This is one of my favorite campgrounds to stay at in Western North Carolina. The site we chose to stay at was recommended because it was secluded, but also close to the restroom and check in (which came in handy because ended up staying an extra two nights). The campsite itself was spacious and we were able to enjoy many fires and even came with a bear proofing box, first campsite I had stayed in with one on site. They had clean restrooms and showers and friendly staff to help us find the perfect spot. I will definitely be back for more hiking adventures and to enjoy the before mountains that surround the campsite!
Redneck lite I heard someone call it. It's fun and relaxing. Safe and fun for kids. Great little store and arcade. There's a pool. Nice big pool. Sometimes live music. Very laid back and happy. Daily activities including hay rides and a bunch of decorated wagons being towed by 4 wheeler for the kids. Mini golf needs work. But the have plans to fix it. We had a blast.
Our family loved the modern cabins which are available in my of Pennsylvania's state parks. I'd rank any other park that we visit with a five star rating. The staff at other parks will let my family check in before 3:00pm if the cabin is ready.The swim area is one of the best around. Playgrounds are fun& the snack stand is a little expensive, but delicious!I think we picked the week with the most rain of the year to camp but it was still a lot of fun. The hike around the lake is not that long and a pretty easy walk. We did it with a 5 year old and he had no complaints. The nature talks were really fun for the kids and interesting for the adults.
This was my first time visiting Greenwood County Park and I was pleasantly surprised. Your camping and recreation options are definitely better in the “off“ season because hardly anyone was here, but the fall colors were absolutely spectacular! The lake is pretty, the beach and picnic area is well kept, the campground is like a high quality state park—bravo to the Broome County Parks Department! Really enjoyed the miles of hiking trails which are supposedly also great from snowshoeing and cross country skiing in the winter. Beautiful oasis of a park near the hamlet of Lisle.
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!
The biggest draw to this state park (which no one in Pennsylvania I spoke with seemed to know about) is the 22 waterfalls! We saw 18 of them on a four-mile moderate hike, but if you want to see the additional four, you could make it a seven-mile hike. The trails are very well marked.
We stayed in the large loop, which is a peninsula on Lake Jean. Many of the sites have lake views. The bathhouse was clean but not adequate for 73 sites. The campground was about ¾ full and there was often a wait in the bathroom. Showers looked reasonable but I did not use them.
There were many tent campers in this loop, which does not allow pets (the other, smaller loop does allow pets). There are no hookups at all in the park. The water had been tested earlier in the season and unsafe levels of manganese were detected. All water spigots were shut off and covered but we were told it was safe to wash our dishes and brush our teeth. However, the water for the dishwashing sink was turned off as well as the water in the restroom at the trailhead. Since we had a reservation, we received a phone call in advance of our stay letting us know about this.
There are trails to the beach, but we woke to rain the next morning, so we did not explore this.
One trash/recycle area a distance away from the campsites which seems typical for PA state parks. Alcohol is strictly forbidden– we were warned that if a ranger saw any alcohol outside of our vehicle, we would be cited. Quiet hours are 9 pm– 8 am, which is more restrictive than other state parks, however, some did not observe these quiet hours (a guitar-playing singing camper thought he was talented, but I disagree!)
We loved our two-night stay at this park. It is a very compact park and once you are settled, everything is within walking distance. 76 sites plus 12 cabins in two loops– an “old” one and a “new” one. The old loop has 35 sites (sites 1-12 have electric hookups but, in my opinion, they are not nearly as nice as other sites with no hookups. These 12 sites are very close together (1-6 are more like parallel parking spots) with no privacy between them. Sites 36-72 are in the new loop and can vary significantly. I was told there are future plans for electric hookups in the new loop. If you are camping in the summer, you will want Sites 36, 38, 40, 42, 48, 50, or 76 as these are very shaded and private. The sites on the outside of the grassy area(52, 54, 56, 58, 60, 62, 64, 66, 68, 70, 72) were in full sun, which was very nice in September but could be brutal during hot summer months. Some have trees for separation, but these sites are spaced a generous distance apart. The sites on the inside of the loop seem less desirable to me and no one occupied them during our stay.
Only the bathhouse in the new loop (which was very clean) had showers, which were very nice (clean with a good hard spray and hot water).
The office was staffed until 6:30 pm and since we pre-registered, the process was very smooth. There is one garbage/recycling area between the two loops and the bonus for us was propane canister recycling. There are a large day-use area and a shelter available to rent, along with two playgrounds (one designated for ages 2-5 and the other for ages 5-12). During the summer months, there is a swimming hole fed by Lower Falls; swimming is only allowed when lifeguards are present.
What we loved most about our stay here was the hike on the Gorge and Rim Trails. You can make a loop by hiking both. It was a good workout, but the views were incredible on the Gorge Trail. With your camping fee, you can also visit nearby Buttermilk Falls State Park and there is a similar, but shorter, Rim/Gorge Trail which was also worth visiting.
We were only able to stay 3 days. We will return!!! Such a nice setting. We could hear the river rapids from our campfire. The visitor center ranger, Al, was exceptional!!! There’s so much to do in the area.
We stayed on two different sites over 5 days. A very busy park, lots of reservations.
The gate house was closed so we managed reservations by phone. Nice bathrooms and showers. All options available FHU, WE, primitive. Beautiful mountains and Lake. We visited the Grand Canyon of PA during our stay.
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.
The hiking in the part is incredible! The gorge trail is an absolute must do! Some spots of the campground are secluded, but I can see how some areas can get crowded. We went on a slow day and it was very empty. Showers and full bathrooms available!
Went for a quick getaway to this little gem of a state park in the finger lakes region of New York. I’ll be coy, and use their slogan ‘Ithaca is Gorges’ and Gorgeous!!! The falls trails were all well defined and excellent for a beginner, moderate hiker. More advanced trails were also offered as well as biking trails, so plenty for any level of adventurer!! Lots of educational posters along the way to keep you informed of what you were seeing and the history about how it was created. The locals were pleasant, and eager to share fun facts about their area. We stayed at the campground in the park. It was cozy, clean, and just right for a little off the grid fun. No electricity or water hook ups available, but nice big public baths and plenty of water access all around the camp ground. (Say one water spot every 3-4 camp sites). There was also a dump station and trash dumpsters easily accessible at the entrance. Can not wait to go back, planning a week long trip next year and will do all three tours, wine, beer, and cheese!! Till next September!! Stay Gorges!!!
Nice campground. Clean Friendly staff. A lot of outdoor features for kids which were closed while we were there.
Beautiful scenery, great campgrounds, hiking trails, historic town and area to go site seeing for the day. If you like Watkins Glenn road course right around the corner
Been camping here twice and both times were a lot of fun. It is a wonderful spot, which means it does get crowded but besides that, it's a place I will continue to come back to.
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.
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.
We went looking for waterfalls to hike and the Gorge hike is located in this state park. We camped for 2 nights at site 166 in the Onondaga Village camground. The site is spacious and has a picnic table and fire ring. Although it was gravel, there are some sites with grassy areas. Our site was right behind the shower house which had clean, hot showers and restrooms. There are water spigots to fill containers located throughout the campground. Most sites don’t have electric and water except on one loop for RVs. We hiked through this park and the Gorge, and unfortunately we lost our camp photos when one of our phones fell in the Gorge and we couldn’t retrieve it. This is a great Basecamp for neighboring parks and trails. We will definitely be back again. Check the website for closures and hours as some things are weather dependent.
we just returned to philly after a long weekend here. this was our 6th consecutive summer visiting here. very secluded. we let the kids and dogs run pretty much wherever without worry. and close to ithaca so you can drive into town easily. the yard is surrounded by wild berry bushes and every year the kids walk up the lane and pick beautiful wildflower bouquets for me. we are used to tent camping so the lack of electricity and plumbing doesn’t bother us one bit. and the water pump is awesome. nancy is a great host and we look forward to our annual trip up next summer!
What a great campground! Small, beautifully kept and the staff is absolutely amazing. The fishing is great, the amenities are very clean and there is not a bad site in the park.
Surrounded by Lake Jean at the top of Red Rock Mtn, this clean campground offers spacious pads for tents or campers. Lots to do and see nearby: hiking, swimming, horseback riding, and catch & release fishing are all available. Open year round so snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and cross country skiing are also options. I can't wait to go back again!
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!
We stayed in the cabins. Bathrooms were clean. Had a pool and playground. Friendly staff.
Great place, low key camping with power. Nice spacious lots. Gravel sites help keep the camper clean and keeps the mud down. Convenient location to explore the Finger Lakes. 30-40 minutes from Watkins Glen, Ithaca and Corning.
I chose this campground because the photos of the pool/splash pad looked fun. It turns out the tent site we had was the most wooded and cozy site we have camped in all year. So much room for tents/hammocks. Trees galore. The tent sites were right behind the athletic field where they did activities the weekend we were there (bounce house). The restrooms were fantastic too, the buildings held two complete rooms with a toilet sink and shower in each. It’s the only shower camping this year my 4yr old wasn’t afraid of because we had the whole room to ourselves.
This is a great little campground with fairly large sites. We were initially going to stay at Blueberry Patch however our tent was too large for the sites available. We see a posting that there were sites at Backbone that were for people with or without horses. More than half of the camp is designated for horses but only one horse trailer came into the camp the entire time we were there. The fire pits and picnic tables are very nice. Sites are first come first serve. Payment of the low fee is on the honor system and check in / out is very flexible. We seen maybe three people pass through the three days /two nights we were there. A Sheriff's truck did drive through Saturday morning just to patrol.
We were not familiar with the area and stumbled on this little rustic gem by chance. Good old fashioned self serve rustic campground that was practically empty. So pretty too! Located right in the middle of the national forest and finger lakes area. So many sites to see, but it was nice to escape the people here. Waterfalls within a few minutes in most directions. Lots of good hiking too! Great hidden spot tucked in the woods!
When I booked this campsite, I was expecting to have access to showers and bathrooms as that is listed as an amenity. What they don’t tell you is there is a filthy outhouse in the tent area and to get to the bathrooms and showers you have to cross 118, which is a well traveled road that has a speed limit of 50mph. Not a fun thing to do while carrying your shower stuff with kids in tow.