138 campgrounds · Check availability for any dates.
Catskill/Kenneth L Wilson Campground's fenced dog park provides a spacious area for pets to exercise off-leash at one of the most popular dog-friendly campgrounds near West Shokan. This DEC-operated facility welcomes dogs with proper vaccination records, which staff verify during check-in. Most campsites throughout the area maintain pet-friendly policies with standard leash requirements when outside designated exercise areas. The campground features 67 tent and trailer sites with picnic tables and fire rings, many surrounded by trees offering privacy despite the campground being full on weekends. Sites are well-spaced with room for RVs up to 24 feet. Woodland Valley Campground and North-South Lake Campground also accommodate pets with similar vaccination requirements. Big and widely spaced sites at Kenneth Wilson allow campers to set up comfortably with their dogs while maintaining distance from neighbors.
Hiking trails within Kenneth Wilson Campground provide nearly 4 miles of pet-friendly paths circling two nearby ponds. Giant Ledge Primitive Camp offers free backcountry camping with pets allowed on trails leading to panoramic Catskill Mountain views. Bears frequent these campgrounds, requiring proper food storage away from pets and campsites. The Peekamoose Valley provides additional primitive camping options where pets can accompany hikers on trails. Phoenicia Black Bear Campground lives up to its name with occasional bear sightings near campsites, requiring vigilance when camping with pets. Most campgrounds in the region maintain clean facilities with recycling centers and access to water, though primitive sites lack amenities. Temperatures in the Catskills can fluctuate significantly, necessitating preparation for pets' comfort in changing weather conditions.
"This campground had easy access to excellent hiking trails. Woodstock, NY was about 30 min away and we enjoyed exploring the area on our non-hiking day. Very dog friendly."
"water to play in right behind tent. I do prefer fire pits over the brick stove. this had the stove. more advanced hiking in walking distance. no cell service. my gps on phone was able to track though."
from $20 / night
Check Availability"We had planned on driving to hiking but there was so much to do around the camp site we just walked around and did the hiking near by. The dog park is wonderful. Our dog loved it."
"Two ponds to play in and a fenced dog park. Some nice hiking in the park."
from $22 / night
Check Availability"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."
from $22 - $44 / night
Check Availability"Great place situated in a great area with lots to do all within an hour's drive. Even camping during a pandemic was peaceful & fun!"
"This is a Thousand trails campground so it was free. I think the regular price is $64. Full hookups, tents and cabins to rent. Pleanty to do in and around campground."
"We got a red carpet site by the Gaga pit and near the water park (Cindy bear lane) and it was a convenient yet noisy site. Kids were at the playground 8 am or before and the noise woke us up."
"With a new check in area, Gardiner has really stepped up. They expanded the pool area to include another pool plus splash area and water slides."
"You’ve got fishing either in 2 private lakes or you can fish in the river but to do the river you’ll need a New York State fishing license."
"I was a little skeptical that we wouldn’t get to choose our site, but you can’t go wrong, they are all wooded, private and well situated. The campground is centrally located you many things to do."
"We took our dog too. Bring a bear bell and bear mace can to be safe. We did not see any but definite signs of them. Get tracking poles if you don't already have some. Very helpful here."
"However the descriptions of this place in reviews here and elsewhere provided very little info and once I got out to the trail realized how different it was to what I expected."
"We got to the spot at around 4pm, and choose a spot in the “upper field”, although we didn’t see anyone at the lower spots on the road."
"This was a good campground for a base point for hiking around the peekamoose area. I stayed in the middle field campground site #6 (which is the worst spot on that field)."
"A short drive to these rustic tent-only spots, dog friendly, nice rangers and great trees for hammocks! This is my go-to in the summers."
"this is close by to many catskill hiking trails"
from $16 / night
Check Availability"Right outside downtown Phoenicia the black bear campground is perfectly situated for a multitude of activities. They offer creek front and wooded campsites."
"2 minutes walk to town"
from $35 - $65 / night
Check Availability
ScoutThe campsite was great. Big and going after Labor Day means there was tons of space. Well priced. We did have neighbors that had a trailer and used their generator early in the morning and late at night. Beside that it was fantastic. We had planned on driving to hiking but there was so much to do around the camp site we just walked around and did the hiking near by. The dog park is wonderful. Our dog loved it.
GuideLots of room in many sites for my 24 ft RV and 30 ft trailer. Big meadow in middle with new full playground set.
Dry camping but water available and a sewer dump. Gotta haul your own trash.
Two ponds to play in and a fenced dog park.
Some nice hiking in the park.
GuideSuch a clean and well maintained campground. Staff were so nice and friendly. Only one shower area that was a bit of a trek from our site, a bike would have been nice to get around. We had to move our tent as we had set it back too far and was not on the site pad and park ranger Brian who was very lovely came and asked us to move it and we had a nice chat. Lovely big dog park. There are some nice little walks and small hikes on the ground with a lake that you can rent kayaks or canoes. Close to Woodstock which is a cute town. Our site was a little exposed but the sites either side of us were closed for restoration thankfully. There are some more secluded and set back sites too though.
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!
ScoutRecently, we camped here for a week. We don’t ever post negative reviews like this. The last day, we experienced a violent attack by a very large and aggressive Pit Bull. The Pit Bull did not have a collar or a leash and was accidently let out of the RV to roam free and unsupervised. It immediately ran to our site(4 sites away) and attacked our dog that was tied at the time. The incident was unprovoked. While trying to save our dog, my wife and I were also attacked. The wounds were serious enough to require emergency transport to a hospital for treatment including stitches. All we could think of was what might have happened if our granddaughter had been playing with our dog.
To put it mildly, their existing pet policy is grossly lacking. They never checked what breed of dog or ask to see documentation of shots when we were registering. Yogi Bear Jellystone Park needs to better manage their pet policy to address aggressive dog breeds and ensure the safety of campers. We camped there for seven days and saw multiple sites have more than one large dog, which in many places we’ve camped at would have been banned due to breed type or size. We have RV’ed extensively across the US and have never seen such careless enforcement of a pet policy regarding aggressive dog breeds. Seriously, think about avoiding this park if you have pets or small children.
TravelerGood for skinny dipping and other fun things! Most acidic lake in New York but completely safe.
GuideThis campground is nestled in the Catskills, New York, with easy access to New Jersey and Connecticut. With large campsites and most surrounded by trees, you will find just the right mix of privacy and community depending upon what you are looking for. Although the showers aren't top notch, they do have them and a great recycling center for all of your garbage. If hiking is what you enjoy, they have nearly 4 miles of trails within the campground and surrounding areas that circle two nearby ponds and their day use area. If you are looking for something offsite, don't miss the Giant Ledge hike, a 30 min drive and about a 3 mile out and back hike to Giant Ledge for amazing views overlooking the entire area. Head out to watch the sunrise one morning with awesome views looking east. When you need a break from cooking, don't miss the nearby Phoenicia Diner for some great breakfast and coffee! All of the Park Rangers are very helpful and will provide recommendations and maps, just ask!
TravelerNorth South lake is one of the larger public camp grounds in New York. The sites are well spaced out. Great for families. The lake is huge.
Avoid holidays to avoid the crowds.
TravelerStaying here is great! You’ve got fishing either in 2 private lakes or you can fish in the river but to do the river you’ll need a New York State fishing license. There are playgrounds for the kids, basketball, pool and a remote control car track. We stayed in the “ overflow” are several times and it is very nice.
The Catskill Mountains near West Shokan, New York sit at elevations between 1,500 and 4,000 feet, creating a distinctive microclimate that experiences temperature drops of 10-15 degrees compared to nearby valley areas. Most campgrounds throughout the region operate from mid-May through early October, closing during winter months when snowfall can exceed 100 inches annually. Water access remains a key feature with numerous creeks, ponds, and lakes throughout the camping areas.
Hiking the Devils Path: Start from Devil's Tombstone Campground for access to challenging trails through the Hunter-West Kill Wilderness. "This is close by to many catskill hiking trails," notes Brian H., while Becky G. adds this is "hands down one of my favorite NYC escapes! A short drive to these rustic tent-only spots, dog friendly, nice rangers and great trees for hammocks!"
Creek exploration: The waterways near The Peekamoose Valley provide excellent spots for cooling off during summer months. Cameron reports, "They're heavily wooded areas by a river... Good water access with the river." Another camper, Kelsey, mentioned, "Camped out at one of the sites by the river and it was amazing, no one was around except a man far from our site."
Swimming and boating: North-South Lake Campground offers swimming and boat rentals during summer. Lizz H. notes, "I go there almost every year to go swimming with my family and friends and it's always a good time," while Kyla B. from a different campground mentioned, "They have a lake on site with swimming. We happened to spend the weekend on a day with free canoe/kayak rentals which was great!"
Creek-side relaxation: Campers consistently praise sites along flowing water. At Phoenicia Black Bear Campground, Derek W. explains, "I stayed at one of the creek front campsites and highly recommend doing so. They're slightly more expensive but the view is so worth it. The creek was perfect for dipping your feet and just hanging out."
Wildlife sightings: The region lives up to its reputation for bear encounters. At Kenneth L Wilson Campground, Kane B. shares, "It was the wildest weekend I ever had, I'm not being sarcastic. The hiking areas are great, the weather is perfect and the bear was very nice for a bear." Derek W. adds from Phoenicia Black Bear Campground, "In the morning we woke up to a baby bear walking on our campsite. We kept our distance but that was definitely a thrill."
Mountain views: Hikers from Giant Ledge Primitive Camp value the panoramic vistas. Ryan reports, "Yes you can camp on top of the mountain. Yes you can make a camp fire. Yes you can star gaze by the views near the camp. It takes the average hiker about an hour ish to get to camp/ledge view."
Primitive site preparation: Free dispersed camping near West Shokan requires proper planning. At Peekamoose Valley, Mollie R. advises, "It was nice to walk in but still be close enough to leave the food in the car rather than hanging the food up." Guy M. adds, "I was in the lower area and had to walk pretty far with everything and make at least 6-8 trips for each load-in and out."
Weather fluctuations: Mountain elevations cause significant temperature changes. Sam L. from Devil's Tombstone Campground notes, "Lots of tree coverage which helped when it rained," while John S. from Giant Ledge reports, "Even the rain couldn't ruin this weekend getaway."
Cell service limitations: Most remote campgrounds have no connectivity. Katherine P. from Catskill/Kenneth L Wilson Campground reports, "No cell service whatsoever," and Daniel L. confirms, "Although No cell service site was nice."
Pet documentation: When bringing dogs to pet-friendly camping near West Shokan, verify vaccination requirements. Sam L. advises, "NY has some strict requirements about proof of rabies vaccination for dogs, so make sure to read the requirements."
Swimming options: Family-friendly water activities are available seasonally. At Rip Van Winkle Campgrounds, Tom G. states, "I go here every year it's such a great campground," while Holly P. adds it's a "fantastic little campground with lots of activities for kids."
Playground access: Several campgrounds provide play areas for children. Regarding Thousand Trails Rondout Valley, Ian R. observes, "This is what I want for a Catskill campground. It is not a concrete pad haven and yes, there is mud," while Kasey M. adds it "offers a pool, playground, and activities that include bocce ball, shuffleboard, and horseshoes."
Site size considerations: RV campers should verify site dimensions before booking. Katherine P. notes at Kenneth L Wilson Campground, "Campsite is flat and packed dirt instead of gravel, which was great. There's a standard picnic table and a decent raised fire pit, and a spigot at our site."
Limited big rig sites: Large RVs have fewer options in the mountainous terrain. C R. explains about Kenneth L Wilson, "This is a very nice wooded campground. We LOVED our site (site 9). It was absolutely massive! The photo doesn't do it justice. It was set back very far from the main road and was an extremely large site!"
Dump station availability: Full-hookup sites are limited in the region. At Rondout Valley, Sammii D. reports, "The campgrounds are nice. But that's all. They have loads of events over the weekend but the weekend hasn't happened yet to check them out," suggesting researching amenities before arrival.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dog-friendly campsite near West Shokan, NY?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near West Shokan, NY is Woodland Valley Campground — DEC with a 4.2-star rating from 29 reviews.
What is the best site to find dog-friendly camping near West Shokan, NY?
TheDyrt.com has all 138 dog-friendly camping locations near West Shokan, NY, with real photos and reviews from campers.
Keep Exploring
