Looking for the best Rainbow Lake tent camping? You can find tent campsites by type, including drive-in, walk-in, and even hike-in for a backpacking adventure. Search nearby tent campsites or find top-rated spots from other campers.
$22 / night
$22 / night
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
Jones Pond has four primitive tent sites on its northeastern shore which may be accessed from a seasonal access road off of Jones Pond Road, and three primitive tent sites on the northwestern shore which may be accessed by foot from Jones Pond Road.
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.
Legend
This place is a paradise. Located near river.
Traveler
I like the atmosphere at Bridgeview Harbour Marina! The serene views and vibrant community make it a perfect spot to unwind. Speaking of unwinding, if you ever find yourself overwhelmed with writing assignments or projects, I highly recommend trying out domypaper.com writing service. They provide excellent support and can help you tackle any writing task with ease. Whether it’s for school, work, or personal projects, their team of experts ensures top-notch quality and timely delivery. So, after enjoying a day at the marina, consider getting some writing help to keep your stress levels down. Cheers to good times at the marina!
Scout
Nothing fancy but great location. The campground is right on the bike path and very close to Burlington.
Guide
Stayed here one night and it was super quiet and dark 8pm until we woke up. I hammocked right next to the water of Cranberry Lake. It has showers with hot water, which is timed and high pressure. Checkout was at 10am
Traveler
I didn’t expect too much from a campground but this site was super clean, spacious and very quiet. Even though some of the sites are close to each other, it feels like your a mile apart with the sounds. The bathrooms are impressively clean and even have extra toilet paper if need be. Will definitely stay here again in the future!
Traveler
Snowbird is very wet and some sites are rooty. There is no lean-to. There are roughly seven campsites within ~20' of each other. Three sites could accommodate a 4 person tent and the other four would need a 1 or 2 person tent. You could potentially squeeze in another 2 person ternt sight somewhere. There is a privy. There is a small stream for filtering water ~50' down trail from the campsite that will likely be running all year. Snowbird is the only campsite that is above 4000' in the park. The location is awesome for tackling the great range, but how muddy the sites are is a major con. Just be aware that some if not all sites could have several inches of water at anytime of the year.
Guide
We stayed for two nights to visit Burlington and lake Champlain.
It was not our favorite campground. The site are open, so no privacy and the sites are fairly small.
Toilets and showers are ok but nothing fancy. A bit worn.
Scout
Near the larger campground at the entrance is a"private little beach" with plenty of parking. I wish I had been here longer with geometry dash online!
Scout
This place is really amazing it's like https://tunnelrush3.com so. Cool and fresh, how enjoyable.
Scout
We were with RV. Mostly permanent places, showers and toilets are full with mould and not clean as is said on the website. Rates are not transparant. The pool was nice for the kids.
Guide
Stayed here with a group of friends at site #4. Was a great spot and lots of room for our 4 tents/3vehicles. It was over the July 4th week, so very busy and found people would just walk through your campsite. Which of course would make our dogs bark at them. Also a lot of people just walking the road, so privacy can really be hit or miss. A lot of people have their dogs off leash as well. One of the rangers stopped by and sure did have a big chip on his shoulder. Overall would stay again, but would maybe instead stay at site 5 or over at a short hike in spot along Jones Pond rd. Overall a great place, just wish people would have more respect when around others campsites.
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.
Guide
We recently bought a travel trailer and this was our first camping trip with it. Emma and JC were wonderful from start to finish. They own the property and you can tell they take such great pride in this gem. The grounds are beautifully kept and both were very helpful. We arrived much later than expected because of traffic and this being our first time traveling with the travel trailer. They were very accommodating to our later than expected arrival. Once we got all set up at our site, we were very happy. JC is very helpful with helping guide you in to your spot if you need it. There's a nice bath house with toilets and private showers. It was kept very clean and it was nice to know we could use that if needed. There's a beautiful spot to go down by the lake and watch the sunset over Lake Champlain. We absolutely loved our time there and will be happy to return again. JC has quite the sense of humor and my partner and him had fun conversing. Emma was great at communicating from start to finish and made everything easy and convenient.
ScoutGreat spot near the lake to put up a tent for the night. Very safe and super close to town. Seemed really popular and a little loud until around 11. If you’re a light sleeper then consider bringing some ear plugs.
Ranger
I was in site 43, it was long enough it could have fit two of the biggest RVs I have ever seen. My 75 foot starling cable did not even reach all the way back out to the road. I drove through the equestrian loop and found it very confusing. Lots of fences and shared pedestals. I stayed in the next loop, stagecoach. Everything looked spic and span like it had just opened last month. The young man at the check in station said there were very few people there except on the weekends. I only saw three or four other rVs and two of them had to camp right next to me. I saw the bugs, some of them clearly mosquitoes and I never saw one get away with biting me. But I ended up with two lower legs and two forearms that constantly itch like mad. I will never go back in June.
Guide
This campground is located in a central area between Burlington and north hero. The views of lake Champlain are amazing. Ex check in and plenty of amenities.
Legend
We stayed at Meadowbrook over Memorial Day weekend in 2024. It's an average campground, but has a really good location between Lake Placid and Saranac Lake.
Our site had the standard DEC picnic table and fire pit. There are showers (the hot water was broken the day we were there, but the attendant said we could go to nearby campgrounds to use theirs), toilets, and water spigots. I had decent Verizon signal.
The sites were clean, but the fire pit was showing its age. We stayed in site 37, which was a bit more private and surrounded by trees. The sites in the two loops closest to Rte 86 (#1-13, 27-34, and 51-62) were much closer together, and some didn't have trees between sites. Even at our more "isolated" site, we could still see our neighbors.
The bathroom was actually one of the nicest I've seen in a DEC campsite; it looked like it had recently been rebuilt.
There are positives and negatives about the location. On the plus side, there's ice cream and places to eat within walking distance. We also forgot lunch for our hike the next day and were able to walk to a convenience store to grab supplies. And if you're doing things in Lake Placid and Saranac, the location is tough to beat. On the minus side, there's a bit of road noise and some of the campsites looked like they had great views of a parking lot.
LegendI 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.
Legend
Jake from the Dyrt here! We're excited to have this campground on the Dyrt and ready for you to book, check them out and make sure to leave a review!
Legend
If you like history this is a great spot to camp, when exploring. Just don't expect privacy. That said the views are wonderful. The sites all have fire rings, tent sites don't have anything else. RV sites do offer full hookups. The access into the site is paved. There is a trash house and bathhouse on the grounds.
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.
GuideReservations 5183900930 Support the Fire Department! Kind of an open lot, but surrounded by Adirondack beauty. Bathroom in Fire Department available , no shower. Close to downtown restaurants and Olympic sights
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!
Guide
On the Blueberry trail not far from the Ward lean-to.
Very close to the trail to Seward, Donaldson and Emmons.
Lean-to, privy, fire pit, table, and water around.
Guide
Great campsite with a nice lean-to.
Fire pit, picnic table, and a privy.
A bit further you will find some tent spots too.
Plenty of water around.
ScoutAn amazing secluded spot overlooking the lake, with extremely helpful hosts. Definitely intend to return at some point.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Rainbow Lake, NY?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Rainbow Lake, NY is Saranac Lake Islands Adirondack Preserve with a 4.9-star rating from 15 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Rainbow Lake, NY?
TheDyrt.com has all 29 tent camping locations near Rainbow Lake, NY, with real photos and reviews from campers.
