Best Tent Camping near Peru, NY

Tent campgrounds near Peru, New York offer varied opportunities for outdoor recreation along Lake Champlain and throughout the Adirondack region. Valcour Island provides boat-in tent camping with primitive sites surrounded by natural lake views and hiking trails. Adirondack Acres Trail and Camps features private tent sites with river access, while Poke-O-Moonshine offers tent camping with drinking water near Schroon Lake in a pristine mountain setting.

The terrain at these tent sites consists primarily of natural surfaces with minimal development. Walk-in tent sites on Valcour Island require campers to bring their own water and supplies as there are no services beyond basic composting toilets. Fire rings are available at most locations, and fires are generally permitted except during high-risk periods. Adirondack Acres provides more privacy for primitive tent setups, with sites situated far from neighboring campers. A camper noted that at Adirondack Acres, "There is absolutely no one around as far as the eye can see in the area close to the river."

Areas farther from developed sections provide greater solitude for tent camping experiences. The tent-only sites on Valcour Island attract paddlers and boaters seeking a more secluded camping experience. Campers should be prepared for variable weather conditions, especially when tent camping near Lake Champlain where wind patterns can change quickly. Most tent campsites provide picnic tables, though amenities are generally minimal. The walk-in tent sites require appropriate planning for carrying gear. Hikers particularly appreciate the proximity to trails, with one visitor remarking that "the hiking nearby is some of the best in NY" at Poke-O-Moonshine. The island tent camping options provide a unique wilderness experience despite being relatively close to mainland services.

Best Tent Sites Near Peru, New York (38)

    1. Valcour Island

    3 Reviews
    Plattsburgh, NY
    7 miles

    "Just a truly beautiful place ♡ One of Lake Champlains BEST hidden gems!"

    2. Adirondack Acres Trail and Camps

    1 Review
    Keeseville, NY
    6 miles

    "This prime location is very private. There is absolutely no one around as far as the eye can see in the area close to the river. "

    3. Poke-O-Moonshine

    2 Reviews
    Willsboro, NY
    12 miles
    +1 (518) 834-9045

    "Easy distance to Poko-moonshine mountain and several smaller mountains.Beautiful location. Removed from trafficked roads, very quiet. Can be busy in summer. Waterfront access to Long Pond."

    4. Burton Island State Park Campground

    8 Reviews
    North Hero, VT
    21 miles
    Website
    +1 (802) 524-6353

    "Spacious sites with fire rings. Shade is limited at certain times of the day. Nice hiking trails nearbye."

    "When we booked our Labor Day weekend tent site back in March, there were only 2 leantos (out of 26) left and a handful of tent sites (out of 14)."

    5. Air Campground LLC

    1 Review
    Grand Isle, VT
    14 miles
    Website
    +1 (802) 372-3800

    6. Mount Philo State Park Campground

    10 Reviews
    Charlotte, VT
    26 miles
    Website
    +1 (802) 425-2390

    $23 / night

    "Nice trails that lead to scenic views of Lake Champlain. Bathrooms and showers were clean. Showers were quarter operated, 50 cents for 5 minutes. Firewood sold on site."

    "There are less than 20 sites total, and all sites are near walk-in paths to excellent views of Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks or the Green Mountains. The facility is small, but adequate."

    7. Knight Island State Park Campground

    3 Reviews
    North Hero, VT
    21 miles
    Website
    +1 (802) 524-6353

    "There are some nice leantos on the east side of the island that give you access to the lake and some good fishing. Deer, .turkey, fox and smaller animals can be seen throughout the island"

    "It doesn't host a ton of amenities other than outdoor toilets, but it doesn't need to because every remote campsite is waterside, with fabulous access to amazing swimming, gorgeous sunsets, and fantastic"

    8. Indian Brook Reservoir

    2 Reviews
    Essex Junction, VT
    22 miles
    Website
    +1 (802) 878-1342

    $21 - $36 / night

    "There is an extensive trail system that is easy to navigate. Nestled in the woods are several tent platforms that you can access by foot or by boat. They are spacious but not too private."

    "I mistakenly assumed they had drive up campsites. They do not. It was a 15 minute hike to the site, so pack light. If you have a kayak, you can transport your stuff over."

    9. Woods Island State Park Campground

    1 Review
    North Hero, VT
    23 miles
    Website
    +1 (802) 524-6353

    "One of three neighboring island parks in Lake Champlain’s “inland sea”(along with Burton Island and Knight Island), Woods Island became Vermont's forty-fifth state park in 1985."

    10. Saranac Lake Islands Adirondack Preserve Campground

    15 Reviews
    Saranac Lake, NY
    38 miles
    Website
    +1 (518) 891-2841

    $22 - $40 / night

    "You'll need a boat or canoe (rentals available in Saranac Lake). Sites have tables, fire rings, and outhouses. You'll need a tent, bag, pad, cooking equipment, etc."

    "All campsites have picnic tables, firepits/grills, and privies. Saranac Lake Marina has great rental boats. I even think the dogs look forward to these camping trips."

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Tent Camping Reviews near Peru, NY

573 Reviews of 38 Peru Campgrounds


  • Beth R.
    Jun. 27, 2024

    Smugglers Notch State Park Campground

    Newly Developed … Work in Progress

    Pros: Full hookup (sewer, water, 50 AMP) 1.7 mile from #7 Ranked World's Best Disc Golf Course: Fox Run Meadows New fire ring New picnic table Gorgeous Mountain View

    Cons: Grass site No amenities No Wi-Fi Soft ground, sinked during setup

  • Amber A.
    Jul. 25, 2016

    Ausable Point Campground

    Ranger Review: Crazy Creek Air Chair Plus at Ausable Point Campground

    Campground Review: Lakeshore camping! Beautiful little peninsula where you can watch the sunrise/set. Lovely in autumn. Good birding, water activities, sunsets, geology/gorge, short easy forest hikes, beach walking, all the good stuff you expect from this part of New York. Most of the site is off limits because of wildlife preserve, still a lot to explore. Good as base camp for a few days in the area. Get the tents sites near the lake! Popular for day use area (picnics, birthday parties, etc). Stay here and you can say you camped in Peru! (Lots of upstate NY towns are named for countries.)


    Gear Review: As a The Dyrt Ranger I receive products to test and review. I won the Crazy Creek Air Chair Plus in a campground review contest in June 2016. I had been thinking of purchasing both a camp chair (for camping) and an air mattress (for camping & backpacking), as on my last few trips I got pretty sick of sitting on my closed-cell foam mat and a recent knee injury was making me rethink my open-cell foam ultralight sleeping pad. Well, this Crazy Creek Air Chair Plus does both and does them both well. It starts out as a camp chair (adjustable angle, typical back height) and flips open to a full size air pad made by Klymit. Sounds great right? I flew to NY for a whirlwind family/business/camping trip soon after receiving the chair and had ample opportunities to try it sleeping on friends’ floors and in tents. The chair portion was super comfortable, way better than any simple camp chairs I’d used. I was nervous about sitting on more rugged surfaces (I’m just paranoid about inflatables!) but so far so good. You can also flip open the bed part while you're sitting and have an extended leg rest to protect against hot sand or dirt. The conversion to the sleeping pad was simple. It inflates fairly easily, but at high altitude after a long day of hiking you might be a little annoyed puffing it all up. Sleeping on it was great: my knee and back were happier than with my open-cell foam mats (similar to the typical Thermarest). The one issue I had was that there’s a big dip/joint where the mattress flips out in the conversion from chair to bed---it’s not really that intrusive but I guess my side-sleeping and height (5’4”) conspired to annoy me a bit. Also the R value is very low (it’s not insulting) just like every other air pad but in the summer that’s fine with me. All the other aspects of sleeping on it were similar to other pads I’ve used (it’s kind of narrow, your bag will slide around a bit, etc). Doesn’t pack down too small & isn’t ultralight, but you could remove the chair aspect to help with that. In sleeping mode it’s 20” wide, 70” long, 2.5” thick, 2 lb 13 oz (according to packaging). So while this is my very first camp chair and air mattress, I’m really happy with it after 7 nights sleeping on it and many hours in the chair. It’s not gimmicky at all!

    PS: Can you tell I’m way more picky about gear than campsites? :)

  • Craig F.
    Jul. 23, 2018

    North Beach Campground

    Amazing Location!

    We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at North Beach Campground.

    We spent 4 days in a full hookup site. The site was spacious, tree covered, and hard packed grass/dirt. Overall the site was very level with good water pressure. The water/electric sites in the middle of the campground were a bit snug. The campground is a city operated campground and we were impressed with the upkeep, maintenance and friendly service during our stay. The camp office is small, but has information on area attractions, Ice, and fire wood. The bathhouse/restrooms were well kept during our stay even with the volume of campers at the site.

    Location, Location, Location is the main reason to stay at North Beach. The campground is literally along the Island Line bike/walking trail and had direct access to the beach on Lake Champlain (life guards, snack bar, and patio bar). The city center of Burlington is only 1.5 miles along the bike path from the campground. Most days we either walked or biked into town (which has ample bike racks to park your bike).

    While we stayed in our camper, as a former die-hard tent camper, I was impressed with the number of tent friendly sites, because most campgrounds see tenters as “second class”. The tent sites were spacious, level, and not located in some obscure location.  

    We loved North Beach and plan to camp here in the future!

  • Kate K.
    Aug. 1, 2019

    Camel's Hump State Park — Camels Hump State Park

    Amazing Hike! Great Campground

    This is a short and sweet hike to one of the higher points in Vermont. It is a beautiful scenic (somewhat strenuous) hike to the summit. The views are pretty epic though. The designated primitive camping area is about 1.5 miles into the hike. If I recall it had about 10-12 sites. The area had a host who was there 24/7 and a shared area for eating and food storage (I guess Bear’s are a problem there). We hiked all day, so we didn’t have a fire and to be honest I can’t remember if there was a shared spot for them or not. Either way, this hike was gorgeous and so was the camping. I would love to go back!

  • Lee D.The Dyrt PRO User
    Nov. 10, 2024

    Lake Carmi State Park Campground

    Quiet lakefront camping post Labor Day

    General: Large state park with two loops, both of which are lakefront. A mix of primitive sites (no w/e/s), lean-tos, and two cabins, one in each section. Sites/lean-tos are designated premium (lakefront) or non. There is also an ADA-accessible lean-to. Upon check-in, you are given a gate code to enter. 

    Site Quality: Our site, like all others, was generous in size and a back-in site. Most sites don’t have clearly defined camper pads, and the surface is grass/dirt (or mud if it has rained recently). A large wooden picnic table and fire ring complete the site. There are plentiful trees, so each site has at least some shade and some are very shaded. Lakefront sites have a filtered view of the lake through the trees. 

    Bath/Shower House: The one closest to us was very clean. Three stalls and one shower. Cold water only at both the sinks and the shower (at least I didn’t get any hot water). The showers do take quarters and although you get five minutes for each quarter (up to 15 quarters, although I can’t imagine taking that long of a shower), it was quite possibly the wimpiest shower I’ve experienced in quite some time. But, after I finished, I saw my quarter had been returned. The toilet paper was so thin, it was nearly transparent! 

    Activities: Although swimming is allowed, the “beaches” are very small and there was a bacteria warning in place when we were there advising against swimming. There are two boat launch areas, one in each loop. Great for kayaks, and canoes, and we saw what looked like a fishing boat. There was one very annoying motorboat revving its engine while doing circles in the lake. The day-use area has a small, dated playground, fire pit, horseshoe pit, and volleyball net. There is a short nature trail and one other small walking trail. Nearby is access to the Missisquoi Rail Trail. 

    A surprise was a family of ducks who visited our site when I was outside reading! Our stay was very quiet during the week after Labor Day, but I imagine the vibe is quite different during summer weekends, especially given the sign in the restroom stating that quiet hours are strictly enforced. We were annoyed by one loud boat so I can’t imagine what it would be like if the lake was filled with boaters. This is why we prefer shoulder-season camping!

  • Lee D.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 8, 2019

    AuSable Chasm Campground

    Closest campground to Ausable Chasm

    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.

  • Sarah C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 2, 2017

    Grand Isle State Park Campground

    Great camping and biking!

    Beautifully set on Lake Champlain in Vermont! This is a relatively large campground but is well laid out and doesn't feel small even when it's packed to the gills. We spent a long weekend here to enjoy some mid-summer bike riding along the many bike-paths Vermont has to offer.

    The facilities are well maintained and clean. There are several camp hosts on the property and they are attentive to the needs of all the guests coming and going. There is a small welcome kiosk with a few picnic tables behind it where you can get wifi access if needed.

    You can bike directly from here all the way to Burlington,without ever getting back in your car! Take the bike ferry across a small section of Lake Champlain and keep on riding.

    While we were here there was even a little band playing some music one evening! We actually stayed in an ADA site (it was the only one left). It was REALLY nice. Gravel drive all the way in to a nicely built 3 walled platform with a roof. We were able to set up a tarp just off the edge to cover the picnic table as it rained for part of our stay. The site drained well and was plenty big enough for our tent and needs.

  • Linsey S.
    Sep. 6, 2021

    Lake Placid/Whiteface Mountain KOA Holiday

    Great Campground, Full Amenities

    Spent 3 days, 2 nights here from a Wednesday-Friday. Very large and busy campground, close to Lake Placid and other cool activities to take in. Pros- hot showers, convenient laundromat, you are guided to your site by staff on golf carts. Cons- tent sites aren’t given much privacy, on the days we stayed we were put very close to the main building when we requested a spot near the back away from the busy area, kids allowed to run and yelling and screaming WELL after quiet hours.

  • Brett N.
    Sep. 19, 2021

    Draper’s Acres

    Great Location, Solid Amenities

    Or site was large enough for two double tents, a hammock, and 2 vehicles. Each site includes a fire ring and picnic table. The office sells firewood. Both bath houses were adequate, even containing shampoo and body wash. Staff was friendly. Some if the sites are rather close to each other, and the proximity to the road was noticeable but my white noise app dealt with that while I slept. Prices were more than fair for what was provided.


Guide to Peru

Tent camping near Peru, New York, offers a variety of scenic locations perfect for outdoor enthusiasts looking to immerse themselves in nature.

Some prices for tent camping range from $8 to $20

  • The Burton Island State Park Campground provides a unique experience with boat-in access and well-maintained sites, making it a popular choice for campers.
  • At Knight Island State Park Campground, you can enjoy a peaceful retreat with waterfront campsites, accessible only by private boat.
  • Valcour Island offers free primitive camping with stunning views and excellent fishing opportunities, perfect for those seeking a more rugged experience.

Tent campers should check out Burton Island State Park

Explore local attractions while camping

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Peru, NY?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Peru, NY is Valcour Island with a 4-star rating from 3 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Peru, NY?

TheDyrt.com has all 38 tent camping locations near Peru, NY, with real photos and reviews from campers.