Watkins Glen / Corning KOA

This was our families first SoLo trip with our camper. It had alot of things to do indoor/ outdoor pool, pirate ship, slide, big pillow, waterside, golf and rock wall. The campground and showers were clean. There were some things that didn't work like the army truck ride, zipline, and playground. The biggest downfall was being near the dump station and something going on with this makeshift site next to us where around our area smelled of sewer fumes all the time we went out for dinner one night because my 3 yr old was gaging. However the area was absolutely gorgeous we hiked so many waterfalls, went and rented a boat for the day to check out the lake, and drive to the next lake to check out the park.

Very convenient to Watkins Glenn State Park and the Speedway. Restrooms are modern clean and adequate. WiFi was good on a fall weekend with park pretty full. Some sites are concrete, ours was gravel and not particularly level. Good cable TV.

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 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

Campground was nice! Our cabin was barebones but it was clean had a tv, small refrigerator a bunk bed and full. Plenty of room for two people! Has a lot of kid friendly activities. Really close to Seneca lake which is a plus for sight seeing and of course wine tasting 💕

We stayed here for 2 nights on our way home from a longer stay in Maine. This was a great place to regroup - we fully flushed our tanks, caught up laundry, and cleaned the trailer while our kids played and enjoyed mini golf, movies on a big screen, a good playground, and the bounce pad. The spot we had is beautiful and feels more private than the pull-throughs. The staff here are great - very helpful and friendly. The security guard in particular who patrols in the evening is kind and seems to care about camping being fun and safe for everyone. The camp WiFi seems just barely above useless. We relied on our AT&T hotspot, which was better at getting a signal than our phones.

Bonus - 2 pizza places in Watkins Glen will deliver directly to your site. Jerlando’s and Pudgie’s. Jerlando’s was very decent pizza.

We’re happy with our stay, but our youngest did slide off the bounce pad and hurt his back on the gravel surrounding it. The kids were very vocal about leaving in the review they think the gravel surround is a bad idea. Sand would be better.

We got a nice back in spot right next to the clubhouse. Everyone has been quite friendly. Prices at the little store are reasonable. I would not fully recommend this for people needing wifi at this time.

Our second KOA experience. We rented a deluxe cabin which was clean and spacious; give 4-4.5/5 for the cabin. Our site on the end and looking at the other sites around - great sites! Again would give a 4-4.5/5 there as well. The let downs - the lack of maintained grounds other than the sites and the extracurricular activities were a huge let down! Half of the advertised activities were closed including bumper boats and the rock wall. The indoor pool had truncated hours and the hot tub was sporadically open. Thank God for the water slide pool and golf cart to entertain the kids. The kiss did enjoy the Gaga ball pit, community events and play ground. We didn’t get to mini golf. Amenities could have been cleaner but still decent. If everything were available then 4/5 would be appropriate. Staff were great though! 5/5 for that.

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. Offers your typical KOA amenities with a huge outdoor pool, indoor pool and hot tub, water slide, rock wall structure, zip line and mini golf which were part of our site fee price. 

Things to do in the area Watkins Glen State park(hiking, biking and scenic views of the falls and gorge), Seneca Lake(one of the finger lakes), Watkins Glen International Speedway, Corning Glass Museum(Corning, NY), Montour Falls(Montour Falls, NY), Sunset View Creamery(Farm Tour and Store).

The website shows pics of a really nice campground but on arrival you’ll find otherwise. We got lucky and got a good site with shade but most sites are tiny and wide open. The full hookups were good, there was a concrete pad and nice fire ring in our site. Otherwise the facility was very poorly maintained, it looked like 20 years ago it was nice but nothing has been done since. The place is truly a dump and for $115 a night I expected a nice place. Incredibly disappointed

Very clean campsites are very nice plenty of room had a 50 amp and 30 amp service box in a pull through site plenty of stuff for the kids to do nice pool and bounce pad will definitely go back

This campground has everything you need for a safe fun camping experience. Nearby wineries and many wine drinkers camp here along with enjoying beautiful finger Lakes.

This was a HUGE KOA campground!  There was a lot to do, but we only stayed 1 night & got back on the road.  We stayed in a small cabin (w/ bathroom).  The weather was great, so we had a great view of the forest around us & the sky was amazing!

KOA does a great job of keeping everything organised & clean.

It was nice & quiet.  Unfortunately, 1 of my cats was startled by a neighbour’s dog & ran up a tree.  My friend, being a military vet, knew how to get up the tree without getting hurt & bring my mischievous ball of fur, Loki, safely back to the ground. 

It is a great place to stay!

Nice campground. Clean Friendly staff. A lot of outdoor features for kids which were closed while we were there.

Super kind people who work there. Great amenities. Climbing wall, pool, putt putt, giant bouncy thing. Basketball hoop, playground. Lots of cars, lots of people, super close campsites. None of the 3 toilets flushed well. Sink was a little clogged. It WAS clean though. They clean and collect trash daily. I dont have kids but could see how parents would like this. For a couple with a dog, it was too crowded and loud.

As I walked into the office to register on a slow Monday afternoon, a young lady stated she would help me. No hello, my name is, how was your trip? All business, no personality. She goes through a check list that I have to sign off on, gives me my paperwork and proceeds to show me how to get to my site using a camp map. No escort whatsoever.

I get to the gate to get into the campground but the swipe key box is out of reach for a Class A motorhome driver. So my wife has to exit the coach and swipe the card for the gate to open. As I proceed, my right rear wheels hit a major pothole and rock my Motorhome (can't avoid it) BTW - there is a guard house at the gate but it is used for storage, not housing a guard to make entry easy.

Site is roomy and level but not worth the price. The site is gravel as well as the roads but couldn't be any further from the office. Cell phones have no signal and the campground Wi-Fi sucks. 

Don't bring a golf cart because you will not be allowed to use it unless you can prove your handicapped but …… you can rent a cart from the campground.

Laundry mat has 6 washer machines but 3 are out of order. Those working are being used by housekeeping to wash sheets and towels for the cabins. A manager was approached but he was useless because there are no washer/dryers for housekeeping to use so the customers are at the mercy of housekeeping.

Amenities: food truck closed, Seneca Trails water park can be used for a fee (should be in campsite fee) Pirate ship jungle gym useless - 2 broken slides.

All in all. Worst KOA I ever stayed in. KOA corporate must have a very low standard when rating this park a resort.

This campground keeps growing. I’ve camped here for 20+ years and they have always been great. Lots of activities for kids and families on site and near by. Quite campground with KOA expected cleanliness and staff courtesy.

There is amazing hiking trails along the gorge with views of waterfalls! There is a nice pool and playgrounds. It’s close to downtown Watkins glen with lots of restaurants. It is also very close to Seneca Lake where there is swimming, boating, awesome hiking in the national Forest and tons of wineries and breweries. I’m also a little partial to this particular State Park because it’s where I got married!