Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Williamson, NY

We camped here for 3 nights, I had an event in Geneva. Location was handy, easy in and out. It’s an old navy/Air Force base that was converted in the 60’s. Sites have a weird thing with one electric post per two sites… but they aren’t pull through. So, apparently, New York doesn’t care if you just park anywhere in the general area of your site, which is a vibe, but bring an extension cord. There’s some kind of “resort” co-located that appears to have more conventional hookups, but I’m unclear on how to book that. Price was fine, spot was ok, lake swim beach and playground were nice.

This was our first experience at a Hipcamp site, but we took advantage of a $30 promotion from REI and decided to try one out. Camp Elderberry is located on an organic vegetable farm in the Finger Lakes region of New York. Weekend tours of the farm are available for a nominal fee. There are two sites here, both quite separate from each other so they are very private. You can camp in an RV or in a tent on the grass. Due to recent rains, the grass was quite tall, so we did not go deep into our site, which had a view of Seneca Lake. No hookups at either site. 

Communication with Lael was very good from the beginning, and he met us as we arrived to help us get settled. We arrived much later than planned due to a flat tire, so we did not spend much time exploring the property. There is also a ½ mile hike to the beach that I would have explored if we had arrived earlier. I had read there is a porta-potty, but we did not use it. There is also potable water and a cold-water shower. No WiFi, but the cell signal was strong on Verizon. There are many wineries nearby but again, because of our late arrival, they were all closed when we got there. 

We have been exploring a variety of camping options including Tentrr, Harvest Host, RV parks, Corps of Engineers campgrounds, county parks, state parks, and national parks. Hipcamp campsites vary widely by accommodation and price. The price for Camp Elderberry was not unreasonable ($50) but is more expensive than most standard (non-private) campsites. We did enjoy the unique experience, however!

HIGHLIGHTS : 

Most sites are pretty spacious 

Pets allowed in some loops 

Marina convenience store with pontoon boat rentals

Fishing 

Swimming 

Ice cream and concessions stand 

Arcade room 

Outdoor movie screen 

Nice playgrounds 

Military museum 

Paved loops - good for bikes and scooters

NEAR BY ATTRACTIONS: Wineries

CONS: 

Electric service boxes are shared in-between sites. This could pose an issue if your power cord is not long enough.

There is only source for water fill up. This could end up being a very very long wait if you arrive at the same time as other campers.

Only 2 dump stations

They don’t allow pull-in camping. Campers MUST be backed in

This park is located equidistant between Geneva and Watkins Glenn, NY on the shores of Seneca lake.  There are like 40 wineries close by to choose from.  The campground is located far enough off the highway that it is very quiet at night, but close enough to make it easily accessible.

Although the park was full on the weekend we were there, it did not feel that way.  The sites are big and there is plenty of space around the bathhouse so it doesn't feel crowded. The bathrooms appear new and very clean.

There are plenty of easy trials around the campground to walk your dog, and the beach is absolutely wonderful.  The owner lives on site and seems to have a good handle on everything going on there.  No loud parties or disturbances while we camped.

We stayed here for Memorial Day Weekend and really enjoyed Sned Acres. The Grounds are well taken care of (although some areas around the playgrounds and pool could have been weed whacked better) there is a lot of grass and wide open areas for playing games, walking your dogs and you can let your dogs drag their leashes so they have free roam and feel like they are running free. The large pond is nice, there were a lot of campers fishing. The general store is well stocked and the family running the campground and store are very friendly. There is a nice pool for the kids. The only thing that would make Sned better is a little more spacing between the sites, they are close (we were in F130) to where if you open your window shades in your camper your neighbors are 5-10 feet away from you. Would definitely stay again if in the area.

We go to webster park family campground several times a year for the past few years. Usually sometime in early May and in late October with an occasional day or two mid summer. It is a smaller single loop campground with sites for tents/small trailers, larger trailers, and motor homes. He difference is 30a power and no water or sewer, 50a power and water, and 50a power and water/sewer. There is a dump station. The motor home sites are all along the entrance road. The small and large trailer sites are distributed around the loop. Nice central playground and bathroom/shower house. There is hiking in the park, lots of nice woods, big field for playing games/sports. It’s close to town and home for us. We stay close to the playground these days in our pop up usually at site 5 so our 5 and 9 year old can walk or ride to campground. We like site 1 as well. We stay on the outer ring on that side of loop as it gives access to the woods and trails behind the sites. The campground is very quiet and very kid friendly to allow them to walk around and ride or scooter the loop alone.

They allow reservations online on the monroe county parks website, and are open May 1st to October 31st.