stuff for the kids, however, this campground lacked all of the above. When we arrived here, check-in was easy we did drive along ways to get to our campsite which was nice to be wooded, but I did miss the typical activities and KOA usually has which when I booked the site, I usually expect them since the prices usually, fairly high compared to state parks. Our main reason for seeing KA versus state parks for these extra activities. With that said the bathrooms were clean, which we barely use since we have a full hook up camper. The dog park was very small and it looked like they did the very minimum to check the block. If you’re looking for a place to run your little guy around, he might be disappointed at this place. However, there are plenty hikes nearby to wear them out if you desire. As far as location, there is a lot of stuff to do in the area as we went and hike, the mountain, which was amazing.
Legend
I haven't camped here, I stopped in a spoke to the host. Drove through and was impressed with the campground, it's well maintained and very nice. The problem for me is it's really two or three connected fields, with hookups in places and lean-tos and fire pits. There was no privacy. But if you're looking for a tent location or a spot to park your camper while you fish on the lake this is the spot.
Scout
The"road" into the campground is more like a goat trail, with numerous washoutsand uneven rocks and dirt. RV site 8 is so out of level that we couldn't get our Airstream level unless we put 10" of blocking under both axles. And the whole idea of paying a"lock fee" is total BS, especially when we paid for our site, in full, 2 months in advance. The ladies at the front desk and the maintenance guy went out of their way to try and make things right, but the manager, his boss and Campspot are completely incompetent and only care about making money.
Traveler
Stayed in a campground for one night just so I could hike Mount Marcy in the morning! It was 40 dollars a night and it has a great hot shower and flush toilet. The area was perfect!
ScoutFirst time camping solo- great place! Felt safe and campground was quiet and clean. Will definitely be back!
ScoutHusband and I took a trip with all 3 pups and I couldn't even tell you who had more fun!! The doggos and husband absolutely loved being able to walk the beautiful trail in the cooler weather, especially the husky. And being a fan of gems, I definitely bought an embarrassing amount of dirt for the gem mining(Got some good finds, so worth it!) Views were amazing and so was the staff, we will absolutely be back!!
ScoutSpacious sites close to great amenities! Super staff! Clean and updated facilities. Close to beautiful hiking, lake activities and rail bikes. We can’t wait to come back!
ScoutThis is such a nice campground and a great experience! The kids loved the gem mining and train rides!! We enjoyed the water view and the staff was so nice to us! On our favorites list for sure!
TravelerTerrific location to hike the different trails of ausable chasm. Good sized site with electric and water. Shady but also had sun to dry our shoes from the raft tour. Bathrooms and showers weren’t too bad, the doors are always kept open which means bugs but not too buggy as they are cleaned daily. Did wish more than once that they had those “occupied/vacant” airplane locks.
Scout
I have been a seasonal camper for 7 years and there is just no better place than Medcalf Acres. The owner is very nice and accommodating and the staff, in particular Michael is always doing something to make the campground look better(cleaning, mowing and weed whacking) just to name a few. There is always something for the kids to do and the staff makes it fun for the kids. They have a heated swimming pool or you can float/swim in schroon river. There is Wi-Fi, cable, sewer, water and electric. You can’t find a better place for the money and the memories that are made.
Guide
Tons of free campsites and lean-to everywhere.
Some with picnic tables and fire area.
First arrive type!
I camped while hiking the full CL50 loop.
You can also swim or go fishing!
TravelerThis is also listed as the North Pole Wilmington KOA. Medium size KOA, quiet, sires were a little bigger than most KOAs. Close to hiking trails, Whiteface Mt Parkway & Lake Placid. Nice, helpful staff. It is NOT wheelchair accessible. There are steep steps to the office, no grab bars in the bathrooms.
TravelerSo far this has been the best campground we have experienced in NY. Cranberry Lake is massive and absolutely gorgeous. The people that work here are very nice and helpful. Try to get a site on the water. Pretty good privacy site to site. The hike up and around Bear Mountain was a good workout and fun experience for our whole family (littlest is 6). We cannot wait to get back there and camp again!
ScoutWe visited this campground twice this summer after the switchover to KOA. They had lots of activities to take back to the campsite for rainy days. They do not have a dog park and this caused our pup to get a bit hyper.
Guide
Great campground with spacious campsites. Clean bathrooms, unsure if there were showers. Great beach area for hanging out & water was clean
Ranger
Some of the nicest people we have met yet. Helpful and accommodating. Lots of improvements over the last year they said, and it is really nice and clean! New bathrooms and laundry center.
ScoutExcellent campground for the family. Great staff, great facilities.
TravelerMostly Rv sites with full hook-ups and a few cabins nice filclities.
ScoutOur 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?!
TravelerSolid 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.
TravelerThis place was the perfect rest spot after summiting Whiteface. The sites were larger than expected, good wi-fi, clean bathhouses, and tons of things to do around the campground. 100% will be coming back!
ScoutThe staff is always very friendly. They went out of their way to make sure my kids were having fun. Sam and Rj are always smiling and doing more to improve our stay at the campground. Cant wait to come back
GuideThis is a Class A 5⭐️KOA Campsite! We arrived late and Jox & his sweet wife helped us manuever our RV into our pull through site B05. We were super close to the office, store, snacks, laundry & activities. Our site was a “ dirt” site that had a picnic table and fire pit with full hook ups. This campsite has concierge service that will help you out with any of your wants/needs. Great site in nature’s finest.
Guide
The campground itself isn’t great; there is not much in it. The sites have water and electricity; which is certainly a treat in the high peaks, but that’s really all that’s great about the campground itself. However, it is centrally located and is really only 15 minutes from Lake Placid. There isn’t much there but there is a lot around that makes it worth while to stay there.
Guide
Overall, the place was beautiful. Very peaceful, lots of privacy, and we loved it. We camped on site 188 for 3 nights and really enjoyed having our own private “beach,” however, we it was extremely boggy! The campground had put down sheets of plywood to help, but still the ground was so soggy that the plywood had eventually “soaked away.” It helped but not much.
Aside from the wetness of the ground it really is a beautiful spot. I’d still camp there but not at 188. Also, the hike in does take some effort, it’s not bad but if you car camp and have pop up or anything heavy it could be difficult for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Paul Smiths, NY is Lake Placid/Whiteface Mountain KOA Holiday with a 4.4-star rating from 43 reviews.
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