Watkins Glen State Park Campground offers glamping experiences in cabins and yurts, providing a comfortable way to experience the stunning gorges and waterfalls of the Finger Lakes region. These accommodations combine rustic charm with modern amenities, including comfortable beds, electricity, and climate control options. Situated within walking distance of the famous gorge trails, glamping accommodations serve as an ideal base for exploring the park's natural wonders. The nearby Harpy Hollow campground features yurts with picnic tables and toilet facilities, allowing visitors to enjoy nature without sacrificing comfort. According to a camper, "Watkins Glen is like nothing else I've seen anywhere in the country. The geology of the area creates layered rock formations through which canyons form."
Taughannock Falls State Park Campground, located along Seneca Lake, provides glamping options with easy access to both water activities and hiking trails. Visitors can explore the park's numerous waterfalls via well-maintained stone paths, then return to comfortable accommodations. The surrounding area offers additional attractions including the Seneca Lake Wine Trail, featuring numerous wineries and breweries worth visiting. Glamping sites provide convenient access to swimming areas, playgrounds, and hiking paths that showcase the region's distinctive gorges. One guest shared, "The campground is really big with playgrounds throughout and plenty of bathrooms and other modern campground things like a pool. Close to the main gorges too and a short drive into town for groceries." Most glamping accommodations require advance reservations, particularly during the peak summer season from May through October.
$20 - $58 / night
"If you're looking for a nice campground to see Watkins Glen or go to the racetrack, these are fantastic!"
"Watkins Glen boasts one of New York’s most beautiful state parks! I last camped here in 2012 and absolutely loved hiking along the gorges. Also- the camping was next to perfect."
"We were looking to spend a couple of nights near Watkins Glen to hit the wineries, waterfalls, and nearby museums around the finger lakes of New York and this park seemed to be in a good location for us"
"Watkins Glen/ Corning KOA this is a nice KOA in the Watkins Glen area. Our site was a full hookup site. Campground offered clean sites with gravel drives and grass areas between them."
$20 - $128 / night
"A long walk to the restroom. Beautiful waterfall swimming pool is very cold, but great on a hot day. The new loop is a large field--we got one of the few shady sites in the new loop."
"Beautiful walking trails, waterfalls and a natural swimming area. The playgrounds are better than most we’ve seen."
$20 - $67 / night
"Lucked out with a find in the Finger Lakes. Nice campground. Has everything you need. Small sites but fine for our hybrid. Ours was shady. Check out which side the hookups are on."
"Taughannock Falls State Park is one of my favorite parks in New York."
"The best thing about this park is location, location, location! Situated on the bottom of Seneca Lake you are just a short walk to downtown and Watkins Glen State Park."
"The park was clean and the staff was friendly. It was close to town, with a park and swimming beach across the street."
$45 / night
"Harpy hollow not only has a great location in northern New York but is veteran owned and operated and ready to host more campers. Check them out and leave a review on the Dyrt when you stay!"
"Our tent site was spacious and secluded nestled in a ton of trees. I was able to hang my hammock up and set up my 6 person tent no problem!"
"Pinecreek is a beautiful park in a great area 10 minutes from downtown Ithica New York and Lake Cayuga. The area has everything you could possibly want or need."
"Beautiful lake, woodland and natural surrounding. Friendly campground visitors and staff. Open to seasonal and day campers alike. Playground needs improving."
"Near many attractions close to Watkins Glen. Clean and the staff was a pleasure to deal with"
"I have found the staff to be accommodating. They offer 30/50 amp sites, also have full hook ups and some primitive sites."
$24 / night
"This campground is close to 40+ wineries and Watkins glen. It has a pretty beach and clean large sites."
"About half hour to Watkins Glen. Beautiful sunsets over the lake."
"Bathrooms were clean. Had a pool and playground. Friendly staff."
"It is mostly occupied by regulars but the rental sites are close to the very clean bathrooms and showers. The swimming pool is a nice bonus!"
GuideThe campground was in a good location minutes from Watkins Glen and many, many wineries. It was clean, the staff was polite and the bathrooms were fine. So basically it hits all the must haves. My only issue was that it is basically a parking lot with a whole lotta RV’s crammed into it. I guess I am more accustomed to staying at state parks. Would I stay there again, yes, but it wouldn’t be my first choice.
RangerCayuga Lake State Park has a massive campground but most of the sites don't have water or electricity and are squeezed together in tiny loops. If you stay, I'd recommend the 800 or 1000 loops--the sites were much bigger in those areas. But we stayed in the 100 loop (appropriately named "Minnow) and ended up leaving early because our neighbors were just too close for comfort.
The lakefront area of the park was very nice and we enjoyed walking on the drive down in front of the lake. Plus, Seneca Falls is an adorable town and it was great to visit the Women's Rights National Historic Park and the homes of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Harriett Tubman, while we were in the area!
To be fair to this park, we came directly from Watkins Glen State Park (which we loved) and our neighbors were rambunctious. We may have had a better opinion, had the circumstances been different. And in any event, we did really enjoy the area but decided to leave after 2 nights (rather than the 5 we had booked).
Oh and if you have a boat--the dock area of the park seemed really nice. We'd have loved to get out on the lake!
TravelerIf you're looking for a nice campground to see Watkins Glen or go to the racetrack, these are fantastic! Right up the hill from the Glen and a short walk or drive into the village with tiny restaurants and shopping. These are going to be pretty crowded in the summer and are not very secluded sites. Quiet hours are well enforced and campsite loops are regularly patrolled. Overall, a well maintained campground for seeing Watkins Glen for a weekend.
RangerWatkins Glen boasts one of New York’s most beautiful state parks! I last camped here in 2012 and absolutely loved hiking along the gorges. Also- the camping was next to perfect. Sites are decently sized and well secluded from one another.
in addition, the park is so well situated within the Finger Lakes and all the various wine trails! Made for a perfect girls weekend! Definitely recommend!
LegendWe were looking to spend a couple of nights near Watkins Glen to hit the wineries, waterfalls, and nearby museums around the finger lakes of New York and this park seemed to be in a good location for us to do all that. There were other options closer to downtown Watkins Glen but they were closed for the season when we visited. This park is quite large and can accommodate any size RV with plenty of activities to keep the entire family busy without even leaving the park (but we wouldn’t recommend that because there is so much to do in the surrounding area).
Typical KOA with a wide range of RV sites and lodging options and tons of activities and amenities. We booked online and got our KOA discount, so check-in was easy and we were greeted by friendly people. There is a mix of site types which you can pick out online. If you don’t see the type you want online, give them a call because sometimes they can move people around to accommodate you. The roads in the park and campsites are gravel but the park is easy to navigate. They do have short fences at the front and back of sites which can make maneuvering into your site a little tricky. Not sure why they have these unless it is to keep people from driving or parking on the grass. Deluxe sites with fancy paved patios are available for a bit more$$$ than standard sites. All sites have a picnic table and fire pit.
Our site was level and long enough to fit our tow car. The pad was gravel but the patio was paved. Our fire pit stuck out pretty close to the road which was a bit awkward. Sites are definitely close so upon check-in we noticed that the park was not very crowded and asked that they not put us right next to people if at all possible. The women in the office told us that our neighbors were leaving the next morning and that was the only site option. Turns out they didn’t leave and there did appear to be other sites available. Oh well!
The park advertises free wifi and we were skeptical as to how good it would be but it turned out that it worked well at our site for surfing the internet. Our 4G Verizon phone reception was good and the open pull-thru sites work well for those wanting to use satellite. There is cable which broadcasts 70 channels.
What we liked about this campground was: the pastoral setting yet it was close to many attractions and things we wanted to do. The hiking trail was a big plus and really appreciated by our Labrador retriever. Wifi worked great and there were lots of cable channels. Our patio was paved which is nice but it is more expensive than standard sites with grass (so we ended up paying for that).
By far the worst thing about this park is the price. If you come here in the summer and use all the amenities then maybe we could see paying $100/night. But we really just wanted a place to park and hook-up the RV since we spent very little time there during the day. The only amenity we were even slightly interested in was the heated indoor swimming pool.
The surrounding area boasts lots of activities from exploring the natural wonders to wineries and museums. The region is known for its waterfalls including the popular Watkins Glen Gorge that has 19 waterfalls and many more in the surrounding area. Watkins Glen sits at the southern end of Seneca Lake and offers many opportunities to get out on the water for sight-seeing and a diner cruise. Close by are 40 some wineries and breweries that draw many visitors. A 30-minute drive south will put you in the town of Corning home to the spectacular Corning Museum of Glass and the Rockwell Art Museum. Watkins Glen Speedway hosts major motor racing events including the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Click here for a link to our blog post about what we did
GuideI absolutely love coming to Watkins Glen Campground, especially when I went to get away from the busy city. This park has gorgeous waterfalls, and great paths to walk and hike on. It's located in Upstate New York, so it's close enough to the city but you feel like you are far away from the city. The campsites are great, clean and well kept. This park does get pretty busy though, because it is open to campers and people who just want to visit for the day to walk the trails. I love that they have trails that lead very close to the waterfalls..lots of rim trails that literally overlook the waterfalls and gorges. In the campground they do offer a pool, which again, does get busy because it's open to everyone regardless if you are camping or not. There also is tours you can take in the summer that will take you along the waterfalls and gorge, they have a playground for kids and an area with picnic tables. I went mid July and it was extremely busy, not sure when a good time to go during the summer when it's not as busy. That was the only downside I would say, is how crowded it was. There is also Seneca Lake nearby that many people go to fish in, however I didn't go on this trip but plan to next time. There are restrooms on site, however I didn't think they were that clean. Toilet paper and seat covers were out in most stalls, so I would advise to bring your own when you go. There is also some gift shops and food stands set up...one food stand has some pretty good hot dogs! The hikes to the gorge and waterfalls is pretty well maintained, however there are quite a bit of stairs. There were some people with kids in strollers that had to turn around because the stairs made it difficult. Not handicap friendly. I would advise to wear a good pair of walking shoes, and not sandals because it is slippery in some spots and again, a lot of stairs! I would highly recommend coming here, even if you don't decide to stay the night!
GuideStayed 2 nights for my birthday and loved it. One of the first places to open after COVID shutdown. Normally they have a large gathering area for cooking, games and a bar tent. Even with the restrictions we had a great visit and felt safely distanced from other campers and staff. Great hiking trails because it is attached to Buttermilk Falls State Park. Also close to Cornell University which is a beautiful campus.
I loved sleeping in the huge canvas tent and listening to the rain safe and warm under many quilts. The breakfast baskets the made for us each day were so nice to wake up to. And the bar and fire pits were maintained for you by the staff - such luxury. I loved it.
ScoutCampers arriving at Watkins Glen State Park are immediately captivated by its dramatic gorge scenery, where 19 waterfalls cascade through narrow stone walls. Their campsites are nestled among hardwood forests, offering a perfect balance of sunlit clearings and shady retreats. Each site comes equipped with a picnic table and fire ring, making it easy to prepare meals after a day spent exploring the park’s famous Gorge Trail. The park’s facilities blend rustic charm with modern comforts: clean flush toilets, hot-water showers, and convenient potable water stations. Hiking enthusiasts appreciate the interconnected trail system, which includes the popular Rim Trail for elevated views of the gorge, as well as more secluded footpaths through hemlock groves. Families particularly enjoy the nearby swimming pool and easy-access picnic areas overlooking Seneca Lake. To simplify travel logistics for out-of-state visitors, many campers opt to pre-book an airport transfer so they can arrive at Ithaca or Elmira–Corning Regional Airport and head straight to the park without the hassle of car rentals. Those planning to explore multiple stops along the Finger Lakes often choose the provider’s reliable city-to-city rides for comfortable, door-to-door transportation between destinations. All in all, Watkins Glen State Park delivers an unforgettable combination of awe-inspiring gorge hikes, well-appointed campsites, and family-friendly amenities. Campers seeking both adventure and relaxation will find this New York treasure hard to surpass.
GuideDefinitely one of the top places to camp and visit in New York, Watkins Glen State Park never disappoints. Each time I come back, I find something new to discover and have a great time doing that. Pair awesome trails and camping space with world class wineries up the lake, you cannot go wrong.
Cabins and yurts near Watkins Glen offer camping comfort year-round in New York's southern Finger Lakes region. The area's glacially-carved landscape features steep gorges with elevations ranging from 400-900 feet above sea level. Many cabin and yurt sites include heating systems for fall camping when overnight temperatures often drop into the 40s.
Gorge trail hiking: At Watkins Glen State Park Campground, over 19 waterfalls cascade through narrow stone passageways. "Watkins Glen was absolutely beautiful. The sites are quite wooded with plenty of space in between. The gorge trail is a MUST," notes Laura L. The trails include numerous stone steps with occasional rest areas.
Swimming in natural settings: During summer months, Robert H. Treman State Park offers swimming beneath waterfalls in a natural stone pool. "The campground is very walkable to the swimming area, which goes to 12 feet deep and has a dock to jump off of," reports Barbara S. The swimming area typically opens in late June and closes in early September.
Winery tours: The Seneca Lake Wine Trail passes directly through the region with over 30 wineries within a 20-mile radius of Watkins Glen. "Nearby wineries and many wine drinkers camp here along with enjoying beautiful finger Lakes," explains Rob M. at Watkins Glen/Corning KOA. Most wineries operate daily from 10am-5pm with tasting fees ranging from $5-15.
Privacy between sites: Harpy Hollow offers yurt camping with secluded surroundings. "Our tent site was spacious and secluded nestled in a ton of trees. We rarely heard anyone, and felt like we had the place to ourselves," shares Lara Star M. Sites are spaced approximately 30-50 feet apart with natural vegetation barriers.
Clean facilities: Campers consistently mention well-maintained bathhouses. "The bathhouses are clean and well lit at night," notes Deb S. about Watkins Glen State Park. Many campgrounds provide dish-washing stations separate from bathroom areas, reducing morning congestion during peak season.
Easy water access: Taughannock Falls State Park Campground borders Cayuga Lake with direct swimming access. "There is a small playground for kids. The bathrooms are fairly clean and well maintained. The campground is very walkable to the swimming area," writes Barbara S. Most waterfront sites require reservations 3-6 months in advance.
Limited cell service: Many gorge camping areas have spotty reception due to the terrain. Come prepared with offline maps and campground information. Forest cover further reduces signal strength at wooded sites.
Seasonal considerations: Most cabins and yurts remain open later than tent sites. "We stayed a week and absolutely loved it! Great hiking to waterfalls, beautiful campgrounds and a large playground," shares Jennifer D. about Robert H. Treman State Park Campground. State park cabins typically operate from April through November.
Water quality varies: Some private campgrounds have mineral-heavy water. "I actually bought a dual stage water filter and change it every two weeks," notes Gary V. about Ferenbaugh Campground. Filters or bottled water recommended for drinking at certain locations.
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Watkins Glen, NY is Watkins Glen State Park Campground with a 4.6-star rating from 90 reviews.
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