Best Tent Camping near Thousand Island Park, NY

This place is top notch. A large park with diverse types of camping. Many tent-suitable sites right on the river are highly coveted so you have to book way in advance. Lots of dry-camping RV sites are easier to book. The full hook-up RV sites are also very difficult to book, but if you score one, it will be a dream experience. Facilities are very well maintained. There’s lots to do…. a swimming beach, boat launches, a Nature Center, hiking trails, and an ADA kayak launch on Eel Bay. Only fifteen minutes to the charming community of Thousand Island Park.

We’ve heard great things about this camp ground and I can see why ppl come here. The views are beautiful, the water is clear, but wow is it crowded! We like to have privacy and prefer a quiet experience but ppl here are packed in. Everywhere we turned there was a person or kid running around on the rocks. Unless we get a hike in tent site I don’t see us ever returning.

I stayed 4 nights at a non electric tent site, it was me and my dog enjoyed some bon fires and some hiking in Wellesley island state park as well. It was very quiet somes sites are kind of close but no one was up there in a tent other than me. Park employees kept bathrooms clean and were very nice. Rates were cheap i spent roughly $65 for 4 nights. Other then the ticks we encountered at the other park it was a great vacation and a beautiful view

The area is incomparably gorgeous with so much to do. I really recommend heading to the nature center and following the trails there. The views are gorgeous and you get some great vistas. There's also fishing, kayaking, that sort of thing. Camp store has fire wood and ice. As for the campsites, I'm used to them being a little more secluded and shaded than the one we stayed at. If you're tent camping and booking through reserve america, I HIGHLY recommend perusing the site map for some time to find a site close to the water and farther from the RV ring. That being said, we loved our time there.

This is a good stopping point, but there isn't much to do unless you bring a boat. Or you could use it as a base for exploring other areas in the Thousand Islands. It's only about 10 miles from Clayton.

We stayed here on a bicycle trip from Rochester to the Thousand Islands at the end of a 63 mile day. Don't let anyone tell you it's not a hilly trip coming up along Lake Ontario to the Thousand Islands! There will be hills! The good news is there are NY state parks along the way.

Burnham Point is a small (less than 50 sites) campground on the St. Lawrence River. It was a good stopping point after seeing the lighthouse in Cape Vincent on our way. There are sites by the river that are tent only but we pitched our tent up above. The tent sites were rather difficult to get to with our bikes. There wasn't much shade where we settled, but the sun was not intense as we arrived in the early evening and left the next morning. Unfortunately, I have no site photos and only have a photo of the sunset...but it's a beautiful view.

Restrooms/showers were clean, and there was electricity at the site. Unfortunately, the bugs were bad but that's just a summertime hazard in the Northeast.

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 came to this campground after a week in Algonquin Provincial park in Canada and the contrast couldn't have been greater. Up north we stayed on a large, shady site in a radio free loop and everyone had canoes. In New York we had a cramped, open site and everyone seemed to have a motorboat on a trailer. Our neighbors across the road set up a movie screen . The overall feel was NOT "getting away from it all".
The facilities are good and there's a nice beach and well stocked General store, also a big boat ramp facility with some docks.
We chose this location because we were attending the Antique Boat Show in Clayton, 13 miles away, and this was the closest available. It suited us just fine for that.
Keep your stuff secure, there are brazen raccoons.

The campground was clean. Bathrooms could be kept clean more. The water view was amazing. The clear sky at night was wonderful for looking at the stars. The had some construction going on maybe new bathrooms. Playground was nice as well as beach area to swim. If you are looking for a wooded area to set up tent this is not the place.

Beautiful campground. The ladies at the check in point were very nice and helpful! Bathrooms were clean (no hot water). Just didn't expect the plots to be so small with no privacy. Thought we chose a plot in an area with tents only, but there was a massive camper right beside us with noisy people. I would go back again if I could pick a site that had the neighboring ones not reserved, to get a little more privacy.

We've camped here every year but it's getting difficult to get in here. We've camped all over from tents to all kind of campers. Never stayed in cabins but been inside. It's beautiful park. Goose bay on one side St Lawrence River on other. Every site is beautiful with rocks. But the rocks make it beautiful. We love sitting on a big rocks, watching sunsets and ships go by. Playground, private bathrooms, boat launch, docks, beach and fishing.

Many repeat campers over many years. Best sites are hard to book ahead and are best for tents or small trailers. Some bathrooms are older. Nice play spaces for kids of all ages, and also has a nice playground area. Almost always a breeze and storms can come up quickly off the lake - be sure to keep things put away and weighted down, and be ready to “batten down the hatches” as my dad used to say!

Whitaker park is such a fabulous place to spend a picnic day or stay for a few! Wide open flat fields for kickball or baseball and a view of the Adirondack foothills, spread out a blanket and read, play on the jungle gym or cook a great lunch on the grills at the pavilion. 

Clean bathrooms with showers, sites for tents and rv’s, and a breathtaking trail to overlooks and waterfalls.

One of my favorite places to camp! The sites there are big!!! We usually get 2 sites and place as many as 5 tents between the 2 sites! Watch out for the skunks and raccoons on this island, they are huge from partaking in campers food! The park is very large, you can get in a few miles for a run or bike ride! Great price for camping! There is a boat launch for your own boat or you can rent a boat. The fishing on the St. Lawrence is awesome!!! Catch some perch and have a fish fry back at camp! If you fish near the boat rental there is a place to clean you fish! Perfect place to camp if you want to go to Alexandria Bay! Great shopping and great restaurants! Make sure you visit Bolt Castle! Happy Camping!

We came here for our first camping trip together after marriage (in 2005)...and it's lucky we ever went anywhere again! Thankfully we both had previous positive camping experiences, and have had MANY together since then, just at other camp grounds.

1. "Canoe" being in the name implied that it is frequented, at least occasionally, by canoes. According to the staff person there who swore in disbelief that a canoe actually made it to the island, he didn't remember there being a canoe there before. The lack of arrival space for canoes also made this clear.

2. Everyone else who came were in basically large party-boats with multiple rooms for sleeping, though they set up tents (and didn't sleep until almost daybreak...it was loud, foul language the entire time)

3. All of the available wood was wet, so nothing would burn.

4. Spiders overrunning some areas

Not faulting them for the weather that night, as it's NY, so that happens. But in so many ways, this was a bust of a trip.

Soft Maple is a truly gorgeous small campground. Only about a dozen sites or so, first come first serve. Level sites for RVs or tent or hammock camping. Each site has a nice space with fire ring and picnic table. The beach is lovely and clean. There’s boat access for canoes and kayaks as this is part of the Beaver River route. 

The entire campground is accessible, with gravel pack paths, and level sites.  

Charlie is the caretaker here and everyone says he is the nicest person you’ll meet.  You can’t beat site number 11 for the perfect mix of treelined and water view!

There is space for RVs and a dump station but the sites do not have power or hookups. 

If you come in to the campground from “number 4 road” (aka state rt. 26) it’s exactly five miles from the Left turn on to Soft Maple rd. If you have time, stop halfway- the 2.5 mile mark will bring you to the entrance for Eagle falls, a short hike with a fantastic reveal.

Another large, well maintained and facilitated campground. At least 200 sites with spaces for tents and RVs with electric. Reasonably spread out, some sites are relatively isolated and give the feeling of being in nature and in the woods/by the water while others are more or less in a field. I found the perfect site D10 tucked away at the end of a short driveway directly on the water with a little walk out to a small rocky outcropping perfect for catching the sunset or watching the boats and day go by. Bathrooms were decent and reasonably places, never being too far from anyway. Plenty of water was available throughout. The entire island itself is an interesting area and can be explored by bike to make for a great day of site seeing and local immersion. Alexandria Bay is not far away too and is essentially the only civilization you’ll find around, with plenty of bars restaurants and shops, as well as boat tours around the thousand islands are and to the Boldt Castle. The Boldt castle is an awesome adventure. For about $20 you get a boat ride over and can spend as little or as much time as you want on the island exploring the grounds and the buildings. The history of the building and in the building gives pretty good insight and background to what is and is on Wellesley Island, where you are staying.

Tucked away behind acres upon acres of rural farmland, between the Thousand Islands Region and Tug Hill Plateau, is Whetstone Gulf State Park. The Park was fairly crowded, with lots of bustle, and well-suited for large RVs and campers. My sister and I lucked out that upon a late arrival (8:15pm), the main office was still open for check-in. The staff was plenty friendly and assisted to direct us to our site.

Our site, 14, was large and had access to electricity. The trees were tall and towered over the grounds. We were, thankfully, relatively shielded from a brief rainstorm the following morning. I was a bit disappointed with several items of trash found at my site upon arrival, including a glob of paint from a paintball gun on one of the picnic tables. Despite this, I have to say that this site is one of the better options at this campground in terms of privacy and seclusion, even with the bathrooms only being steps away. Sites 32 and 49 were also decent, but many of the sites were open and visible. Think “woodsy suburb”.

As a whole, the grounds were geared towards big campers and RVs. Being a tent camper who savors shade, solitude and quiet, this is not my favorite of parks. Additionally, the loop closest to the “beach house” contained piles of dirt and gravel, leaving something to be desired.

The grounds do have multiple trails, including a gorge trail, which perhaps may offer some redeeming qualities. Though I will have to save them for a future visit. The beach was closed for the season, but the grounds did offer a nice playground for children.

My kids loved camping here, great fishing, great sites.

Lots for everyone to do! New playground, beach, cabins boating full hook ups... they have it all!

We arrived to Wellesley Island State Park Friday May 24, 2019. The entrance to the park was very clean and well kept. The office staff were very friendly! We stayed in the Heron(H) loop. The sites were beautiful with a lot of yard or grass space. The bathrooms/showers were clean and private. There was a playground only a few sites down from us which was great for entertaining our little one. Soon after we finished setting up we drove over to the Park store. It was very easy to find. There was a large playground, beach, arcade, laundry, and marina in the same area as the store. The staff in the store were very helpful and they had many things to offer. From camp tools to ice cream and toys. Unfortunately it rained all day Saturday so when we woke up we had some mud and standing water on our site. The staff were amazing and moved us to a site that was even more beautiful and dry. Luckily Sunday was sunny so we got to enjoy the whole day outside on our new site. Overall our camping experience at Wellesley Island State Park was great! It was clean and spacious and, the staff was great. We had a great Memorial Day weekend!

I headed up to Wellesley Island state park for the long Thanksgiving weekend with three teenagers (one girl and two boys). We rented cottage A, which was clean, spacious, warm and fully stocked with everything we needed. The fire pit outside was the only disappointment as it was well below ground level (on a sloping hill) so tending the fire was a difficult process and cooking on it was challenging. The Nature Center was open and lovely and every Saturday (even in off season) they organize hikes. The park itself was incredible - highly recommend the Eel Bay trail, which will take you past the glacial potholes a d along the striking coastline. We also checked out the North end of the park, near the marina and will probably go back in the summer and rent a cabin over there. There’s a store, laundromat and arcade, but all were closed either due to the time or year, or covid. Litter is a problem throughout the park which is really sad. We did our best to clean up what we could, but someone should organize a clean up, especially because lots of it must make it’s way into the St Lawrence :( The staff we met were all really friendly and helpful. The towns surrounding the park are economically struggling and we had to drive quite far to find a grocery store that was open. All restaurants within a 20 minute drive were closed for the season. We’ll definitely be back!

The state park is really nice, very natural with beautiful views of the St Lawrence River but the beach needs to be cleaned up and the bathrooms are disgusting. There’s one small open field that has full hookups otherwise it’s power only.

We camped in loop F site 43 with full hookups, nice asphalt pad picnic table and fire ring. Our site is located adjacent to a mowed grass path that leads to the main road, close to the camp store. Beautiful area, lots of hiking and biking trails and swim area.

We camped here with one of our children, and had a wonderful time canoeing, fishing, and spending time together!

Wellesley, Island State Park is right on the Canadian border. The island is beautiful and the perfect spot to be July to September. They have cabins, RV sites, sites with electric hook up, and rough camp sites. If you love being on the water boat rentals are fairly priced at two locations on the island. The staff was wonderful and eminities were clean and all in working order. They have a nature center that seems to always have interesting adventures for the children. They even have a butterfly sanctuary and plenty of hiking trails.

This campground was beyond beautiful and very relaxing.

This campgrounds is used by my family and friends for years for a fishing tournament.  I don't often attend but I did this year.  The bathrooms didn't look clean at all.  At best, they look like they are cleaned weekly.  The toilet seats looked like they were stained from lack of proper cleaning.  The showers looked grimy as well.