Searching for a tent camping spot near Salem? The Dyrt is an easy way to find tent camping spots near Salem. Would you prefer a quiet dispersed site or an established camgpround with amenities? Either way, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect place to pitch your tent.
Hearthstone Campground rests at the end of picturesque Lake George just 2 miles north of the Village of Lake George; this has become a very popular vacation location in New York. Lake George region offers some of the most diverse recreation opportunities in NYS. A Junior Naturalist Program is also offered at Hearthstone, and the successful camper can earn a naturalist patch for their efforts.
$28 / night
Turtle Island is in the Mother Bunch and is a favorite among locals. It does not take long to discover that Turtle Island is the best kept secret of Lake George with jumping rocks, beautiful islands, and quieter waters.
Scout
The staff was friendly. The sites are spaced out enough and have greenery in between so it feels a little more private than some places. Bathrooms and showers were very clean.
Legend
What a beautiful and well maintained CG! Great owners, facilities, and amenities. Gravel roads and relatively level gravel sites. There are W/E sites, dry sites, and many secluded tent sites. There are two lakes and another nearby. It is close to many hiking trails. We arrived an hour after the water was turned off due to freezing temps. We were allowed to fill the fresh tank from the lodge. We woke the next day to heavy fog. We would definitely stay here again - for longer than an overnight stay!
Scout
It was a very quiet location. There was plenty of room between sites. The roads going in and leaving were well maintained. I accidently booked a tent site, and my popup camper and truck almost didn't fit. We will have to go back and get a shelter site. This way we can get the beautiful views of the mountains. We both enjoyed the Coolidge State Park
Scout
I thought I read someplace that there is new ownership, at any rate the folks there were very nice. And the place lives up to its name. We’re not fond of RV parking lots and the sites were well spaced which gets it many extra points. We had a popup in a drive-through site at the bottom of the hill which was fine, though pretty muddy after a day of rain. With that hill there’s no place for larger RVs here unless they were to decide to use the field at the bottom. As far as infrastructure a lot of what is here is very old and dated, sometimes to the point of being comical, but it does appear some updates are happening. Bathroom building is decent and kept very clean (though it would be nice if any of the door latches on the women’s toilets worked.) It appears they have built or rebuilt some cabins. Hiking up and down the hill to the bathroom does get old and there is really no place to park there like most places have without blocking the road. Can squeeze in one car near the (ancient and yucky cold water) dishwashing station. There is a tiny campsite with cabin on the road below it, with a firepit and table like a foot away from the road. Maybe they should eliminate that site to make parking for a couple cars at least, as its a terrible campsite probably the only bad one there. (One night that site had 2 cars, with one blocking the road when we tried to drive past - they should have made the extra car stay down in the lot.) People moved their car a bit, but still had to drive very close to their bonfire. Like much of the area, there is essentially no cell coverage here. An area with wifi would be an excellent upgrade. I know, you’re camping, but sometimes you just need to do something, make a restaurant reservation, or check the weather.
Update- I just found and read an article about the change of ownership. Showed a picture of a recreation room. Where the heck was that? In the building labeled “the Barn?” Which I thought was an actual barn and off limits. The dyrt says there is wifi, maybe it was there? Would have been nice to know about.
Scout
There are a lot of camping sites for tents at this location. Quite a few lean-tos to rest . Restrooms with coin operated showers. Every site has a picnic table.
Traveler
Absolutely loved this campground, sites are well spaced and the surrounding area is gorgeous! We had a tent site right on the river and couldn’t have been happier with our stay. Each site has a fire pit and a picnic table. Facilities were exceptionally clean and the camp store was stunning!
Scout
I just got here. Road was quite good. I believe I have the last of 4 sites. Nice camp fire area.
Scout
No camping signs. Private property
Scout
I needed a place to stop, been traveling for 6 hours. Nice enough for me. Everything was wet from last night's rain. Everyone was pleasant.
RangerBeautiful state park campground with all the amenities you expect, located on the Hudson River.
The state did an excellent job designing sites with dense foliage as sound and site barriers creating good privacy for campers.
Sites are all within 200 feet of the bathrooms. The bathrooms have good showers and were very clean during our stay. There is also a dishwasher sink and even bookshelves with books available to borrow.
Our favorite feature was the day use and boat ramp on the Hudson River. We saw many larger boats (maybe smaĺl yachts?) during the day. The view from the boat ramp area was amazing. However, stay away if you see boat going by. The boat ramp dock turns into a death trap when a big wake from a boat hits the river bank!
Scout
I strongly urge anyone considering Getaway Mountain Campground to stay far away. Our experience here was nothing short of appalling. From the moment we checked in, the owners were extremely rude and unwelcoming. After staying for the weekend, we extended our stay due to the campground’s cleanliness, thinking it would be perfect for our family, including our three children with special needs and our service animals.
Unfortunately, the owner’s behavior quickly escalated. One day, the man running the office drove by on his golf cart and began yelling and swearing at me, accusing us of not picking up after our dogs. I explained that we always clean up after them, but he refused to listen. We decided to leave for the weekend to avoid further conflict, but when we returned, we found piles of dog poop deliberately placed near our motorhome. Things worsened when one of our children, who is nonverbal, picked up a pile of the mess.
When we addressed the issue with the office, the owner’s wife not only refused to acknowledge their behavior but also accused us of lying. The man’s hostile behavior escalated again, yelling and swearing at us in front of our children. He threatened to have us thrown out by the police, which he followed through on. The officers who responded could see that this was a personal issue and were baffled as to why they had been called. We were told to leave, but not before being denied a refund for the remaining days we had already paid for.
To make matters worse, we’ve since learned that the owners of Getaway Mountain Campground have been actively calling around to other campgrounds, slandering our name. They falsely claim we don’t pick up after our dogs and that my husband chased the owner with a 2x4—an outright lie. The current campground we’re staying at informed us of this and has stated that they’ve seen no issues with us or our pets. In fact, the surrounding campers have no complaints, and the campground owner is willing to write a statement about the situation, including notifying the authorities of this baseless harassment.
The entire experience left us feeling targeted and mistreated. We have traveled extensively throughout the U.S. and have never encountered anything like this. Save yourself the trouble and avoid this campground at all costs.
Verdict: AVOID Getaway Mountain Campground.
RangerWide spaces near the Hudson River are beautiful. Campgrounds are under renovation to clear some trees and improve facilities in what might be the best state park we’ve camped at. Lots of well marked trails with great views of the river (cannot be seen from campsites).
Electric only on site but lots of spots to fill fresh water in campgrounds. Bathrooms are big and very clean.
At&t one bar. Site was open enough that Starlink was great.
ScoutGreat spot for quiet desolate camping. Several spots to choose from.
Traveler
Nicely spaced sites, level and welcoming hosts. There are a few trails around the campground and it is close to Mt Ascutney which if you are feeling a bit lazy there is an auto rd that goes about 3/4 of the way up. 3 mi. Away Springfield as all the services you might need.
Ranger
Only the first section of the campground was open due to flooding. As a result, there were puddles everywhere.
Campsites are listed as disbursed but there are only 7 trees to separate 9 camp sites. The campsites are all next to the road and have fire circles.
There is a single pit toilet at the end of the camping area. No garbage service, no water, no cell service. Basically a camp site where you can share a fire with the neighbors.
Guide
We stayed in the rustic campground right down the road from the main campground. We parked in a lot and walked about 5 minutes to the campgrounds on the lake. They were beautiful and well kept, even had a small pile of fire wood for us.
The site had a relatively nice outhouse, a picnic table, a fire pit and a grate for grilling. It was right on the lake. There were a ton of other people in the main campground but only one other camper in the rustic area. $25 a night to camp.
There was some noise from the highway but not too bad. Coyotes were howling all night and definitely heard some around our campground.
Scout
Despite only having 3 stars on dyrt, lees park is pretty cool to come to. Close to SPAC, lots of area to set up tents, dog friendly, campfire friendly, and there’s a lake minutes away. Some of the crowd seemed a little rowdy but overall nothing that was obnoxious. DONT GO IN THE WOODLINE you’ll get mobbed by mosquitoes.
Scout
Absolute worst campground we have ever been to(and we do a TON of camping in state parks both in NY and out of state and private campgrounds as well). When we arrived our site was covered in trash and the picnic table was in the site next to ours with old propane tanks sitting on them. Beer bottle caps and cigarette ends were EVERYWHERE on our site, crushed cans and bottles scattered around, tons of garbage throughout the site(plastic spoons, cardboard pieces, plastic wrappers, a huge metal pipe, etc.) We spent the first half hour there cleaning up all the trash on our site and we didn't even get it all. All of the sites next to us had just as much trash in them as well and were never cleaned up the duration of our stay either. When walking around we noticed tons of other sites with garbage left in them too. I don't think any of the sites are checked after checkout and if they are they are definitely not cleaned up at all after check out. We stayed on the'other side of the road' and the bathrooms were absolutely disgusting and falling apart. They were never cleaned at all during our stay(although we seen workers sitting in the golf cart goofing around and talking several times instead of actually cleaning the bathrooms). The only thing the workers did was add toilet paper(and not even enough because there were several times we went and there was no toilet paper). We were there 5 nights and the trash can wasn't emptied once and none of the garbage or toilet paper on the floor was ever picked up. There was also poop smeared across the wall and door in the one stall and poop all over one of the other toilets that was like that our whole stay as well. Mirror was literally tapped together with black tape, there was only one faucet handle and locks on the stall were broken. We had to go across the street into the other side of the campground to shower and the showers were absolutely disgusting. Black mold covered the shower curtains, was all in the lights and on the lower and higher sections of walls and it smelled like mildew. It was gross and cannot possibly be safe. This is definitely a party campground and no quiet hours are enforced. People were up partying, drinking and blasting music literally all night. It's such a shame because the location of this campground is amazing and it has the potential to be a great campground but we will never go back. We have never been to any campground this dirty, unkempt and with workers who literally just don't care or do their jobs. Such a disappointment. Wish I had seen all the other bad reviews before going.
Scout
Had a pleasant stay at Woodford State Park. Sites near T38 have a great elevated view of the reservoir. Also a nice loop trail for those looking to do a little bit of hiking.
GuideLarge, well organized camping spots along the road. The spot I chose had a beautifully built fire pit. It was a little muddy from rain.
TravelerWe booked this spot sight unseen as there were no pictures available. Tucked back in the woods and quiet. The front section was much wider open and more state parkish. Excellent showering facilities and a cook wash up station that was well maintained.
Scout
Do you enjoy staying up until sunrise, underage drinking, staff that don’t give AF, and rules that don’t matter? Then this is the state park for you! I wanted to give the park a try even with all the bad reviews, because the location is awesome. Now I realize the views are not worth it if you’re sleep deprived. I thought since it was a not a holiday weekend it wouldn’t be that bad, I was wrong. If you still plan on coming, I’d avoid the first week in August. Some garbage family from New Jersey rents out a bunch of sites and gives their teenagers their own site, because they hate them too. All in all, it was not a good time. There are plenty of other parks around if you want to actually enjoy camping. This one isn’t it. 10/10 would not recommend 👎
Guide
Highlights of the trip included a somewhat secluded site by the river, pavilion tater tots and the pool. This campground was once thriving with activities and events and a real sense of community. Now, it seems hollow and unkept. Bathrooms and Showers were filthy.
Guide
Road goes in pretty far. Some parts are muddy and very rough. Higher clearance would be advised!!!
GuideLove this site! The very last spot on the right hand side. If you’ve reached the closed gate you’ve missed the site! Keep it clean!
RangerThis campground is the northwest side of the lake. There are not many amenities or services for the phones but that could be good if you want an off the grid type of camping. We were lucky enough to score a few days in one of the group sites. They had a bathroom with just a potty & sink. At the end of the site, they had water that was able to be used to clean dishes but not consume. The views out the camper were just amazing. The bathroom with the showers by the beaches were gross, and the amount of crap on the ground was super unacceptable, like people haven't cleaned it in weeks. The showers up closer to the sites were very nice and clean. They have a cool beach but make sure to bring water shoes because everything is gravel. I wish they had a playground for kids to play. We brought bikes but it was very hard to ride with the hills and gravel so we didn't use then often. We moored our boat directly out from out site and you could swim out to it. Great lake, super clean, beautiful breeze can't wait to go back.
Traveler
This campground was perfect for our group that had 5 small children. The kids were able to safely ride bikes on the camp roads, sites were large and well spaced out from each other, great playground and fun playing in the river. Amazing programming options from the ranger staff each day
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Salem, NY?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Salem, NY is Hearthstone Point Campground with a 3.9-star rating from 16 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 30 tent camping locations near Salem, NY, with real photos and reviews from campers.
