Best RV Parks & Resorts near Wanakena, NY

50 sites, full hookup ($40), water& electric ($35) and tent ($??). Has the feel of an RV park with three rows of sites plus some more (I think the tent sites) closer to the road. Not much separation between sites. The lucky ones get beachfront sites with unobstructed views; we were in the second row. The beach was closed for the season when we were there; the campground is open May- September and an on-site caretaker is there the entire five months. Gorgeous sunsets. Coin-operated showers($1 for approximately 15 minutes)– did not use so cannot say how they were. Playground. Clean restroom but the women's only had one operable stall. Although there was a hot water spigot, I was not able to coax any hot(or even warm) water out of it. No defined quiet hours but it was very quiet by 8:30 pm.

Close to Lakes to Paddle, Store and Gas not far. Camp is quite more for Adults, no playgrounds or things for kids to do. Full hook ups and pull thru sites. Not very private you are close to your neighbors. Great for Day trips around the area.

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.

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I am one of the lucky ones who gets gear to review from time to time. We recently tested out the Aftershokz Titanium Bone Conduction Headphones at this gorgeous campground in the Adirondacks! Pretty cool…

Gear Review

What we liked most about this product:

• Versatile: Can be used just about anywhere you want to be able to listen to music or a podcast (without disturbing others), but also want to be able to hear people coming down the trail, birds singing, the ocean crashing along the shore, etc. They are just as great in a library as they are outside.
• Compact: While they don’t fold down as small as a pair of traditional headphones, they are pocket-sized and can easily be stored in a jacket or a pocket of a backpack.
• Lightweight: You barely feel them on your head and are very comfortable to wear for long periods of time.
• Better for Ear Health: Because the headphones use bone conduction technology rather than sit inside your ear, they are much better for the long term health of your hearing.
• Blue Tooth Technology: Cordless is wonderful…enough said!

What could be improved:

• Adjustability: If they were made to adjust to each person’s head size, they would be even more comfortable. If you have a smaller head, they drape down a bit at the nape of your neck and bounce a bit while walking/cycling. They fit my husband’s head perfectly, but are a bit large on me.

Product Video Review: https://youtu.be/uj20w4_Yu14

Campground Review

Wow, what a gorgeous campground! This one came recommended from a friend and we fell in love at first sight. The campground reminded us of summer camp on the lake, as it seemed frozen in time. Each site has a picnic table and open grill and all sites are non-electric. We stayed in site #45, right on the edge of the lake, with great kayak access.

We spent one day kayaking on the lake and another day hiking. While the mosquitoes weren’t bad at the campground itself, they are terrible on the trails this time of year, so bring your bug spray, or better yet, bug shirts! We’ll need to come back in the winter and do some snowshoeing on these trails, so we can enjoy them mosquito free.

The bathrooms are kept tidy, the shower house is classic and clean, and there is an extensive recycling facility (yay for NY and ADK!). There is also a sand volleyball court and basketball hoop. Bonus: There was a huge stack of free wood piled near the shower house!

The Village of Cranberry Lake has some supplies, but not much except the very basics at the general store. You’ll need to head to Star Lake or Tupper Lake for anything of significance.

We did our usual reservation-less “pull up and see what they have open” style of camping, but during the main season, this place is busy! You’ll definitely need to plan ahead and make reservations if you plan to be here during the crazy season.

We made reservations 8 months in advance. All of our group requested 50amp pull thru as we are all class A towing with our shortest coach at 34’ and longest 45’. When we arrived and assigned sites we were given the WORNG DIRECTIONS to our sites. This is a VERY tight camp ground so 4 of us had to circle back around the entire camp ground and start over. Only 1 site was pull thru but it was so unleveled we could not put our jacks down. 5 of us had to unhook our toad then 2 of the sites were to small for our rigs. We had to go back to the office to request bigger sites. 5 sites only had 30 amp! The staff acted like the hated their jobs and the customers as well. Overall this is the worst experience I have ever had at a RV park. It took almost 2 hours (no staff interaction) for our group to set set up. Do yourself a favor keep driving don’t stop here…

No cell service or WiFi. No hookups. Odd bear rules that basically make you pack up your site when not in use, unless you have a trailer or RV. No bear proof lockers to help out like federal campgrounds. Will not be back until we get a trailer or RV. Sites are nice, secluded and not packed together.

Nice state campground. The amenities list is incorrect. There are no hookups, electric or water. There is wood for sale when the office is open, a dump station and it has showers. The showers were free however we froze. The bath house was unheated and the showers were lukewarm at best.

Gorgeous campsite that we used as our base camp to hike Marcy. Technically, I don't recommend this as there are plenty of sites at the base of Marcy and this is an hour drive away. However, it's an amazing spot and you can't go wrong with anything in the 'dacks. We got unlucky with the weather, but the fog in the lake made for some good pictures. I believe we paid around $30/night for standard no hookup site peak season, but we didn't have neighbors on either side!

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.

Great getaway in upstate New York

This campground is beautiful, and most of the sites are lakefront. Some sites are more spacious than others, but with the lake views, you can't complain. No hookups, so a bit trickier for rv's, but being right on the water makes it worth it. We loved renting canoes/kayaks and exploring the lake. An ice cream truck and firewood truck make the rounds (ice cream truck may just be on weekends). Did I mention the lake views?!

Beautiful campground! We visited on a weekend in August and I can't say enough how clean the facilities were. My kids took their shoes off on Friday and did not put them back on until Sunday morning! Cute swimming hole, although the water was brisk, as it's a dammed steam. Did not slow the kids down. We also hike the gorge hiking trail. What a wonderful hike. Mid level rigor but the view of the gorge from the top are truly breath taking!! Overall super clean facility with spacious sites and not terribly busy. No hook up available at this facility but strongly recommended!

We have never heard of this place and had always stayed at Wellesley Island when headed up to the 1,000 Islands. Took a chance and it didn't disappoint.

Swimming hole was nice and relaxing. Plenty of sand for the kids to play in and the water was warmer than expected.

We stayed in the non-electric loop with a small travel trailer and it was great. Half of the loop is in the woods and the other half has spacious, grassy sites bordered with woods behind them. Some sites were hilly and we would not have been able to get our trailer in, so its worth calling before you book.

Jake from the Dyrt here! Birch's Lakeside Campground has all the amenities needed to enjoy a stay in upstate New York, a general store, laundry & propane on site keep everything you need right there!  Check them out and leave a review about your stay on the Dyrt!

Located in Inlet, New York this is a state park campground which makes it more affordable than the private parks nearby. The campground offers a boat launch for day us, hiking trails, fishing, swimming and canoeing. The park offers showers, bathrooms and a dump station. The sites are surrounded by beautiful trees which allows privacy for all guests. The service is spotty, but it’s stronger in nearby Inlet, NY.

I took a solo trip through upstate New York a couple years back and spent a lot of time in the Adirondacks. I stopped at Lake Durant camp ground for a night and had a great experience. I was here in early September and the trees were already showing signs of color change. The early morning was pretty chilly, but watching the fog lift from the lake was worth the chill. The site I had was pretty secluded and the park was kept in great shape. I highly recommend this site for anyone who is touring through the Adirondacks.

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.