Horse-friendly campgrounds near Wallkill, New York provide limited equestrian accommodations. Among the three documented campgrounds in the area, none specifically advertise horse corrals or dedicated equestrian facilities. Stokes State Forest and North-South Lake Campground permit pets but lack specific horse amenities according to their feature lists. Ocquittunk in New Jersey offers spacious, well-spread-out camping sites with clean bathrooms and access to hiking trails. The campgrounds feature standard amenities like picnic tables, fire rings with cooking grates, and relatively private sites separated by natural vegetation. Bathrooms are clean and conveniently placed throughout the camping areas. Campground data and reviews near Wallkill, New York is regularly updated on The Dyrt.
Trails in the region provide potential riding opportunities, though specific bridle paths are not mentioned in available data. North-South Lake Campground connects to the Catskill Escarpment trail and is positioned near Kaaterskill Falls, approximately one mile away. Stokes State Forest offers rolling hills, mountain views, and water features for exploration. The camping environment includes shaded sites with access to lakes and streams. Sites are generally spacious enough to accommodate various camping setups, from tents to RVs. Riders should contact campgrounds directly regarding horse policies, trailer parking, and nearby trail access permissions before planning equestrian camping trips. Many campsites require advance reservations, especially during peak seasons from late spring through early fall.
"Our first campground was in New York Aug 8th. Unfortunately, Debbie was socking New York hard. North South Lake Campground in the Catskills was our camping home."
"This is a truly beautiful and scenic campground, easily one of the best places we have visited in New York State."
Campground full next weekend
Get a text when availablefrom $22 - $44 / night
"We stayed at the campsite at Lake Ocquittunk Area. Campsite was very spacious and had a platform where we were able to fit two tents. There was plenty of space on the site for more tents."
"* Water and dumpsters are within walking distance, or if you are not up to walking you can just take a short drive to fill up and dispose of your trash
- There are outhouses scattered around, or if"
from $7 - $55 / night
"We stayed at site #T007 is was a short walk from the car to the site, but so worth it for many reasons."
"The caping set up was nice and I enjoyed the proximity to available hikes in the area. The ‘lake’ however, was kind of a disappointment."
TravelerWe’re here for the Rock, Ribs, and Ridges festival and what a great experience! Make sure to bring a 50’ power cord as the hook ups are grouped together on telephone poles rather than at each individual site. As far as I know camping is only available during select events.
GuideThis is a truly beautiful and scenic campground, easily one of the best places we have visited in New York State. The campsites are well laid out, the surroundings are stunning, and the entire campground is very clean and well maintained. We visited in October, and it was pleasantly uncrowded, which made the experience even more enjoyable. The peaceful atmosphere and beautiful fall scenery made for a perfect camping trip. I'm not sure how busy it gets during the peak summer season, but our autumn visit was fantastic. We had a wonderful time and will definitely be coming back.
GuideWe stayed at a tent platform site in Shotwell camping area. The platforms could use a little maintenance as there were a few tie down hooks that were missing or corroded. The campsites are close around this loop that includes lean-tos, but not so close that you are bothered by your neighbors normal sounds. The bathroom is close and clean. There is a bear box at each campsite which gave peace of mind. Firewood is available for sale at the park office. The staff there is very welcoming. Great Jersey getaway with gorgeous hiking trails.
ScoutI don’t normally write reviews especially a negative one. We had a very upsetting experience at North-South Lake. We drove over two hours to visit my husband’s childhood campground for the first time with our three kids(ages 5, 7, and 9). When we arrived at the entrance, we were asked if it was a day visit, and we said yes, we were only staying for the day. We paid the fee, received a map, and drove in. My husband was so excited to finally share this place and create memories with our children. Looking for a place to park, we thought we were lucky to find an empty campsite in one of the loops where he used to camp as a child.
We parked the car hoping to enjoy the view of the lake, take a walk, and maybe make the kids a couple of s’mores before heading home.
At around 2:15–2:30 p.m., the “SUPERVISOR” in the white Kia approached us in an extremely rude and nasty manner, speaking as if we were committing a serious crime and comparing our situation to“sleeping in someone else’s hotel room.” She asked us if we had a reservation; we said no. She said,“Someone else reserved this spot.” We were very apologetic, embarrassed, and immediately put our stuff in the car. I said they could have told us; we would have moved right away. I’m sorry.
She said,“They aren’t supposed to talk to you; that’s why they send me here.” She told us we had ten minutes to leave, waited there while we put our chair, blanket, and s’more cookies in the car, and refused our 9-year-old daughter access to the bathroom while we packed up our three things, and even followed us out of the loop to make sure we didn’t park elsewhere. My daughter came to us crying because the lady told her she couldn’t use the bathroom and had to get in the car. Well, she had an accident in the car right as we were pulling out.
We were mortified and apologetic. My husband even offered to leave the firewood we had just purchased for the next campers, but she was dismissive and harsh about that as well.
The following day, I called and asked to speak with a manager to explain how we were treated. The manager was just as unfriendly and miserable sounding as the supervisor. I was told they had been looking for us“for hours” and that it’s“common sense” not to park in a campsite. She actually said it’s considered trespassing. So, a friendly warning for first-time visitors: Apparently, if you don’t know that“day use” doesn’t mean“park in any empty campsite,” just for the day, you’re officially a trespassing criminal, at least according to the manager.
Reading the website now, I see that check-in for people with reservations is at 2 p.m., which was the time we were trying to make a small fire, so unless someone left their site and returned, it’s unclear how they could have been looking for us“for hours.” We were right there at 2pm.
The website also states: Day Use• Anyone who is not camping is a day-user. Day-use hours are from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Day-users are not allowed between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m.
We were not camping but didn’t realize we couldn’t park in an empty campsite. I think“common sense” would be to inform DAY USE visitors at the ENTRANCE to use public parking, especially for families or first-time visitors who may not be camping experts. Bottom line: this was my husband’s childhood family spot. We just wanted to take a beautiful fall drive and have a special day with our kids.
We understand now that we needed to reserve the parking spot ahead of time, and it was an honest misunderstanding. I would have even offered to pay for the campers’ stay for their trouble. What we wish for is that the staff had approached us respectfully and explained the situation instead of treating us like criminals. Imagine being such a miserable person and working in such a BEAUTIFUL and peaceful place for families.
This was meant to be a special family day, honoring memories of my father-in-law and creating new ones with our children. Instead, it became stressful and humiliating. Sadly, this is what our children will remember about the day and about North South Lake
GuideThere are four campgrounds that are all pretty different, we stayed at Shotwell across from the pond. For the most part, each campsite has its own porta potty or it shared with a couple other sites. At the entrance of the campground, there is a bathhouse with running water, bathrooms, and potable water. We stayed in one of the RV areas across the pond. It was peaceful to hear the frogs chirping at night, but definitely didn’t think about how many more bugs the pond would bring, probably wouldn’t stay at that specific spot again even though it’s really pretty. Most of the campsites were very rocky, but you can find some that have a little bit of grass. We came on a Friday night. Everyone was up pretty late, but was not crazy loud. The rest of the weekend it seemed like everyone’s simmered down. The campground was full of mostly families. If you wanted to shower, you would have to head to the group campsite not too far but you need to drive. We don’t typically expect to have a campgrounds with a ton of amenities. Potable water and a toilet is really all we need. Overall, it was a great time gorgeous park. Also took a few pictures of the cabins in Shotwell. I wouldn’t personally rent one, but I guess if your winter camping it has a little fireplace and will keep you dry and somewhat warm.
TravelerStokes is my go-to state park for unplugging and enjoying time with my family. We brought our son (23 months at time of visit) on his first camping trip this past September. He loved every minute of it.
Site T07 in Lake Ocquittunk is gorgeous and one of the few relatively secluded sites in the campground. You need to carry your gear down a narrow, rocky path that's a little steep near the road, but it's manageable. There's also a graded path into the site adjacent to a neighboring site, but you should check with those campers if they are ok with you cutting through to use it. (We opted not to disturb our neighbors and take the slope.)
I thought I would be able to launch my kayak from site 7 since it's waterfront, but there are a lot of huge rocks in the water that prevent you from getting out into the lake. We had to find a different launch spot. That was probably the biggest disappointment for us.
Still, I love site 7 and it's absolutely worth the privacy and the views every morning.
LegendWe were on a 5 state East Coast camping trip. Our first campground was in New York Aug 8th. Unfortunately, Debbie was socking New York hard. North South Lake Campground in the Catskills was our camping home. Thursday & Friday it was Neverending rain & wind. Saturday was the nice day.
North South Lake has no electricity. The sites are almost all beautiful, tucked in under shady trees. Not a good way to try out our solar panel! Some are by a stream. A few are by the lake. This is a tent campers paradise. New York tent campers are hard core camping during Tropical Storm Debbie!
There are 7 loops. We were in loop 2. Site 85. There are some sites with an incline down to the site. That might give some rvs trouble. It did for us & I had to be driven out of the campground to call 911. Thank you Mary!! It all ended well & we got a different site.
There are bears that visit the campground & one came one of the nights & visited our camping neighbor's site. They showed us a picture- it was a large black bear.
Generators are allowed for 5 hours & they tell you when you can use them.
The bathrooms/showers are state park clean- which means not very.
There is NO cell service & just forget about WiFi. You are unplugged.
This is a hiking park & for this middle aged overweight flatlander they are pretty strenuous. Kaaterskill Falls is an exception - short, easy trail, but the parking fills up quickly. Then they close it! You'll have to take a shuttle to get in.
The trail to the Mountain House Site is also pretty easy, with more of an incline.
There's 2 nice lakes with beaches.
The Catskills are very scenic& we enjoyed our time there!
GuideStokes State Forest is a beautiful park with a lot of different trails to check out, though some of them are difficult to access due to parking. The camping areas are split between two different entrances. If you’re in Lake Ocquitunk, like I was, you don’t enter at the main entrance, you have to go past the main entrance about another mile on rt. 15 N. and enter by the YMCA. All the other camping areas are near the main entrance by the forest office. The campsites themselves are a little too close together in some spots with little coverage or privacy. There is a day parking area which is only accessible going through the main entrance by the forest office— if you visit during the week park entrance is free, but on the weekend fees can be a bit steep. I wasn’t super happy with my campsite as I wasn’t able to physically have my car on the site like I thought. I had to park in a small lot above my campsite and carry my belongings down a short slope to the site. I like to car-camp so this was a bit of a let down having my car separate from my actual campsite.
The bathrooms were nice and had flush toilets, but the showers were out of service during my time. Bathrooms are extremely spaced out so you will have to walk a far distance unless you strategically choose a site next to one. I drove through the other campsite and only saw 1 set of bathrooms that had toilets and showers per campground, not including the outhouses I saw for those in the small cabins.
GuideI really love this campground each of the campsites in our loop which was in the lower 100s, has a lot of foliage around it, creating privacy between you and the site next to you. There is a lake with swimming, clean bathrooms, clean, clean showers. Picnic table and fire pit with grill top. There’s a lot of bear activity here, so constantly cleaning up your food is very important. Definitely love it here for woodsy feel.
Camping options near Wallkill, New York range from primitive tent sites to cabin accommodations across several state forests and recreation areas. Located in the Mid-Hudson Valley region with elevations between 350-1,000 feet, the area experiences typical Northeast seasonal patterns with summer temperatures averaging 75-85°F and winter dropping to 20-30°F. Most campgrounds in this region operate from April through October, with limited winter availability at select locations.
Hiking accessible trails: North-South Lake Campground connects visitors to multiple trail networks in the Catskills. "I go there almost every year to go swimming with my family and friends and it's always a good time," mentions Lizz H. The campground provides "awesome access to the Catskill Escarpment trail from here," according to Maribeth W.
Fishing opportunities: Ocquittunk offers fishing in both lake and stream environments. Vito M. notes, "Nice place to set up and car camp. Enjoyed some fishing and hiking within walking distance from the site." Many fishing spots are accessible directly from campsites.
Swimming in natural waters: North-South Lake Campground provides swimming areas with beach access. Chris D. shares, "I'm a native of the Catskills and spent many an afternoon with my family enjoying the facilities at North/South Lake. Camping, swimming, hiking, boating, biking, this place has it all."
Spacious, private sites: Camping areas near Wallkill typically offer well-separated sites. At Ocquittunk, Catherine S. notes, "The sites had a fire ring with a cooking grate and a picnic table and were well spaced out from other sites. The views of the lake are nice, very peaceful." Sites typically accommodate multiple tent configurations or small to medium RVs.
Clean facilities: Stokes State Forest maintains high standards for bathrooms and amenities. One camper at the Ocquittunk area mentions, "The bathrooms are clean and nicely placed." E.M.V. adds, "Bathrooms and shower were all single stall and very clean, only a 5 min walk from our site. Two water sources nearby as well."
Waterfront options: Select campsites offer direct lake access. Kara L. who stayed at Ocquittunk site #T007 reports, "It was a short walk from the car to the site, but so worth it for many reasons. The site itself is huge and we were able to position our tent facing the lake, it was beautiful!"
Reservation timing: During peak seasons, campgrounds fill quickly. For North-South Lake, Rachel G. advises, "Reserve very early for waterfront." Similarly, at busier times, Tara L. suggests visitors "avoid holidays to avoid the crowds."
Winter camping options: Some campgrounds offer year-round access including cabin rentals. At Stokes State Forest, W.L. shares, "Rented a cabin in November (#009) and again in December (#008) of 2021. The cabins are reasonably priced and well-appointed, if a bit rustic." Winter visitors should plan for heating needs: "The wood stove definitely heats the room up nicely. I went through two bundles of wood in one night."
Wildlife awareness: The area requires proper precautions. One reviewer notes, "Remember, this is bear country so proper food storage is a must. Bear lockers are not provided. The area also has ticks and rattlesnakes." Food storage containers or bear-resistant methods are strongly recommended.
Kid-friendly swimming: Multiple beach areas accommodate various swimming abilities. One visitor to North-South Lake notes, "The lake is huge" and describes it as "great for families." Water activities are typically supervised during summer months.
Cabin options for beginners: For those new to equestrian camping near Wallkill, New York, cabin rentals provide comfort while maintaining an outdoor experience. Amy B. shares about Stokes State Forest, "We stay in the cabins. It's great to have the small kitchen when camping with the family. A must see campground."
Nature learning opportunities: The region offers educational experiences about local ecology. Jessica W. mentions, "A lot of the hiking nearby is also relatively easy and includes the newly opened (as of 2016) viewing platform for Kaasterskill falls, which is minutes down the road from the campground."
Site selection for larger vehicles: Not all campgrounds accommodate large RVs. Josh S. from Ocquittunk advises, "If you are looking for more secluded campsites try to get 13 or 14 as they seem to stick back more. Sites 8-11 are adjacent to the road and in peak times probably have a fair amount of foot and vehicle traffic."
Hookup availability: Electric, water, and sewer connections vary by campground. Eliany L. from North-South Lake Campground notes, "This campground has many different size sites big enough for groups and small for just single." Before booking, confirm which utilities are available at specific sites.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Wallkill, NY?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Wallkill, NY is North-South Lake Campground with a 4.5-star rating from 44 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Wallkill, NY?
TheDyrt.com has all 4 equestrian camping locations near Wallkill, NY, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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