Watkins Glen State Park is the most famous of the Finger Lakes State Parks, with a reputation for leaving visitors spellbound. Within two miles, the glen's stream descends 400 feet past 200-foot cliffs, generating 19 waterfalls along its course. The gorge path winds over and under waterfalls and through the spray of Cavern Cascade. Rim trails overlook the gorge. Camping near Watkins Glen allows you to enjoy the Olympic-size pool, scheduled summer tours through the gorge, tent and trailer campsites, picnic facilities and excellent fishing in nearby Seneca Lake or Catherine Creek, which is renowned for its annual spring run of rainbow trout.

Watkins Glen State Park Campground

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!

Beautiful Gorge

Great ground!  We dry camped while we were there and had a great time. Bathrooms were clean.  I do have to say that campers at night were not so quite.  I like to hear the crickets at night not people.  Great for kids, park close by!  And right by Watkins Glen. Hiked the trails with kids!

Spacious sites!

I absolutely love this place!  The camp site is nothing to write home about but it's just what we wanted/needed - good price, clean facilities, electric (even when tent camping) and, most important - LOCATION!  
We spent a couple of days making our way around the lakes, wining and dining, then came back to our cozy campsite to enjoy a drink by the fire.  We had plenty of space and no one bothered us.  
We also spend a full day hiking in the park - beautiful!  Waterfall after waterfall - amazing stuff!  If you have not been here make it a priority!  

One of my favorite places!

Definitely check this SP out. The waterfalls and the rock formations were amazing. Hiking is well worth it! Campground is very nice and picturesque. Before Watkins Glen became a state park, it was developed as a privately owned resort.  It eventually  opened to the public in 1863.     We had a great time (albeit quite toasty!) exploring the park and headed back “home” tired but with big smiles on our faces.

Very fun SP!

This park and the gorges are well worth the trip. There is great hiking and nice clean campsites. Its is very busy on the weekends during the summer, although the scenery is arguably better in the fall when the leaves are changing.

Beautiful Scenery, Great Hiking

Definitely 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.

Lovely Area

Watkins Glen State park is a must see for NY campers and hikers.  There's the waterfall which is easy for even children to get to, and several beautiful hiking paths in all seasons. The state park campground is like a postcard, especially in fall.  The Seneca Lake Wine Trail runs right through this area and makes for a fun diversion to your hiking trip!  

Like a postcard! 

This place is amazing, be sure to explore all that the park has to offer, the waterfalls are beautiful.  I didn't go in fall, but I suppose the fall foliage with this park would be so pretty as well. Site are clean, spacious, and the park itself is easy to navigate.  Bathroom facilities are also clean

The views!

We stayed three nights in the Seneca Loop. Great place for RV's. Not so great for tent campers. The park's campground map does not show there is an active railroad close by with trains running in the middle of the night and during the day. We awoke Monday morning to the sound of race cars doing practice laps and tune-up runs at Watkins Glen Raceway. The park is high above the town of Watkins Glen so biking to and from the park is a challenge although you can bike around the park. The swimming area accommodates a lot of people. The redeeming quality for this campground is the short, connecting trail that provides easy access to the Watkins Glen Gorge Trail. It's beautiful and well worth the visit even if you aren't staying in the campground.

noisy, but falls hike through gorge is beautiful

I have to agree with other reviews in that if you're in a tent (and even a slightly light sleeper) this campground isn't for you.  Might be ok if you're in a RV. It just gets so noisy.
You do have a lot of amenities, nice restrooms, fire pit, spacious site.

Although the hikes are awesome and you're in a great location to hop off to other area.  Ithaca truly is "gorge"ous 
  There are tons of great hikes in the area although none are really long or strenuous so you can easily visit several of them in a day. 

Amazing sights, ok sites...

this is a great family spot. best in the fall!

waterfall wonderland

I 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! 

Beautiful waterfalls! 

If 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.  

Convenient Campground for the Area

Highly recommend camping in the Onondaga Village loop!  Very close access to the gorge trail!   

Awesome trip to Watkins Glen!

I was planning a "guys weekend" camping trip, and the stunning photos I found of the gorge at Watkins Glen hooked me. Aside from some rain that delayed our initial setup, it was the perfect camping weeking. Between hiking the gorge trail, taking advantage of the massive pool or just relaxing by the campfire, we were never bored but never rushed. Great place to camp.

First visit to Finger Lakes 

The gorges speak for themselves, lots to do in the nature here. Each campsite is pretty big and sadey, but can get noisy. The campground is popular on weekends (and almost daily in summer) but even with a bit of a crowd absolutely worth it when you’re in the Finger Lakes. Clean and rather modern overall though not built up feeling. I don't remember if you can make reservations but try to get them if you can. Don’t miss this park.

Some of the best in NY 

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. 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!

Watkins Glen State Park

amazing place to camp, staff was friendly, bathrooms were clean and some campsites were bigger then expected. 5 stars is a definet for me

Amazing

Wow, what an absolute delight! From the gorgeous hike up the Watkins Glen Gorge to watching the sunset over Seneca Lake to enjoying some wine from the grapes grown in the region, the Finger Lakes regions is hard to beat for total family entertainment. We came for a couple nights to check it out and stayed for over a week!

The campground at the state park is a classic one, with six loops each representing a native tribe from the area. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring, with no bells and whistles. You can choose from non-electric or electric sites with full-hookups.  We stayed in site #9, just across from the bathrooms, in the Cayuga Loop (non-electric). There is not much privacy between sites, but we were there the week after Memorial Day, so hit it during a lull period. The bathrooms are old, but kept clean and the showers are awesome. There are a couple of playgrounds for the kiddos, picnic areas/shelters, and a pool. There are also some nice cabins for those not interested in camping.

But, the campground is only the beginning of what this area has to offer! Just a short walk from the campground, you will find Watkins Glen Gorge. Entering from the main entrance (as early in the day as you are willing to get there to avoid the crowds) will afford you a walk through what feel like you have stepped into another country (or world for that matter). It is truly one of the most spectacular gorges I’ve ever seen in the U.S.!  Photos simply don’t do it justice.

In addition to great hiking and gorgeous waterfalls, this area is filled with bike trails, water sports of all kinds on Seneca Lake, [Farm Sanctuary](https://www.farmsanctuary.org/the-sanctuaries/), the [Watkins Glen Int’l Raceway](http://www.theglen.com/?homepage=true), an [extensive wine trail](https://senecalakewine.com/) and more! Watkins Glen is a small town, but has all that you need to resupply…including more ice cream shops than I’ve ever seen in just a few city blocks.

We did our usual reservation-less “pull up and see what they have open” style of camping, but during the main season or race weekends, this place is nuts!  You’ll definitely need to plan ahead and make reservations if you plan to be here during the silly season. Note: Prices are lower on weekdays and you get a reduced rate for your second night, too. Bonus!

Like Stepping into Another World!

Friendly staff, good patrols at night to keep people from being too noisy, tent sites are nice and shaded. Some of the shower houses are better than others. Wonderful hiking at the gorge and it was beautiful.

Clean campsites, bathrooms in some loops nicer than others

Great stay. Our campsite was bigger than most places we’ve stayed at. It’s a family friendly place with lots to do. The hikes were beautiful and you’re close to wine and cheese country. We visited a local farm and got fresh fruits and local cheese to take back to camp with us. The playground was awesome. My kid really enjoyed this place. There’s water available at almost every campground and plenty of space for group camping.

This place was much better than expected. The hikes are absolutely stunning

This was a great campground for the family! Take a hike (the Gorge trail is unbeatable), go swimming in the Olympic sized pool, and at the end of the day, enjoy your campsite.

The sites have good privacy and the bathrooms are clean. Couldn’t ask for a better experience.

Great campground, most beautiful hike

great campground covers the basic needs sites are not that level but great hiking trails amassing views , clean facilities,and a large pool

clean quiet and basic

the waterfalls are incredible and the hiking is absolutely amazing. the lake is very close for a beach day and the sunsets over the lake are breathtaking. oh! and don’t forget all the wineries!


waterfalls, lake, wine

Watkins Glen was absolutely beautiful. The sites are quite wooded with plenty of space in between. We stayed in a 30 ft. motorhome, and the roads within the campground were kind of tight to get through with trees and curves. The gorge trail is a MUST. Definitely go check this campsite out!

Beautiful waterfalls and hikes

Bathrooms were clean. The site was huge, the campfire ring was lovely. The gorge trail is absolutely amazing- beautiful waterfalls!! Quiet hours were honored even by the crazy Nascar fans (we were there race weekend)! Great time had here! Highly recommend!!

Wonderful

This place is amazing. Very popular, not great for a time to relax but is good for a new destination! Also has a cute town to look through!

Watkins glen 

This will always be my favorite place to camp. Sites were a bit close together but the campers were so nice. The scenery was stunning and staff helpful. 

Complete serenity

This park offers over 300 campsites with restrooms, hot showers, dumping stations and firewood for sale. The park is open all year round. Check for dates on openings for pool, campgrounds, and trails. Pets are allowed on the grounds but not on the trails

The trails follow a gorge with multiple waterfalls that weave in and out of small caves and falls. For all you wondering, swimming is not allowed in the gorge. Overall nice hiking. My only drawback is the dog rule and the campsites being so close to one another.

Nice Hiking

Watkins glen is a beautiful area in the NY Finger Lakes. The park itself is well maintained and the hike through the gorge is stunning. It is however, very busy. We camped there in Mid-July and tourists were being dropped off by the bus load to walk through the gorge. The campsites were well shaded and fairly spacious, but you definitely knew what your neighbors were doing. Bathrooms were clean, firewood was available for purchase, there is a small convenience store &amp; a large swimming pool open to the public. It is fairly close to a race track, so I imagine it could be noisy at times. The walk through the gorge is stunning enough to make this a worthwhile camping experience. 

Beautiful but busy park

Watkins Glen has been on my bucket list since I first saw a picture of it on Flickr back in 2008 and it definitely lived up to expectations! I recommend taking the shuttle to the upper parking lot and hiking down unless you really like stairs. The campground is a standard state park campground, clean, fairly private. I would definitely like to come back. Hopefully it won’t take me 10 years to return. 

Great Campground -Beautiful Hike

The winning attraction is clearly the gorges and we spent 5hrs hiking through them.  Wonderful!  Pool was nice, but you need to drive to it.  If you have a choice, camp in the Iroquois area or another in the back.  The front area (can’t remember the name) is really overcrowded.  We basically shared our little campsite with the people on each side.  Our picnic table was all of 10’ from that of our neighbors.

Beautiful gorges

Amazing park. We’ve gone there multiple times. We prefer walking down and catching the bus back. There is a shop. There are bathrooms at the top and bottom of the trails. There are many trails we haven’t walked them all yet. Bring your camera for sure lots to see! 

Gorgeous 

We stayed in the Tuscarora village loop.  The sites there were non-electric.  There was one central bathroom/shower house, so if being close to a restroom is important, choose your site accordingly.  Some of the campsites were quite a walk from the facilities.  Many of the sites back up to the woods, making them feel more spacious.  There are also sites that are very close to together and we saw several extended family groups using adjoining sites - one for cooking, one for sleeping and one for hanging out. here is a wonderful playground in the Tuscarora loop.  There’s another great playground next to the swimming pool.  The town of Watkins Glen is adjacent to the park and has lots of little restaurants and shops - even a Ben and Jerry’s scoop shop!  The town itself gets very crowded with people arriving on tour buses to see the waterfalls, and the bottom half of the Gorge Trail can be very busy.  The rim trails and the upper half of the Gorge Trail were much less crowded.

Quiet oasis near busy trail

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. 

Nice place to camp! 

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. 

Kid friendly, beautiful.

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...) 

Itching to return already

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

Beautiful! 

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

love it 

Beautiful 

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!

Peaceful stay

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. 

Go for the Gorge

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

Crowded summer nights

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

Quiet, clean, and close to everything

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. 

Great Spot with big Sites

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

Great spot 

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!

Can’t Miss

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 &amp; 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.

Crown Jewel of NY State Park System

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

Beautiful wooded campground

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.

Endless Adventure

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.

Excellent Campground, Great Hiking

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 &amp; ice were available at check in station. Pick a site on the outside of a loop and you’ll be good. 

Beautiful park in the Finger Lake Region

**——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.