Best Tent Camping near Saranac Lake, NY

Searching for a tent camping spot near Saranac Lake? Find the best information on tent campgrounds near Saranac Lake, including sites, reviews, and tips. You're sure to find the perfect campsite for your New York tent camping excursion.

Best Tent Sites Near Saranac Lake, New York (32)

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Showing results 1-10 of 32 campgrounds

Recent Tent Reviews near Saranac Lake, New York

635 Reviews of 32 Saranac Lake Campgrounds


  • K
    Camper-submitted photo from Draper’s Acres
    Apr. 28, 2021

    Draper’s Acres

    Good location to hike ADK

    Tent camped here several times in past few summers. Good location for major trailheads and near by lake placid keene. Tent sites are not very big. Although weconfortavly fit with one vehicle. Free hot showers.

  • J
    Camper-submitted photo from Cranberry Lake - DEC
    Jun. 14, 2018

    Cranberry Lake - DEC

    Beautiful lakeside scenery!

    This campground is beautiful! We tent camped at a lakeside spot and enjoyed every moment. Bathrooms are scattered throughout the grounds and there’s a small general store for any last minute needs.

  • Kat
    Camper-submitted photo from Cranberry Lake
    Sep. 2, 2020

    Cranberry Lake

    The BEST

    Bring your boats! There are a few tent sites where you can launch your boat. I want to live here I love it so much.

  • John P.
    Camper-submitted photo from Blue Haven Camp Ground
    Jul. 16, 2021

    Blue Haven Camp Ground

    Cramped, but nice

    Cramped sites, lots of year round RV and trailers. Had a tent site, close to others. Not bad, people friendly and staff was very nice.

  • Alex R.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Bushnelle Falls Campsite
    Jul. 21, 2023

    Bushnelle Falls Campsite

    Great campsite near the river and falls.

    Great campsite!

    Lots of tent sites and 2 lean-to.

    2 privy.

    Near the river and a huge falls too.

    Campsite is FREE (but entry is 10$ day)

  • A
    Camper-submitted photo from North Beach Campground
    May. 16, 2018

    North Beach Campground

    Lakeside Convenience

    Smaller tent sites. One centrally located bathroom. Nice mix of sun and shade. Convenient to down town and waterfront. Beach is beautiful and conveniently close to sites.

  • Melisa A.
    Camper-submitted photo from Ausable Point Campground
    May. 10, 2017

    Ausable Point Campground

    Beautiful falls, decent campground

    Beautiful destination! Take a walk up the path next to the chasm. So relaxing listening to the water falls. Great place to watch the sunset! Make sure you bring a light jacket in the summer, the evenings can still get chilly from time to time. If you are camping here in the fall, check out Rulfs orchard for some apple picking. Fillion's diner is amazing and super reasonable pricing. 

    You can rent a cabin if you don't want to camp in a tent. Nice way to stay away from mosquitoes and black flies. Tons of activities to do here: hiking, biking, walking, disc golf, etc.

  • The Other Kim K.
    Camper-submitted photo from Lewey Lake - DEC
    Jun. 1, 2021

    Lewey Lake - DEC

    Beautiful Views

    Camped on one of the waterfront tent sites. Super nice but close to highway so you could hear the cars drive by and see the hwy from the site. Not super quiet but I’d still camp here again.

  • E
    Camper-submitted photo from Draper’s Acres
    Aug. 14, 2020

    Draper’s Acres

    Nice areas for tents, plus private cabins

    This site has good tent sites that are separate from RV area and rental cabins. Very reasonable rates and friendly staff, also showers on site tho they're a bit rustic. Great experience; if you tent, try to grab a spot on the outer ring for a quieter time, larger space and better views

  • H
    Camper-submitted photo from Paradox Lake Campground
    Sep. 30, 2017

    Paradox Lake Campground

    What’s the paradox? If you find out let me know.

    Adirondacks scenery, camping along the lake. Trail access from campground. Swim & boat on site. Modern but basic state park. Some tent sites nicely private. Close to rt 87, convenient stop on the way to or from Canada from NYC.

  • H
    Camper-submitted photo from Putnam Pond Adirondack Preserve
    Oct. 1, 2017

    Putnam Pond Adirondack Preserve

    Perfect backpacking basecamp

    Beautiful views over the lake with sunset views. Canoe rentals on site. Very clean, truly hot showers, large tent sites, shady & wooded campground. Try to book the site on the little island, but the others are all nice too.

  • s
    Camper-submitted photo from Forked Lake Campground
    Oct. 19, 2021

    Forked Lake Campground

    Primative camping on lakefront

    Primative, badly maintained, tent sites. Widely spaced. All sites on lake front. Canoe rentals available for paddling to sites. Some sites having their own docks. Very heavy bugs. Primative old pit toilets at each site. Be advised, this is bear country. Campground managent very poor, uncaring.

  • Shari  G.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Meadowbrook Campground
    Jun. 28, 2018

    Meadowbrook Campground

    Conveniently Located, but a bit Noisy

    This is a very basic campground situated in a small village in the Adirondacks – situated between Saranac Lake and Lake Placid. Every site has a picnic table and an open fire grill and most of the sites on the outer ring have a lot of privacy as they are lined with trees and shrubs. Lots of spaces for larger RV’s, but we saw mostly tent campers.

    Bathrooms are mostly clean and the showers are nice. There is a quality dishwashing sink by the bathrooms. Overall, the campground is ok, but needs a bit of a facelift, repainting, etc. Also, you can hear the sounds of the city (cars, leaf blowers, and other things that remind you that you are not truly in the woods).

    The best part about this campground is that it is conveniently located between two awesome places and is relatively inexpensive, so if you don’t plan to spend much time in the campground itself, it’s perfect.

    We used this campground as a basecamp to mountain bike on an awesome trail just outside of Saranac Lake, the Bloomingdale Bog trail. The following day, we did a quadrathlon that involved kayaking the length of Lake Placid, hiking to the summit of Whiteface Mountain, kayaking back, and then finished the day at Lake Placid Pub and Brewery for dinner. Highly recommended, but plan on a 9-10 hour day on the lake/trail!

    With its central location, this campground is close to everything you may need, most even within walking distance.

  • Alex R.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Sno-Bird
    Jul. 21, 2023

    Sno-Bird

    Tiny remote campsite

    very tiny and remote.

    5-6 tent sites and a small box privy.

    But great when you hike the HaBaSa trail (haystack, basin, saddleback).

    Since it's right after Haystack and not too far from Basin.

    No need to walk more...it's on the way.

    It's a very high campsite...So it's windy and colder at night.

  • Dina S.
    Camper-submitted photo from Lincoln Pond Campground
    Aug. 29, 2019

    Lincoln Pond Campground

    Peaceful

    Tent camping at its best. Quiet and nestled in the trees. Not much is nearby in the way of attractions but there is amazing hiking trails all throughout this area. If you are new to hiking in real mountains like the ones near this campground (I’m from Jersey so...) be sure to have a personal beacon since your cell phone won’t work on the hikes. The campground does get 1 bar.

  • Miccal  M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Crown Point State Historic Site
    Jan. 18, 2024

    Crown Point State Historic Site

    great place to stop for a night - very little privacy

    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.

  • Heather M.
    Camper-submitted photo from AuSable Chasm Campground
    Aug. 1, 2018

    AuSable Chasm Campground

    Peaceful, Clean, Fun

    3 night stay, tent camping on a site with water and electric. The site we had was quite large, I had booked an end site (#73) hoping it would be big! The campground staff was friendly, and worked hard to keep the bathrooms and showers clean. The camp ground is within minutes of Ausable Chasm, which offers great hiking trails and rafting/tubing. We had a great time on this camping trip!

  • F
    Camper-submitted photo from Rollins Pond Adirondack Preserve
    Aug. 27, 2018

    Rollins Pond Adirondack Preserve

    Peaceful, spacious, wooded sites on the lake

    Rollins Pond was the perfect tent-camping campground for our first trip to the Adirondacks. It was generally quiet Memorial Day weekend, and we were able to snag a lakeside site with plenty of trees and space for our tent, SUV, and more. The campground is hilly, so we drove to the nearby showers and garbage. The only drawbacks were the campground’s boathouse doesn’t open until June/July, which was not mentioned on the website, so we weren’t able to rent kayaks to use on the pond. There are no dishwashing sinks at the bathrooms.

  • Natalie N.
    Camper-submitted photo from Draper’s Acres
    Jul. 25, 2018

    Draper’s Acres

    Campground with options

    Great campground with secluded sites most with woods behind each site, especially the tent area. The RV and tent camping is well separated and there are different kinds of RV space available as well. The showers are a bit gross, but free. The cabins look nice but a little close together. They don’t pick up the phone right away so call a few times to get ahold of someone. We had water/electric for a trailer at $35 a night in perfect location between Keene Valley and Lake Placid. Sites were clean and the fire pits were beautiful! We camped in site 45 and were pleasantly left alone.

  • Sarah C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Baker's Acres
    Jun. 29, 2022

    Baker's Acres

    Sub-par

    This is clearly a residential RV seasonal place. Some of the RVs here look as though they've had houses added onto them over the years. Seeing as it caters to RVs over anything else, other services/amenities were lack luster. Showers were a bit dirty and there were only 4 tent sites in the campground. It worked for a stop over on a thru paddle of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, but as a regular tent camper, I would not recommend this spot if you can avoid it.

    There is a lovely country store a quarter of a mile away!

  • Levi M.
    Camper-submitted photo from AuSable Chasm Campground
    Sep. 4, 2018

    AuSable Chasm Campground

    Cute and Quaint

    Upon arrival, the front desk clerk was very nice and helpful. We found our way to the tent sites, nestled in the very back corner which for us was exactly what we like. Sites were a medium distance apart but still spacious enough to not be close to neighbors. Showers and restrooms were nearby and it being a weekday, there really wasn’t much traffic of campers or hikers. It was cozy and tucked into the woods with town only being a few miles away!

  • Linsey S.
    Camper-submitted photo from Lake Placid/Whiteface Mountain KOA Holiday
    Sep. 6, 2021

    Lake Placid/Whiteface Mountain KOA Holiday

    Great Campground, Full Amenities

    Spent 3 days, 2 nights here from a Wednesday-Friday. Very large and busy campground, close to Lake Placid and other cool activities to take in. Pros- hot showers, convenient laundromat, you are guided to your site by staff on golf carts. Cons- tent sites aren’t given much privacy, on the days we stayed we were put very close to the main building when we requested a spot near the back away from the busy area, kids allowed to run and yelling and screaming WELL after quiet hours.

  • Thomas B.
    Camper-submitted photo from Mount Philo State Park Campground
    Aug. 5, 2018

    Mount Philo State Park Campground

    Beautiful Vermont

    I only got to stay two nights here but it was veey nice. only seven tent sites and three Leanto so pretty secluded. the best part is every night its only a ten minute hike to the summit from where the sites are and you get to watch the sunset over Vermont and lake champlain as the sun falls behind the adirondack mountains, its quite an amazing site. very highly recommended if y oi u want piece and quiet and that mountain feel with a stunning view.

  • Bethany S.
    Camper-submitted photo from Cranberry Lake - DEC
    Sep. 6, 2018

    Cranberry Lake - DEC

    A campground with a lot to offer

    Cranberry Lake is a fantastic place to get away from it all. It really has so much to offer. Many of the sites offer quite a bit of privacy from your neighbor, and are laid out nicely for tent camping. We go there to kayak so it’s also nice that there are a lot of water front sites. If hiking is your thing, there’s a nice trail right within the campground. It’s not a terribly long hike, but it takes you up to a spectacular view of the lake and islands. Bonus points for the campground being within 30 minutes of two breweries (Tupper Lake) 👍🏻

  • Joanna H.
    Camper-submitted photo from Saranac Lake Islands Adirondack Preserve
    Aug. 1, 2016

    Saranac Lake Islands Adirondack Preserve

    Will return for years to come!

    I camped at Saranac Lake Islands for two summers in a row. The first time, my children and I had an island and the second time we had a spot on a little peninsula. It's such a gorgeous place! The campsites were well maintained and nicely isolated. At night, you could see other campfires in the distance over the lake. I highly recommend Saranac Lake!

  • Jerry M.
    Camper-submitted photo from Saranac Lake Islands Adirondack Preserve
    Nov. 21, 2017

    Saranac Lake Islands Adirondack Preserve

    Beautiful place

    Love this place. Have gone the last three years, and I have reserved again for August 2018. You'll need a boat or canoe (rentals available in Saranac Lake). Sites have tables, fire rings, and outhouses. You'll need a tent, bag, pad, cooking equipment, etc. Bring warm clothing for nights; temps can drop 30 degrees in hours. Sites are carry in/carry out.


Guide to Saranac Lake

Saranac Lake, New York, offers a fantastic backdrop for tent camping enthusiasts, with its stunning natural beauty and a variety of campgrounds that cater to different preferences.

Tips for tent camping near Saranac Lake

Local attractions for outdoor adventures

  • The Feldspar Lean-to is an ideal stop for hikers heading to Mt. Marcy, providing a scenic spot to rest before tackling the trails.
  • Enjoy the serene beauty of Flowed Lands, where you can set up camp near the lake and explore nearby hiking trails with stunning views.
  • For a more secluded experience, Lake Colden offers a collection of campsites surrounded by nature, perfect for those looking to escape the crowds.

Unique features of Saranac Lake campgrounds

  • Jones Pond NYSDEC Primitive Campsites provides free primitive sites along a scenic pond, ideal for a peaceful getaway.
  • The Sno-Bird site is known for its remote location above 4000 feet, offering a unique camping experience for adventurous souls.
  • Marcy Dam Backcountry Campsites is a well-reviewed spot for those looking to explore the High Peaks, with easy access to popular hiking trails.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Which is the most popular tent campsite near Saranac Lake, NY?

    According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Saranac 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 Saranac Lake, NY?

    TheDyrt.com has all 32 tent camping locations near Saranac Lake, NY, with real photos and reviews from campers.