Are you an equestrian lover who prefers a more rustic experience when you visit Philmont? Camping with horses is a beautiful way to experience nature. Search nearby equestrian campsites or find top-rated spots from other campers.
North South Lake Campground is the biggest and most popular state campground in the Catskill Forest Preserve, offering extraordinary scenic beauty, and historical sites, such as: Alligator Rock, Kaaterskill Falls, and the former site of the Catskill Mountain House. An abrupt change in elevation occurs from about 540 feet above sea level at the base of the escarpment to approximately 2,250 feet at the site of the former Catskill Mountain House. The provinces around the lakes have long provided visitors with exceptional views of the surrounding countryside. It is said that on a clear day, five states can be viewed from the escarpment. 7 camping loops; 219 tent and trailer sites; 2 lakes; 2 beaches; Two picnic areas: one on North Lake with two picnic pavilion rentals a 20' X 32' and a 44' X 24' (the larger of the two with electricity) and one on South Lake with a 40' X 60' picnic pavilion rental (with electricity).; 2 picnic areas with tables and fireplaces or charcoal grills; playground; flush toilets; hot showers; boat launch (no motorized vessels); rowboat, canoe, kayak and paddle boat rentals; firewood sales; volleyball; horseshoes; fishing; playing field; trailer dump station; recycling center; solar cell phone charging station; ADA fishing platform.
$22 - $27 / night
$55 - $195 / night
$25 - $150 / night
Legend
We were on a 5 state East Coast camping trip. Our first campground was in New York Aug 8th. Unfortunately, Debbie was socking New York hard. North South Lake Campground in the Catskills was our camping home. Thursday & Friday it was Neverending rain & wind. Saturday was the nice day.
North South Lake has no electricity. The sites are almost all beautiful, tucked in under shady trees. Not a good way to try out our solar panel! Some are by a stream. A few are by the lake. This is a tent campers paradise. New York tent campers are hard core camping during Tropical Storm Debbie!
There are 7 loops. We were in loop 2. Site 85. There are some sites with an incline down to the site. That might give some rvs trouble. It did for us & I had to be driven out of the campground to call 911. Thank you Mary!! It all ended well & we got a different site.
There are bears that visit the campground & one came one of the nights & visited our camping neighbor's site. They showed us a picture- it was a large black bear.
Generators are allowed for 5 hours & they tell you when you can use them.
The bathrooms/showers are state park clean- which means not very.
There is NO cell service & just forget about WiFi. You are unplugged.
This is a hiking park & for this middle aged overweight flatlander they are pretty strenuous. Kaaterskill Falls is an exception - short, easy trail, but the parking fills up quickly. Then they close it! You'll have to take a shuttle to get in.
The trail to the Mountain House Site is also pretty easy, with more of an incline.
There's 2 nice lakes with beaches.
The Catskills are very scenic& we enjoyed our time there!
ScoutGorgeous. There was a brook not far from our campsite, and it was only a short stroll to the lake. It was really peaceful when we visited in the middle of the week. Most websites are secretive and dark can play penalty shooters 2.
GuideI really love this campground each of the campsites in our loop which was in the lower 100s, has a lot of foliage around it, creating privacy between you and the site next to you. There is a lake with swimming, clean bathrooms, clean, clean showers. Picnic table and fire pit with grill top. There’s a lot of bear activity here, so constantly cleaning up your food is very important. Definitely love it here for woodsy feel.
Scout
Great first tent camping experience for kids. Lots of activities, clean restrooms. One thing to keep in mind is the tent sites on the opposite side of the road from the river has no shade. Site gets pretty hot on a sunny day. Sites by the river have some shade.
TravelerBeen there couple of times. Love it. Two lakes. Highly recommended.
ScoutLove to camp here all year long have been coming to the area for a couple of decades now. Remote. Sometimes you never see anyone. Sometimes you see some people. You camp on the stream. There is a couple of spots
ScoutI live near this campground. I'm about a mile away and I pass it every day. It is rather remote, but it is right along West kill road. There's a stream alongside it, a fire pit, and a town about 8 mi away. It's a small town, with just a gas station store. I would not recommend this for large trailers. The site is fairly small, but it's in state park, and there's tons of walking that can be done.
ScoutLove it here but renting a golf cart is prob not the best option $175 for 2 days and it only goes 5mph I can walk faster than that.
LegendAshley here with The Dyrt. We're happy to have this campground on our platform! Check them out and leave them some love.
LegendThis is a HUGE Jellystone park in upstate NY. There are literally hundreds of cabins and RV sites. We are in site 136, which is a back in spot. Plenty of room between campers. Gravel spot which is pretty level. Full hookups. Picnic table, cable, fire ring, large camp store, showers, toilets, and full laundry area. Also has playgrounds, pillow jump, fishing pond, golf carts, game room, Waterpark, pool, and tennis courts. All of this nestled into the mountains. Nice and family friendly.
TravelerThis place is all in all a fantastic place for camping. The sites are nice, the facilities are ok, the staff FANTASTIC, and most people camping want to be out in nature. Saw some bears up close. Great hiking. Especially for someone with limited mobility at the time. Also some challenging hikes. What I also experienced was a LOT of people having loud parties, playing all kinds of music very loudly and leaving trash everywhere. Not my style of camping. I have to add no one was breaking any rules and maybe I am the old codger my wife says I’m turning into but that’s mt 2 cents.
TravelerBeautiful. Our site had a creek close behind it and only a short walk to the lake. We were there in middle of the week and it was very quiet. Most sites a shady and private. Loved it, hope to visit again sometime.
GuideIt’s incredibly difficult to bag a site here and now I understand why. Walking around the lakes provided Incredibly scenic views during the fall when the leaves change colors. The site was spacious and flat although some of the sites closer to the lake are rocky and smaller.
The only complaint is the set up of the fire pits which are enclosed on three sides.
ScoutGorgeous campgrounds, friendly staff, and spectacular facilities. Loved that trailheads are walking distance from the sites. But we felt very close to campers next to us, not a lot of shrubbery between sites to feel somewhat private. Fire pits are very nice but more catered to cooking instead of being able to sit around in a circle. Also, we picked a site hoping we’d have a nice view of the lake but it’s hard to see from the site and a good walk away. Overall, beautiful grounds but I’d take less facilities to have a more “woodsy” vibe but that’s just my preference!
TravelerVery well run, well spaced, drive-in sites suitable for tent camping as well as rvs. Spotless clean showers, wash areas, toilets. Excellent hiking of all classifications.
TravelerStaff was professional, bathrooms and showers were clean, reasonable stay prices, beautiful tree canopy. Beach areas look family friendly. We had our 26ft travel trailer boondocked at 049. Tight squeeze, but we made it. Close hiking to Kaaterskills Falls. Can't wait to visit next year!
GuideThe campground was active but not crowded. There is a variety of water sources with multiple camp sites abutting them. Each site is spacious and is tucked nicely into the woods giving optimal privacy. The sites do not have water or electricity but there’s a water tap nearby the sites. The sky is open and brilliant at night.
ScoutWe had a fantastic time in Gardiner, NY which was before this trip. Unfortunately, this was not good. We thought we had a good deal with our lot, but they had us right on a main road. The locals drove so fast on it that we felt uncomfortable at all times with our kids. The water park is not as nice as Gardiner's and there is a lot less to do. While driving through it I did notice some nice sites though that looked very quiet, but unfortunately ours was not nice.
ScoutHave wanted to come here for years and finally decided to snag the last weekend that they're open for the season. End of October the leaves are still incredible and there are great hikes in the area, including right from the site! (You aren't going to want to drive out of the campground because parking at all of those trailheads are insane). We did the Newman's Ledge hike and it was crowded at the ledge, but otherwise amazing. The campground is really nice, sites were relatively private, bathrooms clean. Will be back this season! When you're hungry head down to get fresh-made donuts in Tannersville.
LegendThis is an amazing campground! We had plenty of space and easy access to the lake. We went on a busy weekend and they are currently only operating at 50% capacity. I would recommend reserving a spot well in advance. This is a very large campground with multiple different areas. It has a good water pump and the bathrooms were well maintained and had a nice sink washing area.
GuideI had to make a last-minute reservation for a campsite on my drive back from Maine to DC on a Friday night in September, so was a bit worried about finding anywhere decent at all. This campground was one of the few with any sites available, and I got the second last spot. So I had pretty low expectations.
Actually this campground is pretty nice--the campsites are of a normal size, with enough rocks and trees between sites to provide a decent amount of privacy. Again, my campsite was one of the worst, right on the road, but still not too bad. It would have been pretty decent if every campsite around me hadn't been full, generally with families with a bunch of shrieking kids. But that's a weekend in September...
There are also a limited number of campsites right on the water. The lake is nice enough, although much of it is covered in lily pads.
Bathrooms are fine.
No wood for sale on-site, but there are several places nearby to get wood, and any other supplies you need. The campsite is not exactly remote, I think it was about a 5 minute drive to a gas station with firewood and all manner of supplies.
I would definitely stay here during the week when it might be a bit quieter.
TravelerLoop 6 is quite, water front view
TravelerGreat grounds. Pet friendly. Boat launch. Check out the easy Catskill Mountain house hike (super easy). Only drag is the sites are a bit close together. Bathrooms are super clean. Recycling center super clean
GuideThere weren’t any boat rentals due to COVID, which was a big disappointment. The staff is super friendly, bathrooms clean. Awesome dishwashing stations. Hot high pressure showers. No WiFi or any cell service, but that made for a better trip with the kids. They gave us junior naturalist workbooks for the kids, and they turned them into the ranger station for review and got super cool patches. They cannot wait to return!
GuideWe threatened a Jellystone stop for years, and finally made it happen. Great place for kids and staff runs a great park. Its crowded, loud and in constant movement but as expected. Sites here are pretty spread out and it’s big rig friendly with some level concrete pads which is a huge bonus. Park is doing a great job with COVID in the common areas. Not our normal type spot but definitely worth it to break up our 2 month road trip. Safe travels all!
ScoutI go there almost every year to go swimming with my family and friends and it’s always a good time
Scout
I’ve been coming to Uncle Pete’s for the last 15 years. Very reasonably priced and a 2 minute drive from the center of town. Car camping so you can park right next to where you sleep, makes dining and sleeping comfortable very easy. Plenty of creekside tent sites that offer a large section of riverfront. Large baseball field and playgrounds for kids. Each site comes with an electric hookup, fire pit and picnic tables. Cheap firewood can be bought up front at the bathrooms. Becky and Danny are super accommodating!!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Philmont, NY?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Philmont, NY is North-South Lake Campground with a 4.6-star rating from 43 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Philmont, NY?
TheDyrt.com has all 5 equestrian camping locations near Philmont, NY, with real photos and reviews from campers.
