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Best Equestrian Camping near Poughkeepsie, NY

46 Reviews

North-South Lake Campground in Haines Falls offers camping options for visitors to explore the Catskills with horses, though no dedicated horse corrals are listed among its amenities. The campground features 219 campsites accommodating tents and RVs, with a selection of sites that can be reserved for equestrian use. Campers report clean facilities with regularly maintained bathrooms and showers. The campground permits pets, which extends to horses with proper management. Trailer parking is available at designated areas, though space may be limited during peak season from May 19 to October 22. Fires are permitted at designated fire rings provided at each campsite, with firewood available for purchase on site.

Multiple hiking trails accessible from North-South Lake Campground connect to the broader Catskill trail system, providing varied terrain suitable for day rides. The campground's proximity to Kaaterskill Falls offers scenic riding opportunities, with several visitors noting the excellent trail connectivity directly from the campsite areas. Water access is available at the dual lakes, allowing horses to cool off after trail rides. Campers should note that the grounds implement strict quiet hours and cleanliness standards, with particular attention to proper waste management for horses. The campground's popularity means reservations are essential, especially for weekend visits during summer months when waterfront sites fill quickly. Many reviewers mention the campground's spacious and private sites with enough room for horse trailers at select locations.

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Best Equestrian Sites Near Poughkeepsie, New York (2)

    1. North-South Lake Campground

    44 Reviews
    Palenville, NY
    36 miles
    Website
    +1 (518) 589-5058

    $22 - $44 / night

    "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."

    "Had a great time at this campground- surrounded by many returning campers which gave the whole experience a good community vibe. Ice cream truck comes around each evening in the summer."

    2. Country Campsites

    Be the first to review!
    Cairo, NY
    45 miles
    Website
    +1 (518) 634-7005

    $55 - $195 / night

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Equestrian Camping Reviews near Poughkeepsie, NY

46 Reviews of 2 Poughkeepsie Campgrounds

  • Cynthia K.
    Aug. 29, 2024

    North-South Lake Campground

    New York

    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!

  • Tara L.
    May. 21, 2018

    North-South Lake Campground

    NYS camping.

    North South lake is one of the larger public camp grounds in New York. The sites are well spaced out. Great for families. The lake is huge.

    Avoid holidays to avoid the crowds.

  • Lena L.
    Jun. 14, 2018

    North-South Lake Campground

    Family friendly

    Had a great time at this campground- surrounded by many returning campers which gave the whole experience a good community vibe. Ice cream truck comes around each evening in the summer. Sites are tucked away in the trees for privacy. We set up our 6 person tent and two hammocks comfortably. Long walk to the beach from our site but enjoyable anyway. Nice little hiking trails nearby.

  • nThe Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 22, 2021

    North-South Lake Campground

    Beautiful grounds but…

    Gorgeous 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!

  • R
    Aug. 26, 2018

    North-South Lake Campground

    Love this place

    The sites are spacious and private and there are lake side sites available too. Perfect for groups!! We were able to maximize our lake experience by bringing an inflatable kayak. I was able to explore many different parts of the lake and do a decent amount of fishing. There were a few hiking trails walking distance of the campground that were fun to explore. We will def come back!!

  • M
    Jul. 3, 2019

    North-South Lake Campground

    Great family campground

    This place is enormous. This is a NYS park run by DEC. They are very strict with quite hours which are from 10pm to 7am. The had a truck come around many times after 10pm to make sure everyone was quite. This is a great spot for young kids. I was warned about high black bear activity in the region and even had to sign a waiver acknowledging their presence and all the rules associated.

    Each site had a fire pit with a grill on top of it and a picnic table. Sites are very close together but that didn’t bother me. There are bathrooms and showers, both very clean in every loop. Attached to the bathroom area is a large sink to wash dishes.

    The north lake is under construction so there is not beach front there. Beware of staying in Loop 6 as you will probably hear the construction noises.

    The north lake does however have a nice path alongside it and a spot to deploy a non motorized boat.

    No cell service anywhere in the park or close by.

    I highly recommend staying here.

  • M
    Oct. 26, 2025

    North-South Lake Campground

    Beautiful grounds HORRIBLE STAFF

    I don’t normally write reviews especially a negative one. We had a very upsetting experience at North-South Lake. We drove over two hours to visit my husband’s childhood campground for the first time with our three kids(ages 5, 7, and 9). When we arrived at the entrance, we were asked if it was a day visit, and we said yes, we were only staying for the day. We paid the fee, received a map, and drove in. My husband was so excited to finally share this place and create memories with our children. Looking for a place to park, we thought we were lucky to find an empty campsite in one of the loops where he used to camp as a child.

    We parked the car hoping to enjoy the view of the lake, take a walk, and maybe make the kids a couple of s’mores before heading home.

     At around 2:15–2:30 p.m., the “SUPERVISOR” in the white Kia approached us in an extremely rude and nasty manner, speaking as if we were committing a serious crime and comparing our situation to“sleeping in someone else’s hotel room.” She asked us if we had a reservation; we said no. She said,“Someone else reserved this spot.” We were very apologetic, embarrassed, and immediately put our stuff in the car. I said they could have told us; we would have moved right away. I’m sorry. 

    She said,“They aren’t supposed to talk to you; that’s why they send me here.” She told us we had ten minutes to leave, waited there while we put our chair, blanket, and s’more cookies in the car, and refused our 9-year-old daughter access to the bathroom while we packed up our three things, and even followed us out of the loop to make sure we didn’t park elsewhere. My daughter came to us crying because the lady told her she couldn’t use the bathroom and had to get in the car. Well, she had an accident in the car right as we were pulling out. 

    We were mortified and apologetic. My husband even offered to leave the firewood we had just purchased for the next campers, but she was dismissive and harsh about that as well. 

    The following day, I called and asked to speak with a manager to explain how we were treated. The manager was just as unfriendly and miserable sounding as the supervisor. I was told they had been looking for us“for hours” and that it’s“common sense” not to park in a campsite. She actually said it’s considered trespassing. So, a friendly warning for first-time visitors: Apparently, if you don’t know that“day use” doesn’t mean“park in any empty campsite,” just for the day, you’re officially a trespassing criminal, at least according to the manager. 

    Reading the website now, I see that check-in for people with reservations is at 2 p.m., which was the time we were trying to make a small fire, so unless someone left their site and returned, it’s unclear how they could have been looking for us“for hours.” We were right there at 2pm. 

    The website also states: Day Use• Anyone who is not camping is a day-user. Day-use hours are from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Day-users are not allowed between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. 

    We were not camping but didn’t realize we couldn’t park in an empty campsite. I think“common sense” would be to inform DAY USE visitors at the ENTRANCE to use public parking, especially for families or first-time visitors who may not be camping experts. Bottom line: this was my husband’s childhood family spot. We just wanted to take a beautiful fall drive and have a special day with our kids. 

    We understand now that we needed to reserve the parking spot ahead of time, and it was an honest misunderstanding. I would have even offered to pay for the campers’ stay for their trouble. What we wish for is that the staff had approached us respectfully and explained the situation instead of treating us like criminals. Imagine being such a miserable person and working in such a BEAUTIFUL and peaceful place for families. 

    This was meant to be a special family day, honoring memories of my father-in-law and creating new ones with our children. Instead, it became stressful and humiliating. Sadly, this is what our children will remember about the day and about North South Lake

  • L
    Jun. 24, 2022

    North-South Lake Campground

    Lake, creek and waterfalls!

    Beautiful. 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.

  • Brian H.
    Aug. 31, 2016

    North-South Lake Campground

    camp here if you love hiking

    the hiking here is phenomenal! easy and walking distance from your site

Guide to Poughkeepsie

North-South Lake Campground provides equestrian camping in the Catskills region near Poughkeepsie, New York. Located at approximately 2,200 feet elevation, the campground experiences cooler temperatures than surrounding lowlands, with summer highs typically 5-10 degrees lower than Poughkeepsie proper. The campground operates seasonally from May 19 through October 22, with water access at both North and South Lakes suitable for swimming during warmer months.

What to do

Trail exploration: Access multiple hiking paths directly from North-South Lake Campground that connect to the broader Catskill trail system. "Located just about a mile from Kaaterskill Falls this campground couldn't be in a better spot. We had a wonderful weekend there," notes Brittany W. about North-South Lake Campground.

Swimming opportunities: The dual lakes offer refreshing swimming options during summer months. A regular visitor explains, "I go there almost every year to go swimming with my family and friends and it's always a good time," according to Lizz H. who frequents North-South Lake.

Multi-activity options: Visitors can combine water recreation with land-based activities. Chris D. shares his experience: "Camping, swimming, hiking, boating, biking, this place has it all." The diversity of activities makes this an excellent choice for horse campgrounds near Poughkeepsie, New York, with options for riders and non-riders alike.

What campers like

Clean facilities: Campers consistently mention the well-maintained bathroom and shower facilities. "Their staff is friendly and knowledgeable, bathrooms & beach areas are always clean, & the hiking nearby is fantastic," reports Jessica W. about her stay at North-South Lake Campground.

Lake views: Waterfront sites provide direct access to scenic lake vistas. "Been there couple of times. Love it. Two lakes. Highly recommended," shares Luka M., highlighting the appeal of the dual lake system that gives the campground its name.

Site spacing: The layout provides adequate privacy between campsites. Tara L. notes, "The sites are well spaced out. Great for families. The lake is huge." This spacing proves beneficial for equestrian campers needing room for their equipment at horse-friendly campgrounds in the Poughkeepsie area.

What you should know

Reservation timing: Early booking is essential, especially for premium locations. "Clean and well run campground with beautiful lakes and surrounded by trails. Perfect Hudson getaway. Reserve very early for waterfront," advises Rachel G. about North-South Lake Campground.

Crowd management: The popularity of this destination means weekends and holidays can become congested. "Always packed, but always beautiful. Awesome access to the Catskill Escaprment trail from here," warns Maribeth W., suggesting midweek visits when possible.

Campsite options: Various site configurations accommodate different camping styles and group sizes. Eliany L. explains, "This campground has many different size sites big enough for groups and small for just single. Great place to camp. The view from the town to the campground was amazing!"

Tips for camping with families

Kid-friendly amenities: The campground caters well to families with children of various ages. "Large family friendly campground with all the amenities - boating, showers, great hiking," states Becky G. about her experience at North-South Lake Campground.

Accessible hiking: Several trails near the campground offer relatively easy terrain suitable for children. Jessica W. explains, "A lot of the hiking nearby is also relatively easy and includes the newly opened (as of 2016) viewing platform for Kaasterskill falls, which is minutes down the road from the campground."

Multi-generational appeal: The diverse activities can span age groups and interests. "I'm a native of the Catskills and spent many an afternoon with my family enjoying the facilities at North/South Lake. I've recently started going there again with my own family and it's great to see them take the same enjoyment I did," shares Chris D.

Tips for RVers

Hookup availability: The campground provides electric, water, and sewer hookups at designated sites, though not all sites offer full service. Tara L. recommends, "North South lake is one of the larger public camp grounds in New York. Avoid holidays to avoid the crowds," particularly relevant for RV campers requiring hookups near Poughkeepsie.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Poughkeepsie, NY?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Poughkeepsie, NY is North-South Lake Campground with a 4.5-star rating from 44 reviews.

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