The best TENT SITES camping near
Saint Elmo , NEW YORK

This is my favorite of 3 Jellystones that I’ve been to. Will be returning in our new RV soon. When we stayed here, we stayed in a cabin on the hill and rented a golf cart which was a must have with three little kids. If we had stayed closer to the action, we wouldn’t have needed the cart but we were so thankful we had it after a long day of play. Facilities were clean and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. It is expensive but priceless in that our kids had more fun here than on almost any other vacation. There is plenty to do and see. I only wish the characters would walk around more often. We love that they sell concessions and beer on tap. It was a most enjoyable time. Campsites are not dispersed. Will return soon!

…. But surprisingly quiet and for the most part the guests were decent, the staff was awesome, very helpful, the sites were a little on the small side and stacked a lil closer than I like, but we had a good time, some beautiful views from some beautiful motorcycle roads.

Camped out at one of the sites by the river and it was amazing, no one was around except a man far from our site. Good walking distance to the car especially in the cold! A few benches, and no trash cans so take your trash with u.

We visited October 18th 2020 and the previous days rained pretty heavy so when we arrive at site #20, there were caution tape to the east of our site for the trees that had fallen. No biggie but this site is also a ditch..we hiked downwards into the site. Everyone driving / walking down the main road can look into your site. This site I would give a 1 star for zero privacy, small space for a campsite, between 2 cars & 2 tents, we did not have space to put up a hammock. We went to check in to see if we can relocate & they did offer a spot where it was shared with another site which had a party reserved. We didn't want to intrude in other parties and esp during times like these so we just stayed in our ditch. We only for 2 nights but I can see other campers getting upset if they showed up to a ditch. We can hear the trucks driving by at night, if this is a bother for you, try to get a site further in away from the entrance. 

On the other hand, our friends were at campsite #21 and it was 5 stars compared to site #20. It was a hike in but very secluded from the rest of the campers and very clean kept.

4 Stars for this campground because :

Pros - short drive from NYC, the hike around the pond is easy and beautiful, there's a beach nearby. 

Con - we just had a bad campsite so we'll know to choose another one next time.

This is a very nice campground for families. Has a lot of activities and facilities for campers. It is a bit more open and campsite can be a bit close to each other. But the place was very clean a friendly.

Big space - we had around 40 people for a group event and there was plenty for everyone to do. Well kept facilities

This is a great place for camping. The shelters are great for people who want to camp and not have to worry about unplanned weather. The best part of this campsite are the endless trails in the area (see screenshot of AllTrails). I believe there are over 40 miles of trails in this area. Would definitely recommend for those who want to camp near NYC but not drive too far.

Pros: easy to find, right off the highway, full hookups, open year round, big, same day reservations, friendly customer service

Cons: highway noise, not pretty / not in nature, close spots, no privacy

This 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.

Even the rain couldn't ruin this weekend getaway. The spring water source is a short hike back from the campsite, relatively convenient to restock from camp. Thought I heard bears come through overnight, but may have been a lucid dream. Bear can was undisturbed in the morning. First trip to the catskills but will definitely be back!