Best Tent Camping near Wanakena, NY

Are you planning a tent camping trip to Wanakena? We've got you covered. Find the best tent camping sites near Wanakena. Would you prefer a quiet dispersed site or an established camgpround with amenities? Either way, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect place to pitch your tent.

Best Tent Sites Near Wanakena, New York (27)

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Recent Tent Reviews near Wanakena, NY

365 Reviews of 27 Wanakena Campgrounds


  • Carlyne F.The Dyrt PRO User
    Becky M.'s photo of tent camping at Old Forge Camping Resort near Wanakena, NY
    Feb. 13, 2021

    Old Forge Camping Resort

    Old Forge Camping Resort, NY

    My family and I have been visiting Old Forge Camping Resort for 20+ years. This is one of the most family friendly resorts and a perfect weekend getaway for those living in other parts of New York State. The visitors/welcome center has everything you need, including firewood, sweatshirts and homemade breakfast sandwiches. There is endless RV camping, tent camping, cabins and cottages available. Make sure you book far enough in advance. We typically book 1 year prior for the cottages.

    The bathrooms and grounds are well maintained and accessible from wherever you are in the park. There are hiking, biking and running trails galore. A volleyball court, playground and even a lake to fish or rent paddle boards. There is a bus from the campground that takes you to enchanted forest safari, which is a great way to avoid parking. Would recommend 100%

  • J
    Jennifer P.'s photo of tent camping at Cranberry Lake - DEC near Wanakena, NY
    Jun. 14, 2018

    Cranberry Lake - DEC

    Beautiful lakeside scenery!

    This campground is beautiful! We tent camped at a lakeside spot and enjoyed every moment. Bathrooms are scattered throughout the grounds and there’s a small general store for any last minute needs.

  • Kat
    Sally's photo of tent camping at Cranberry Lake near Wanakena, NY
    Sep. 2, 2020

    Cranberry Lake

    The BEST

    Bring your boats! There are a few tent sites where you can launch your boat. I want to live here I love it so much.

  • C
    Becky M.'s photo of tent camping at Old Forge Camping Resort near Wanakena, NY
    Aug. 29, 2018

    Old Forge Camping Resort

    Comfortable

    This campground does not have grills at the primitive tent sites. So bring your own or buy a rack for $20 at the camp store. Sites are spacious. Staff was very friendly.

  • The Other Kim K.
    The Other Kim K.'s photo of tent camping at Lewey Lake - DEC near Wanakena, NY
    Jun. 1, 2021

    Lewey Lake - DEC

    Beautiful Views

    Camped on one of the waterfront tent sites. Super nice but close to highway so you could hear the cars drive by and see the hwy from the site. Not super quiet but I’d still camp here again.

  • s
    Sara P.'s photo of tent camping at Forked Lake Campground near Wanakena, NY
    Oct. 19, 2021

    Forked Lake Campground

    Primative camping on lakefront

    Primative, badly maintained, tent sites. Widely spaced. All sites on lake front. Canoe rentals available for paddling to sites. Some sites having their own docks. Very heavy bugs. Primative old pit toilets at each site. Be advised, this is bear country. Campground managent very poor, uncaring.

  • F
    Scott B.'s photo of tent camping at Rollins Pond Adirondack Preserve near Wanakena, NY
    Aug. 27, 2018

    Rollins Pond Adirondack Preserve

    Peaceful, spacious, wooded sites on the lake

    Rollins Pond was the perfect tent-camping campground for our first trip to the Adirondacks. It was generally quiet Memorial Day weekend, and we were able to snag a lakeside site with plenty of trees and space for our tent, SUV, and more. The campground is hilly, so we drove to the nearby showers and garbage. The only drawbacks were the campground’s boathouse doesn’t open until June/July, which was not mentioned on the website, so we weren’t able to rent kayaks to use on the pond. There are no dishwashing sinks at the bathrooms.

  • Bethany S.
    Jennifer P.'s photo of tent camping at Cranberry Lake - DEC near Wanakena, NY
    Sep. 6, 2018

    Cranberry Lake - DEC

    A campground with a lot to offer

    Cranberry Lake is a fantastic place to get away from it all. It really has so much to offer. Many of the sites offer quite a bit of privacy from your neighbor, and are laid out nicely for tent camping. We go there to kayak so it’s also nice that there are a lot of water front sites. If hiking is your thing, there’s a nice trail right within the campground. It’s not a terribly long hike, but it takes you up to a spectacular view of the lake and islands. Bonus points for the campground being within 30 minutes of two breweries (Tupper Lake) 👍🏻

  • Lee D.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo at Little Wolf Beach Campground near Wanakena, NY
    Sep. 28, 2019

    Little Wolf Beach Campground

    Glorious sunsets and an even more beautiful morning view!

    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.

  • Laura Nicole A.
    Laura Nicole A.'s photo of tent camping at Wilderness Campground at Heart Lake near Wanakena, NY
    Nov. 2, 2020

    Wilderness Campground at Heart Lake

    Thus far, my favorite spot

    There’s no explaining the views around here. The mountains are beautiful, Lake Placid is beautiful, and this campsite is amazing. It’s pretty secluded, and from what others have said.. yes, beware of the roads coming in. 40MPH is too fast for these torn up roads. The campsite itself is great. They have cabins, lean-tos, and tent sites. My boyfriend and I braved the 12° nights and pitched a tent. There were a lot of campers, but the sites are spaced out and people were very respectful of noise/lights/other campers. I was bummed out to see no wildlife, but we did see a moose print on the hike up Mount Marcy!! (Unfortunately I only made it about 3/4 of the way and had to come back down. Not in amazing shape, but working on it 😂)

    This is really one of my favorite spots. The Adirondack Loj is warm and inviting. The facilities are clean and well kept. I will FOR SURE be visiting again soon.

  • Sarah F.
    Becky M.'s photo of tent camping at Old Forge Camping Resort near Wanakena, NY
    Jul. 14, 2018

    Old Forge Camping Resort

    Although I didn’t camp here and I only spent the day, I really enjoyed myself! it’s absolutely beautiful with a huge lake! Also, the deer are incredible friendly and will walk right up to you 😍

    Great getaway in upstate New York

  • Jake C.The Dyrt ADMIN User
    Camper-submitted photo at Birch’s Lakeside Campground and Marina near Wanakena, NY
    Oct. 4, 2023

    Birch’s Lakeside Campground and Marina

    A Convenient Stay in the Adirondacks

    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!

  • Carlyne F.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo at Eighth Lake Adirondack Preserve near Wanakena, NY
    Feb. 23, 2021

    Eighth Lake Adirondack Preserve

    Eighth Lake Campground, NY

    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.

  • Jill R.
    Camper-submitted photo at Higley Flow State Park — Higley Flow near Wanakena, NY
    Jul. 15, 2016

    Higley Flow State Park — Higley Flow

    Favorite place to camp in NY

    Whether it's playing in the water or in the playground this place is awesome to bring your children. The showers and restrooms were kept very clean and The Pavilions were wonderful places to have a family picnic. The campsites are also well maintained and it was very simple to just back up a little mobile home into the camping spot the picturesque Landscapes made the sunsets absolutely beautiful. Out of all of the places that I have been in New York this is by far one of my favorite places to go

  • Tarah W.
    Erica M.'s photo of tent camping at Lake Durant Adirondack Preserve near Wanakena, NY
    Jun. 13, 2016

    Lake Durant Adirondack Preserve

    Camping in the Adirondacks

    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.

  • Shari  G.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jean C.'s photo of tent camping at Meadowbrook Campground near Wanakena, NY
    Jun. 28, 2018

    Meadowbrook Campground

    Conveniently Located, but a bit Noisy

    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.

  • Grant M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Amanda's photo of tent camping at Golden Beach Campground near Wanakena, NY
    Jul. 14, 2021

    Golden Beach Campground

    Great location, careful with your site selection.

    My friend is a local and recommended this campground for the sunsets. The rain made that difficult to confirm, but we loved the place. It’s the standard weird-ass New York thing where you have a site and you can park wherever the hell you want within it (so foreign to me), but you should spend some time with the map. Site 158 is probably the dopest (we were next door in 159), but there are some others near the lake that would be sweet. The further back from the lake, the more of a camping-in-the-deep-woods vibe. Looks like some folks leave a camper here all summer (can’t imagine spending that much, but it’s probably cheaper than a lake house) and many bring boats. I think if you’ve got a SUP, canoe or kayak, you’re gonna dig this campground in specific and the area in general.

  • Nadia V.
    The Other Kim K.'s photo of tent camping at Lewey Lake - DEC near Wanakena, NY
    Sep. 1, 2016

    Lewey Lake - DEC

    Gorgeous lake and great hikes!

    Lewey Lake was such a great experience, I really can't wait to go back! Going to school in New York brings a lot of busyness because of the city, but it's always nice to escape on the weekends and go camping. I love doing my studying and homework in the outdoors, so funding good campsites are my favorite thing to do. I love doing research beforehand to find the best place to go. I like going places that have water and great hiking. This campground has both! The campground is located in the Adirondack Park and it is located on a lake- my favorite part! The lake is gorgeous and you can do a lot of different water activities. I brought my kayak and my friend brought her stand up paddle board. We spent all day on Saturday on the water soaking up the sun. We went in early July so the weather was perfect. We did go during the 4th of July weekend so it was pretty busy. You can also go boating on the lake, I believe there is a boat launch. I saw people fishing, and talked with someone who said they caught some lake trout! The following day we went hiking, and it was beautiful. We did the Sucker Brook Trail, and luckily we went early enough to beat the crowds. However, on the way down it was super busy! If you are doing this hike I would advise starting early so it's not so busy. The park also offers other great amenities like picnic tables and the best part is they have showers! These came in handy for us after we got done hiking! The restrooms and showers were very clean, which we appreciated. I can't wait to take another break from school and come here! I definitely will invite more of my friends next time!

  • J
    Jennifer P.'s photo of tent camping at Cranberry Lake - DEC near Wanakena, NY
    Sep. 29, 2016

    Cranberry Lake - DEC

    Beautiful place to boat from

    Beautiful ADK campground with the whole lake to explore from the launch on site. Pros: canoe rentals on site, lakeside camp sites, hiking nearby, all-tent loop. Cons: very popular and crowded (make reservations).

  • Alex R.The Dyrt PRO User
    Alex R.'s photo of tent camping at Ward Brook Campsite near Wanakena, NY
    Oct. 1, 2023

    Ward Brook Campsite

    Great campsite at the bottom of Seymour mountain

    Great campsite with a nice lean-to. 

    Fire pit, picnic table, and a privy. 

    A bit further you will find some tent spots too. 

    Plenty of water around.

  • j
    Camper-submitted photo at HTR Adirondacks near Wanakena, NY
    May. 19, 2018

    HTR Adirondacks

    Singing Waters is a great place to camp!!!

    Big sites to put your Camper tent or Rv on. Owners are very friendly and helpful!!! We had a blast and will definitely be going back!!! Nice play area for the kids!!! Overall a great camp ground.

  • Kristina L.
    Scott B.'s photo of tent camping at Rollins Pond Adirondack Preserve near Wanakena, NY
    Aug. 8, 2021

    Rollins Pond Adirondack Preserve

    Great place to unplug

    WE love staying at Rollins Pond in a tent! Our family always meet friendly people and falling asleep to loons is priceless! We always have wildlife at our site. This past trip we had chipmunks, squirrels, ducks, and a crane. The time before, we had a family of loons!

  • Bella S.
    Brian O.'s photo of tent camping at Fish Creek Pond - DEC near Wanakena, NY
    Sep. 6, 2022

    Fish Creek Pond - DEC

    On the water!

    We have a rather large rig (36 ft fifth wheel plus the truck) & while fish creek is notoriously a tent only/small rig campground we fit perfectly & our site has cell service! 10/10! Site 106! The water views/access is hard to beat as well.

  • Shari  G.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo at Carry Falls Recreation Area near Wanakena, NY
    Jun. 14, 2018

    Carry Falls Recreation Area

    Cute & Quiet...Mosquitoes Come FREE of Charge!

    Small and quiet campground, just about 20 miles from the Village of Tupper Lake, along the Raquette River.  Great campground for an extended river trip, as there is a nice launch at the far end of the campground.

    Sites are basic with a picnic table and open grill. Composting toilets (very clean smelling), trash, and drinking water (somewhat rusty thought) are available. Some sites can accommodate longer RV’s and some are perfect for tents (no tent pads though).  All sites have quite a bit of shade and privacy as they are lined with trees and shrubs.

    The major problem with this campground is that there are thousands of mosquitos who don’t seem to be crepuscular! They are out all day and night and even found ways to get inside our camper. Our only saving grace was the downpour that kept them away.

    No reservations, first-come first served.  The current camp hosts have been coming here every year for 15 years and are sweet as can be.  And, are evidently immune to mosquitoes!

  • Elizabeth B.The Dyrt PRO User
    Elizabeth B.'s photo of tent camping at Francis Lake near Wanakena, NY
    Aug. 25, 2018

    Francis Lake

    Nearly secret on Francis Lake. Beautiful kayaking!

    This spot is totally gorgeous, perfectly clean, and quiet. Room for two or three tents, two fire circles and has an outhouse. Great for swimming, kayaking, and a gorgeous place to wake up next to the water.

    There are two access points to the water, the more hidden point is where you hike in for camping. A little stream turns under a few footbridges and out to francis lake.


Guide to Wanakena

Tent camping near Wanakena, New York, offers a fantastic opportunity to immerse yourself in nature, with a variety of campgrounds that cater to outdoor enthusiasts looking for a peaceful escape.

Unique Local Attractions

  • Experience the serene beauty of the Tioga Point Adirondack Preserve, accessible only by boat, where you can enjoy crystal-clear waters and private campsites.
  • The Adirondack Mennonite Camping Associates Inc provides a classic summer camp experience with activities like canoeing and a high ropes course, perfect for families.
  • For a more secluded experience, visit Francis Lake, known for its stunning kayaking opportunities and peaceful surroundings.

Tent Camping Prices

  • Prices for tent camping can vary, with options like Forked Lake Campground offering primitive sites that are budget-friendly, though amenities are limited.
  • Fish Creek Pond - DEC is a popular choice with spacious sites and access to water activities, making it a great value for families.
  • At Higley Flow State Park, you can find well-maintained sites with electric hookups, providing a comfortable camping experience at a reasonable price.

Tips for Tent Camping Near Wanakena

  • When visiting Middle Pond Campsite, arrive early during the summer months to secure a spot, as this location is popular and fills up quickly.
  • For a unique experience, consider the Seventh Lake Primitive Camping area, which offers a more rugged camping experience with limited amenities, perfect for those looking to disconnect.
  • Always be prepared for wildlife encounters, especially at Alger Island Adirondack Preserve, where bears are known to roam; securing food and trash is essential for a safe camping experience.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Which is the most popular tent campsite near Wanakena, NY?

    According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Wanakena, NY is Fish Creek Pond - DEC with a 5-star rating from 9 reviews.

  • What is the best site to find tent camping near Wanakena, NY?

    TheDyrt.com has all 27 tent camping locations near Wanakena, NY, with real photos and reviews from campers.