Watkins Glen State Park Campground

I love that despite there being so many sites, you don’t feel on top of each other in Seneca Village. It’s a state campground so don’t expect it to be anything close to dispersed camping. Trees separated me from my neighbors on either side, woods behind my tent, lots of quiet, no one blasted music or anything like that. I woke up to seeing trees above me and hearing birds. The bathroom was clean, with multiple ways to enter it without going near someone else’s site. The campground felt safe, and you are able to buy firewood (I didn’t due to quite a bit of rain). To get to the gorge trail, you have to walk over to the next site (Oswego I think) but it’s not too far. I would most likely stay at that loop next time though because it seemed to have even more space on each site. I didn’t see any bears and asked a few workers but only one had seen a bear the entire time they’ve been there. Definitely recommend this location. Lots of beautiful trails, red cat wine slushies were delicious, grounds were fun to explore and people were either friendly or kept to themselves which was great. Super dog friendly and I met many of them! Just a note, dogs are NOT allowed on the gorge trail.

Nice campground, sites are borderline close, and some are laid out funky. Bath houses get the job done, but nothing exciting.

Site is sloped, shaded and right next to the bathrooms and water spigot. ATT coverage is decent. Other side of the bathrooms is access to the gorge trails. Pets are not allowed on the gorge trail itself but the rim and other trails are fine.

——REASONS I STAYED HERE——

The see Watkins Glen, of course! And go paddleboarding nearby.

—————BASIC FAQ—————

[Tent camping with a Subie]

Dump station? - Yes

Water fill or hookup? - Water fill at dump station but no water hookups. Water spigots are scattered throughout each loop.

Electricity? - Yes, some loops have it but not mine

Clean site? - Yes

Clean bathroom? - Yes

Flush toilet? - Yes

Showers? - Yes

Laundry? - No

Dish washing sink? - Yes, in the bathroom

—————PROS—————

→ The access to Watkins Glen! My site was in Loop D (Onondaga Village) which has a direct hiking trail to the trail along Watkins Glen! I highly recommend going early to beat the crowds. It’s peaceful and easier to enjoy and take photos.

→ Proximity to Seneca Lake! We went paddleboarding. We put in at a boat launch at the very southeastern corner of the lake near Seneca Lake Kayak. You can paddle down to Hector Falls and see it from the water.

→ You can drive to the many waterfalls nearby. I recommend Havana Glen Park for a short hike to the waterfall. Also, drive to Chequaga Falls.

—————TIP—————

→ There’s a power outlet in the bathroom. It was very common for people to charge phones while showering. Or leaving a battery in there to charge.

—————OVERALL—————

5-stars - Speaking for Loop D, of course. Clean site, clean bathroom with hot water, access to Watkins Glen, no issues while staying there.

—————INTERNET—————

Verizon via iPhone 12: 20 mbps down and 0.03 mbps up with 74 ms ping.

We stayed at site 184 which was great. The trail to get down to the Gorge Trail was just a few sites away. Bath house was clean but out dated. No camp store, but fire wood & ice were available at check in station. Pick a site on the outside of a loop and you’ll be good.

We spent three nights in Watkins Glen SP and will definitely be back. The sites aren't private, but are well kept, as are the bathrooms/showers. We enjoyed our hikes and if it had been a bit warmer, we would have checked out the pool.

We originally booked for three nights at an electric site(52) and we enjoyed everything from the bath house to the overall privacy of the site. After the first night we decided to extend by two more nights which involved us moving to another site(215) which didn't have electric but still was a wonderful site. Both sites were large and mostly private. We spent every day hiking and biking. The Gorge trail is especially great after 5pm when the tourists have left for the day. There is also the Finger Lakes North Country trail which is dog-friendly. Towards the end of the loop there is a private stream with clean water that our dog loved. We can't wait to return many times. Verizon cell service was excellent in the Mohawk Village loop and decent in the Onondaga Loop. It was fine to work from the RV all week using our Pepwave BR1 Max with a Verizon data plan.

Pros= Beautiful, wooded campground. Sites are big enough for a bit of privacy. Bathrooms were clean and updated. Cons= primitive sites only(no hook-ups). No real camp store, fire wood was available at check-in desk

Worth it for the Gorge hike alone - approx 1 1/2 mile hike down the gorge complete with 19 waterfalls, some of which you pass behind. Hike itself isn't too strenuous, with the exception of the final ascent, which is called, aptly, Jacob's Ladder - 180 or so steps up to the end of the trail, it will get your heartrate going! Do wear at the very least good sneakers, your feet will get wet.

As far as the campground goes, sites are level, if somewhat rocky. I thought they were maybe a bit on the smallish side,, but maybe that was just my site (site 70). Some sites seemed tough to back into, due to lack of maneuverability. Bathrooms - showers were clean. Olympic size pool and restaurant on premises.

The campground entrance is about 1/2 mile up a hill around the corner from the park entrance. I imagine MANY campers, like I did, pull their rigs into that parking lot wondering where the heck the campground is, getting out & going into the office to ask, only to be told where to go - maybe there should be a more visible sign in that lot telling campers where to go.

Great place to stay to visit Watkins Glen and the Gorge.  Very clean grounds and bathhouse.  Mostly adult crowd on Wednesday and Thursday evening.  Very quiet.  If you want to hike, stay in Onondoga Village loop.  A trail down into the gorge is across from the bathhouse.

We had seen recommendations to visit Watkins Glen but until you’ve visited it’s difficult to explain the amazing area! We hiked the gorge (bring GOOD hiking shoes/boots, plenty of water and a dose of stamina), stilled through the village, visited one of dozens of wineries and stopped by Watkins Glen International Racetrack. But there’s so much more to see and do that we committed to come back again. Beautiful campground with spacious sites, lots of tall pines and deciduous trees to give shade and easy access to the gorge, swimming pool and the village. The state park is essentially right off the main drag downtown but you don’t even notice since the campground is on top of a ridge above town. Two thumbs up!

Nice campground, super unique hiking and really close to Watkins Glen.

Only went for a long weekend with some friends who were beginner campers. This was the perfect spot to meet up and had water readily available and restrooms/showers. Also dog friendly. We booked 2 sites next to each other we all had our dogs and had a grand time. The only thing we wished to improve our experience would be for more dog friendly places for them to swim. We thought the creek running through the campground would be perfect , but alas it was dry. Don’t buy the firewood here it was very expensive. Bring rabies proof if you are bringing your dog.

Everything was great. Had a little room between sites. Was wooded enough so you didn’t see everyone. Great hikes very close by.

Very spacious and the bathroom are very nice. Would recommend

Spacious campsites. Check in was simple with online pre-registration. Walking distance to the gorge

Okay, we all get that there is awesome hiking, scenery, wineries, racing, and more in the Watkins Glen area. So let’s just chat about the campground.

The bathhouses were A+. Clean, well maintained, newer…just overall impressive!

There were water fill up stations EVERYWHERE! We camped in the dry camping loop - it was the only one available to us in our 35’ class A. We didn’t miss anything!

The playground was OUTSTANDING! All adults in our party and we couldn’t help but jump on some of the swings. It’s a newer type playground and is hands down the best I’ve ever seen!

Last, and certainly not least…personnel.

We had the opportunity to speak with the campground ranger, facilities engineer, and gate attendants. Everyone was accommodating, friendly, warm, helpful, and more. :).

One of the BEST campgrounds out there! Thank you New York State, the NYState park system and all the folks at Watkins Glen State Park Campground who make the magic happen!!!

One mention: our site was rated for a 25’ RV, we were 35’ long and fit nicely. Other sites rated for 35’ RV were NOT long enough. (We had to switch sites).

We had a good time here but was very crowded. We found some more sites through Hipcamp. Highly recommend Pooh’s Corner for a more private campsite.

We have stayed here twice and at the nearby KOA once.

This campground has walkable access to both the gorge and rim trails. The highlight of this area. There are many things to do in the area so I will plan to stay at least 5-7 nights next time.

The sites are spacious. It is in an old growth forest so there aren’t many bushes to provide privacy.

Bathrooms were clean and well maintained. Water access was well spaced and more than sufficient for the number of campers.

A bit noisy in our loop due to a large group with lots of children. Avoid sites on cut through routes to the bathrooms. Other campers apologized but cut through anyway.

Would be better to visit sometime other than the high season.

Clean restrooms, quiet park with electric hookups. VERY glad we visited

On my 1st trip to Watkins Glen campground it was very crowded because it was summer time and in my opinion it felt like there were a lot of city folk who brought the city with them with, a lot of barking dogs and a lot of horns constantly going off but otherwise the campground was fairly decent

Nice lively campground. Open field between some sites where people were playing frisbee. Bathrooms were quite clean with really nice showers.

The actual gorge itself is astoundingly beautiful. Definitely go and do the gorge walk, it's worth it.

Beautiful wooded campground. Electric sites available with water available from numerous spigots throughout the campground. The trailhead from the camp to enter the gorge trail was at least a half mile from our site #82. Enjoyed our time here!

Overall great experience,

perfect camp ground, fun place to hike and relax, we drove a little further to go kayaking

We went during shoulder season and it was beautiful and quiet.

We spent 2 nights at Tuscarora Village in the Six Nations campground. More than impressed. The sites were unique, huge, and well maintained. Very family friendly with a 10pm “shhhh” time which is the only drawback, and only because we don’t have young kids. If you are looking for a safe, easy, comfortable place for you and your family or some quiet time, I highly recommend. Within a short walk of the trails and gorge. Stunning. Also, less than 10 mins from the cutest town and Seneca Lake (and Walmart when you forgot your air mattress pump...)

We (family of 5) stayed at Watkins Glen State Park 8/12/20 to 8/16/20. We were tent camping in Seneca Village and had an absolutely BEAUTIFUL site. There was a good mix of tent and RV campers. The bathrooms were clean, the showers were nice and warm. Quiet hours are enforced from 10pm to like 7 or 8am. Firewood and ice are available at the ranger station. Each “village” has a playground for the kids in addition to the large playground near the pool at the entrance to the campground. We didn’t use the pool (though it was open) but got plenty of use out of the playgrounds. The nicest playground was in Tuscarora Village. Tuscarora and Seneca had very nice sites. Onondaga felt like the sites were a little closer to each other or closer to the road. I did not explore any of the other villages but most sites are wooded and offer privacy and seclusion. We had an amazing time hiking and exploring the area and can’t wait to go back.

After spending several very quiet nights in sparsely occupied campgrounds, we arrived at Watkins Glen to a full campground. The Six Nation Campground is comprised of six loops, each named after a tribe, with a total of over 300 sites. It looked like some of the sites were being rehabbed. The Mohawk Loop is the only one with electric hookups. There are also cabins, but I did not see them. Rates vary depending on how many nights you spend, whether you have an electric or non-electric site, and if you are a NY resident or not. Although the sites are spaced a decent amount apart, most do not have trees or any other barrier to separate them. However, despite our loop being completely full, we did not feel too close to our neighbors. The bathroom/shower facility was reasonably clean. There are two shower stalls and four toilets, and I feared it might be overwhelmed when the loop was full, but I never had to wait. 

There is a large day-use area with some nice playground equipment and there are additional playground areas (not as nice) in the loops. There is also a swimming pool but since we were there in October, it had already closed for the season (despite temperatures hovering near 90 degrees)! Normally, there is a trail that leads from the campground to the South Rim Trail, from which you can access the Gorge and other trails, however, due to recent heavy rains, this trail was closed when we were there. There are three access points to the trails: south entrance, upper entrance, or main entrance. From any of these, you can do a loop or just part of the trails. The most popular Gorge trail can get very crowded. We arrived at 10 am on a Tuesday in October and by the time we left at noon, the trail was much more crowded. I can only imagine how crowded it could get on the weekends (judging by the size of the parking lot). 

We travel a lot around the country and as such, trash and recycling policies can vary greatly. There was a sign on all the dumpsters listing materials accepted for recycling so we assumed we should use one dumpster for all garbage and recycling (this is how it was in Acadia NP). It wasn’t until later that we saw on a bulletin board that there is a recycling bin near the camp office. This could easily be confusing and could easily be remedied with additional information on the sign indicating where to bring recyclables!

Very large campground with a lot of spots! The park is nice and has a beautiful gorge trail close to the campground. Right outside the park is the town of Watkins glen, which has cute stores and restaurants! The Watkins glen international is close by and we got to see some racing , which was really neat! Would recommend this spot.