Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Redwood, NY

I’ll start by saying Swan Bay is a busy, family-oriented campground. We arrived on a weekend and it was pretty busy but loved it during the week when everybody left and things were quieter. Our site (#38) was a Passport America site so we got a great nightly rate of $42 which is half of the regular nightly rate. Our site was a “standard site” near the pool, boat launch, activities, and Tiki Bar which surprised us because sites close to activities are usually desired and not discounted. Campsite costs depends on whether you get a waterfront (which is $95/night even in the off-season), water view, pull thru, or standard site. Most sites do not have shade but they added a new section that does have some old mature trees and sporadic shade. All the sites are the same in that they have paved parking areas with gravel in front, pavers for a patio and full hook-up. Some of the newer sites now have a bit of shade from trees. There are lots of rental park models and cottages close to the pool and Tiki Bar. Within walking distance is a Price Chopper Grocery, Dollar General, gas station, and wine and liquor store.  

There is a free boat launch and boat slips (not sure if they are free) for guests. I was hoping to spend a bit of time on my paddleboard but soon realized it is very windy here and found very few windows to paddle. Our neighbor (who has camped here seasonally for the last four years) mentioned that he lost three awnings to the wind. So, don’t leave your awning out when you leave your camper and beware of winds if you want to be on the water. Check-in was quick and easy. The park is gated so you get a gate card to enter the park. You also get a BOGO card to use at the Tiki Bar which has specials during the week (like margarita Monday, bucket of beer, bloody Mary’s, etc.). The pool and Tiki Bar were not very busy when we were there. There is a second pool but it was not open yet for the season. In between the pools is a community fire pit with nice Adirondack chairs which is pretty cool. The playground is awesome and huge with lots of cool features for kids to explore. The dog park is very nice and a decent size to throw a ball for your dog. It also has potable water for drinking, which, for some reason, did not work during our stay. There are gobs of activities for kids and adults. Plenty of rentals too – ranging from boats, kayaks, golf carts, etc. 

A couple of the downsides of this park are the price (unless you get a discount like we did), sites don’t have much privacy, the park gets crowded and noisy, and there was lots of noise from the construction work within the park they were doing. If you are in the back of the park, you get some road noise from Route 12 and the refrigerated truck at the neighboring Price Chopper. Overall, we loved this park during the slow season and during the week when there were not kids running around and adults playing loud music and drinking constantly.

Jake from the Dyrt here! Birch's Lakeside Campground has all the amenities needed to enjoy a stay in upstate New York, a general store, laundry & propane on site keep everything you need right there!  Check them out and leave a review about your stay on the Dyrt!

Whether it's playing in the water or in the playground this place is awesome to bring your children. The showers and restrooms were kept very clean and The Pavilions were wonderful places to have a family picnic. The campsites are also well maintained and it was very simple to just back up a little mobile home into the camping spot the picturesque Landscapes made the sunsets absolutely beautiful. Out of all of the places that I have been in New York this is by far one of my favorite places to go

We came to this campground after a week in Algonquin Provincial park in Canada and the contrast couldn't have been greater. Up north we stayed on a large, shady site in a radio free loop and everyone had canoes. In New York we had a cramped, open site and everyone seemed to have a motorboat on a trailer. Our neighbors across the road set up a movie screen . The overall feel was NOT "getting away from it all".
The facilities are good and there's a nice beach and well stocked General store, also a big boat ramp facility with some docks.
We chose this location because we were attending the Antique Boat Show in Clayton, 13 miles away, and this was the closest available. It suited us just fine for that.
Keep your stuff secure, there are brazen raccoons.

There is TONS of beach to explore at this little State Park in New York. I used to visit here as a kid years ago because my grandparents owned a cottage on the lake. Since they sold it, visiting Southwick is the next best thing. Lake Ontario is an amazing lake to be on and the water is pretty warm in the summer time. the waves don't get too big, so it is very safe for kids. Southwick itself has great camping spots right next to the beach. It is a little pricey if you only want to visit for the day, $8, but you can get a tent spot for $18 which is comparable to other state parks. Showers are available, and there are some short trails that are good for running or probably cross country skiing in the winter. There is also a sizable playground near the beach that is great for the kids.

We spent two nights here with our dogs over Labor Day weekend 2017. The site is well maintained, the bathrooms are clean, and we had plenty of privacy from our neighbors. During night one we got up to run to the bathroom and did see a coyote checking out the perimeter of camp looking for food, and probably trying to figure out what new animals were nearby (our dogs), but overall we had no issues with animals approaching us. Be sure to follow the rule of keeping all food in your car overnight otherwise you'll end up with a campsite visitor. Besides that, it was a great experience. The main trailheads were a 2-minute walk from camp, and everything was very well maintained.

a 20 mile ride of just woods on a bumpy road. Pretty cool! Surprisingly the place wasn't that populated as I expected it to be. I went to a accessible campsite near the dam so I can pull stuff i needed from my car. The restaurant in the town had great food, the staff were nice, and had two cute dogs!

Great location offering both sunrise and sunsets over the water of Lake Ontario. Loved the access to the water for our dogs to swim and for beautiful views. Our site backed up to the water and although it was windy they thought ahead and built the fire pit up to block it. Our site was a little narrower than others based on our proximity to a corner, but we still loved it.

I stayed 4 nights at a non electric tent site, it was me and my dog enjoyed some bon fires and some hiking in Wellesley island state park as well. It was very quiet somes sites are kind of close but no one was up there in a tent other than me. Park employees kept bathrooms clean and were very nice. Rates were cheap i spent roughly $65 for 4 nights. Other then the ticks we encountered at the other park it was a great vacation and a beautiful view

this was a nice clean campground with access to restrooms at all sites. there is a very nice hike to the top of Bear Mountain and a beautiful view of the lake. book early and get a site on the lake shore. we were on the inside of the park and there is not a lot of water access, especially if you own dogs. the individual that checked us in was a little intense when explaining the rules but that is a fairly common occurrence at state parks.

My family and I love this campground....the area has such history! It has a little beach area and great rock cliffs to jump off and swim! The fishing is also awesome, my husband caught a pike and small mouth bass his first day! And the sunsets are my favorite part!

Beautiful campground. The ladies at the check in point were very nice and helpful! Bathrooms were clean (no hot water). Just didn't expect the plots to be so small with no privacy. Thought we chose a plot in an area with tents only, but there was a massive camper right beside us with noisy people. I would go back again if I could pick a site that had the neighboring ones not reserved, to get a little more privacy.

Great fishing from almost every part of this park. Two beaches to swim. Almost every campsite is on the water. It’s so nice it’s hard to reserve, because people grab it nine months in advance! Wonderful!

We've camped here every year but it's getting difficult to get in here. We've camped all over from tents to all kind of campers. Never stayed in cabins but been inside. It's beautiful park. Goose bay on one side St Lawrence River on other. Every site is beautiful with rocks. But the rocks make it beautiful. We love sitting on a big rocks, watching sunsets and ships go by. Playground, private bathrooms, boat launch, docks, beach and fishing.

Great place. Nice camp store. Access to the water great for boating and swimming. Kring point has islands as well you can jump off the rocks into the water.

This is a great campground to spend a week in the summer. There is a lot to do, not only in the park, but also in nearby Alex Bay. Facilities on site, friendly neighbors, and lots of swimming areas. Pirates Weekend is very busy at the beginning of August, but well worth it.

Rocky (flat) but beautiful. Hard to get into because people book far in advance.

When we got there there was no one in the sign in station. No electricity or water hookups. We reserved online and there was a mix up. We reserved 3 days got there and found out there was no hookups we were told if we cancelled we would only get a few dollars back. Pool looked nice

Keewadyn sits along the St. Lawrence River in the Alexandria Bay Area. You can catch some pretty good views-Canada is literally across the way- but this felt a lot like camping in someone’s backyard. The whole park was wide open with barely any shade or trees. Granted, most are probably there to camp by the river and to partake in some of the area’s recreational opportunities, but I generally prefer to camp in more forested, secluded parks.

On the bright side, there is a lot to do in terms of recreation-boating, kayaking, white water rafting, wine tasting and exploring the local history. The park is safe and family oriented. Wouldn’t be my first choice, but maybe a good option for families with young children.

Amazing prices and pool is incredible, campsites are semi private. Playground is great for the kids.

Great campsite, but very crowded. The staff was very kind and always checks in. The restrooms and showers is very clean. There are fire rings and picnic tables

This park and campground is clean, quiet and well kept. It's a perfect place for an escape with or without kids. We camped here before children and are looking forward to bringing the kids here to experience the Alex Bay region and the 1000 Islands. There is tons to do in the area including hiking, boating, boat tours, boldt castle tours and more. This is definitely a summertime destination.

The best camp site I have ever had the privilege of enjoying.

1. You can only get to it by boat. How awesome!?
2. Every site is far away from the next and each has its own unique and beautiful view of the water and surrounding islands.