Best RV Parks & Resorts near Scarsdale, NY

Pelton Pond - Clarence Fahnestock State Park Campground: (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good (70 yr olds in 17’ trailer). I rate based on desire for at least a moderate wilderness type experience w at least some camp site privacy. Overall Rating: Some spots: 4 , Some grouped spots: 2 Price 2023: $23 Usage during visit: Light Site Privacy: Some sites good. Some very poor. Site Spacing: Some sites good. Some very poor. Site surface: Grass/dirt/mud Reservations: Required Campground Noise: Quiet at our spot. Road Noise: Pretty load at our spot Through Traffic in campground: None Electric Hookup: No Sewer Hookup: No Dump Station: No Potable Water Available: Yes. At bathrooms and hand pumps Generators: Allowed Bathroom: Very old and very clean. Flush toilets. Heated. Showers: Very old and very clean. Heated Pull Throughs: Some Cell Service (AT&T): 3to 4 bars Setting: Spread out through a deciduous forest Weather: 50s high Bugs: None Solar: Food in some sites. Host: Did not see a host Rig size: 40’ max. Careful which site you choose. Sites: Pictures are of some of the more private sites which can have a trailer. Some sites are grouped in open areas. These lack privacy.

We stayed at site 15 for 5 days. The sites are nicely wooded, very well spaced, fairly level with 50A service and water hookup. Although the water spigots were shared between sites, they provide hose caddies that should reach most RV hookups. No sewer hookup, but there is a convenient dump station. There are no fire rings in the RV section, only raised grills. We had the place pretty much to ourselves during the week, but the weekend did get busy. AT&T had ok data connection with 1-2 bars most of the time. There is no satellite coverage due to the heavy tree canopy. OTA TV was very inconsistent using an external omni antenna. There is no WiFi. There is a very nice network of trails in the reservation, most if not all were leashed dog friendly. There is a very nice restaurant, Stone Water, less than 10 miles away and is right on lake Hopatcong.

This was a last-minute booking for us and we were delighted with the beachside cottage, with enough amenities that mom and dad did not worry we had their cutie with us for "camping". She's too little for backpacking into the woods but finally got to stay overnight and help with the campfire!

Pros

• Modern facility with full kitchen accessories (coffee maker, plates, wine opener, can opener, silverware, pots, pans, cooking utensils, toaster, oven), sponge/dish liquid. Microwave.1
• Clean interior, clean campground
• modern cottage with propane fireplace, WiFi access, bathroom with shower, large screened in porch with bar height table and 4 chairs, deck with chaise lounges, two bedrooms (1 with 2 twin beds, 1 with full), coach, chairs, plenty of clean storage places and hooks. You have everything but bedding, food, drinks, and personal items.
• cottages far enough away from each other
• fire ring with Adirondack chairs
• dumpster and recycling within walking distance
• lots of bone dry firewood around for campfire
• walkable beach
• beautiful
• wildlife: deer, rabbits, turtles

Cons

• a bit pricey
• playground is driving distance not walking

Mahlon Dickerson Campground is a true gem. It is a small campground nestled in the woods. There are level padded sites with electric and water (in warmer months). Sites were spaced out with beautiful woods in the background. Hiking trail goes right through the campground. There is a bathroom with showers that is heated in the colder months. There is a water spigot at the bathrooms to fill up your water tanks. Dump station also on site. Each site has a nice picnic table and fire ring. I really enjoyed this campground and would go back again.

We stayed here on a Thursday night in September prior to taking off backpacking. The campground was clean and quiet. RV hook-ups, tent platforms, and rustic tent sites were available. Our rustic tent site had a few good options for pitching a tent, as well as picnic table and fire ring.

Ranger said that during summer weekends the grounds fill up and can be quite noisy, but mid-week during the off-season it was great. Expect to purchase firewood, although scrounging for kindling was possible. Facilities were clean and what you'd expect from a campground.

Would definitely return!!

Love this place. We have stayed here multiple times since it’s so close to home. Reservations are needed only for major holidays during camping season; Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day. Must book the entire holiday weekend 3 days (90$ for non electric sites add $5 each day for electric). I believe it’s 51 camp sites which vary in size and majority has electric hookups. When not going on a holiday it is first come first serve spots which is good if you just need to spend one night here. Pull into whichever site you want and at some point the groundskeepers will come to collect your money.

It’s deep in the woods of the park so there is good shade which is nice on the hotter days. The campgrounds have two bathroom facilities which have showers. No complaints with the bathrooms from me but I didn’t use the shower part. The bathrooms are cleaned daily or every other day it seemed. Some spots are more secluded than others..and there is a bit of a hill to the bathroom if you pick spots 1-7 and 48/9 I think it was. Something to consider if you have mobility issues. There are water spigots around the grounds and attached to the bathroom facilities. But no actual sites with water hookups for RVs.

The workers drive around the campsite every few hours and each time we have been there (maybe 4 or 5 times) the local police have made their presence known. Our recent trip around 11pm some drunk (alcohol isn’t allowed on campgrounds) was drunk screaming, 3 cop cars drove through. The screaming stopped. One thing to also consider is we had horrible cell service (we have sprint). Could not make calls or use internet at campgrounds or the park but did see others who were using cellphones...so if you have sprint don’t plan on making calls.

Each site has a picnic table & fire ring. The sites are gravel/dirt & grass. Quiet hours are from 10pm-7am. We found the sites closer to the Playground side/closer to the bathrooms to be more noisy. Also those sites are closer together which would be good for larger groups. Have never had a problem with noise though we have only stayed further away from those areas. The playground has a volleyball net and other Normal playground equipment that I saw driving past it.

Each time we have been there there was an ice cream truck that goes through each day..some days it’s multiple times.

There is no longer Boat Rentals at this park.. but there is a large lake to kayak and fish in. NO SWIMMING. The lake is a nice size and has a trail so you walk the entire length with benches around a good portion to sit and/or fish. There is a nice sized pond at the park to fish which also has benches around it. By the pond there is a nice picnic area with many picnic tables and grills. Another playground and a large pavilion. This picnic area also has a bathroom.

There is a pond when you first turn into the park. The pond also has benches around it but not all the way around.

Fishing license is require to fish here and they do come around to check licenses.

This place is great if you want to just get away into the woods. Check the parks website to see site sizes before going or stop and take your pick of what’s available.

A quick 40 minutes north of NYC, Harriman State Park has an eclectic little campground called Beaver Pond. The grounds are just steps away from Welch Lake, offering a lifeguard monitored sandy beach which is open during the summer season for swimming, fishing, and small boat craft further out.

“Welcome to Bear Mountain” grumbles the park ranger as he sits in complete darkness! He is in his ranger hut, checking in the late evening arrivals to the campground. It’s totally dark inside, lit only by the glow of the outside lamps. The atmosphere is complete with spider webs covering the walk up window, and I swear I saw a black widow doppelgänger . He’s nice, but you can tell he’s given this welcome speech too many times to get overly excited about it. He offers us a highlighted map to our site, wishes us a good stay, and gives us the run down on bear activity in the area. I mean, we are in Bear Mountain, what do you expect?!?

The campground offers several different sties, from platform tent spaces to those for 25’ trailers. All sites have a standard picnic table and fire ring. Our site is a trailer site, it’s perfect for the trusty old pop-up, and feels nice and roomy. Although no site offers electric or water hook up, camp amenities include: a moderately stocked store, public bath houses, a laundry facility, playground for the kids and camp-sinks with access to water.

Offering the peaceful tranquility of sitting under the changing oak, sumacs, maples, and poplars, I wouldn’t recommend this site for the quiet hearted. There is a constant buzz in the air of conversation, music, laughter and shrieking toddlers. Quiet time at night is laughable as the enjoyment of being in nature rages on into the early morning. I myself could go either way; I’m not overly bothered by the late nights and chorus of noise, but living in the megalopolis that I call home, it would be nice to not have the ruckus constantly follow you to the great outdoors.

We didn’t visit Welch Lake beach but for a quick walk to the area for a few pictures; it’s past season at this point, and I still have to do some fishing pole shopping. A quick 15 minute drive from Beaver Pond, is Bear Mountain State Park. Here you can find some of the Appalachian Trail, with various smaller trail heads for this historic (Revolutionary Times 1770s) part of the region including the one to Doodle Town. Long since the last resident left, the area is a ruins with markers showing where a house was, but most of the area has been taken back by nature leaving only a stone stair case here or a partial foundation wall there. It terminates at Iona Island Bird Sanctuary, a lovely long grassed marshland. The trails in the area are friendly to hikers, bikers, and the non arthritic kneers, as most are rated moderate to challenging. Don’t fret, trails that are rated easy and accessible to disabled are equally enjoyable and beautiful. They offer stunning views of the changing foliage, quick glances at the Hudson River and the rolling hills of the area. We didn’t take the Perkins Memorial Tower trail, but heard it was amazing. Next Time!!!