Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Sterling, NY

This is our 4th experience at a Jellystone. The campground was clean and staff was super nice. Organized the Halloween activities nicely. Yogi and the characters were very involved. For the fisherman, it's located on Salmon River and appears to have quite a lot of large salmon this time of year. I was shocked at the size of the fish that were being cleaned. My husband believes that area of the river was a private sector for the campground. Smaller campground than others I have been too but made it nice for kids to rides bikes safely since there weren't golf carts located at this campground. What I didn't enjoy as much. 1) The sites were muddy, especially when it had recently rained. Luckily we came after it rained and it had dried out some. 2) the dog park was a walking area, not a fenced in yard for them to let some of their energy out 3) No sewer hookups available but does had a dump station on your way out.

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 camped here for 3 nights, I had an event in Geneva. Location was handy, easy in and out. It’s an old navy/Air Force base that was converted in the 60’s. Sites have a weird thing with one electric post per two sites… but they aren’t pull through. So, apparently, New York doesn’t care if you just park anywhere in the general area of your site, which is a vibe, but bring an extension cord. There’s some kind of “resort” co-located that appears to have more conventional hookups, but I’m unclear on how to book that. Price was fine, spot was ok, lake swim beach and playground were nice.

This is a great example of what a state park should be. It not only preserves a place of unique biological diversity and geologic interest, it is also well set up and well maintained to maximize low impact outdoor recreation and environmental education. A new state of the art regional environmental education center is being built now that will open in spring, as well as new handicapped access kayaking docks that complement Accessible trails and campsites throughout the park. This is a great destination for families, handicapped campers, and natural history enthusiasts. There are several campgrounds, one is large and open and meant for large RVs, others are drive-in forested tent sites or trailer sites with hookups, and several walkin sites. There is also a colony of rustic camper cabins. The campgrounds have brand new restroom facilities and playgrounds, and the main lake has a new beach house. The lake is a fascinating meromictic lake with clear calcium-rich waters that are not only pristine and beautiful to look at, but also great for swimming and snorkeling as the waters are crystal clear and very deep. There are hiking trails, paved bike trails, a nature preserve for bird watching at Round Lake, a golf course, and great kayaking or canoeing. It is also located right next door to the Erie Canal State Park for those who want to hike or bike the historic Erie Canal. Though you might expect a park like this to be in a remote location, it is actually just a short distance east of the suburbs of the Syracuse metro area, so it is an easy park to get to, plus staying there also provides easy access to stores for supplies, or access to local cultural activities or restaurants for those who want that. One of my favorite state parks in New York!

My husband and I camped here from 6/17/22 - 6/19/22.

We had a great and relaxing time until Saturday evening when the three dogs at a neighboring site all slipped their collars and began running around the campground growling and charging at other patrons. One of them came at myself and my parents who were visiting. I absolutely came very close to being bit by a dog that was trying to charge at my mother but my husband intervened and began swinging a hot dog poker at the dog which caused it to bolt towards a campsite that had multiple little kids at it.

Someone called the Onondaga county police who came and spoke to the campground manager and I believe they warned the dog owners. But in the end the dogs were allowed to stay.

All in all we had a nice time. My only wish would be that the management would be more unaccepting of obviously dangerous pets.

There are mens and womens bathrooms, each with multiple stalls. Showers are available but a bit far from the actual campground. Water was warm but the water pressure wasn’t great. Ice and firewood for sale at the campsite.

We visited 6 state parks in the Finger Lakes region of New York this past summer. Fillmore Glen State Park was our favorite for hiking, but probably our least favorite for camping. The trails are uncrowded and well maintained. We hiked along the south rim trail and the gorge trail. The gorge trail is especially cool, with 9 foot bridges crisscrossing over the river. There are several gorgeous waterfalls, and the walk was shady and cool, even though it was a hot day. After hiking through the glen, we were hoping to cool off with a swim, but the swimming area was closed. Not sure why, but you can only swim when lifeguards are on duty, and there were No Swimming signs everywhere.

The campground at Fillmore Glen was totally full when we stayed there. The sites offered little privacy and were very close together, plus you could here road noise loud and clear all through the night. The water faucet near our site was out of order, and the bathrooms were only clean in the morning. The sites were all wooded and shaded, with nice flat spots for tents, but I probably wouldn’t stay there again during the busy summer months. If you’re headed out that way, I would definitely recommend Fillmore Glen for a day trip, but I’d camp at either Robert Treman or Buttermilk Falls state park in Ithaca.