Best RV Parks & Resorts near Cowanesque Lake

Clute Park & Campground is a pretty quite and very clean park. Sites are moderately spacious but a little packed together. Lots of seasonal sites but plenty of RV sites with full hook ups and a nice tenting area that is somewhat seperated from the RVs.

We arrived on Saturday, 10.8.22 and are staying for a week. This is a delightful location. Rachel and Doug are cheerful, attentive, and very personable owners who are on-site at almost all times. This park just opened this year, so we checked in at an entrance building that they're using until their primary building is complete. We were greeted with delicious cookies, our site(#9) backs up to a wooded area(with a hiking path buried in there) with a lot of space. We booked early, which was a good thing because they were 100% full for Indigenous People's Day. We chose this site because there was a lot of room around it and we're used to really tightly packed RV parks. But what we found is that all of the sites are very nicely spread out with generous spacing, so that's not an issue. It's still nice to be on the outskirts. We also chose this section per a review we read to be away from the main road noise, but there really isn't much road noise to worry about, anyway. The WiFi is strong and consistent. We're using 30amps, but they also have 20 and 50amp service to each site. The water pressure is great. The bath house is new and very comfortable. Each site has a picnic table, a fire ring and lots of room for big rigs. We watched Doug neaten up sites after other RV's vacated, which shows an attention to detail we don't often find. They also drive by each site every morning to collect trash and recycling. The sunsets are spectacular over the lake(we can't see the lake from here, but it's close). There are numerous award-winning wineries surrounding us and up and down the lake. We're headed out for tastings today. We've been hiking the last few days- Watkins Glen State Park- Gorge Trail(go early or it gets REALLY crowded), Taughannock State Park- Gorge& North Ridge Trail over on Cayuga Lake, and a concert(Rufus Wainwright) at Point of the Bluff Winery over on Keuka Lake. We stopped afterward for dinner in Hammondsport at Timber Stone Grill which was truly wonderful. That's about 35- 45 minutes away. Lots more hiking trails to do in the National Forest and surrounding areas. And there's Watkins Glen, a charming town just minutes away. We highly recommend Finger Lakes RV Resort and we'll be back!

Ives Run has been a favorite site for us for the last 5 years. Lake Hammond is beautiful with great access. You can easily walk, bike, skate on miles of paved roads and you can also take the 1.5 mile roundtrip down the stone road to Pine Camp, a non-full hook up area that's on the lake edge. Plenty of wildlife to see from eagles to squirrels, chipmunks and more. This year we had a very hard time with gypsy moth caterpillars, first time we ever saw them. Camp hosts and rangers keep the campground at its best. Plenty of large full hook up sites available and AT&T and Verizon work well there. Trees are sparing enough to allow great Starlink access as well.

Camped here often as a child. Now back as an adult. Great site lakeside. Very dark at night which is great. Quiet campground. Need to do self check-in if after hours. Full hook up. Great place to sit back and relax. Not much to keep busy which is how we like it. Did take a drive to see pa Grand Canyon. Had our 2 dogs with and they loved it!

The sites are all super spacious and private.    The lake and picnic areas area just amazing.  The only downside I could mention is if you area looking for Full hook up you area out of luck.   Only the inner sites had shared water connections out on the loop roads and no sewer connections you has to hit the dump station on the driveway coming in.   If you are prepared for this ahead of time it is not an issue at all.   We stayed for a week and honestly didn't want to leave.

Taking everything into consideration, it’s hard to find a nicer campground to stay for a night or two weeks.

• clean, well maintained and monitored.

• large sites on macadam pads. Large fields behind most sites for activities.

• full hook ups available

• numerous hiking trails, large lake for boating, fishing and swimming.

• centrally located between Mansfield, Wellsboro and Corning

*pet friendly. Alcohol allowed

the only draw back is that it fills up quickly and you need to reserve many months ahead of time especially for holidays. Not group camping friendly because of the reservation system. No pavilions for group activities within the Campground

Hills Creek is a great park to camp! When we arrived we were pleasantly surprised by the size of the sites and many sites now offer full hook up!!! We did not know this on arrival as it wasn't on the site! The site was very spacious!!! Plenty of room!!!! Bathrooms were clean!!! Plenty of shade and trees to hang your hammock for relaxing! There are some short trails through the campground! Lake available for swimming complete with snack bar, including ice cream!!! The rangers offer educational programs that are free of charge! Near by attractions: PA Grand Canyon! Beautiful!!!! Go for the day and take hike! Plan on many steps though!!! You are also close to a cute little town called Wellsboro! Go and visit for the day! Warning, there are black bears and other wild life at Hills Creek, take care to lock up your coolers!!! We heard some fighting raccoons at night! Happy Camping!

A few full hookups, some with electric and many with no hookups. Nice quiet and clean restrooms with showers!

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).

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!

The campground is run by a family who is super nice. The cabins and the bathhouses were extremely clean. I stayed on a full hookup site that had water/electric/ sewer. The sites have Picnic tables and fire rings that are cleaned out.

The campground was really close to Cherry Springs, where we could go stargazing! It is also close to Lyman Lake where we could go swimming and kayaking and fishing.

I had an amazing time here and I already have other reservations because it was great for big families!

There is also a huge ATV trail right across the road that my neighbors rode at all day!

As for RV camping, this place is outdated. Sites are on top of one another, but some have good shade. Ours, site 6 didn't. Really can't walk to beach area or store. Cheap enough at $25. T-storms knocked out power overnight.

Close to wine country you will find this gem of a family campground. Dog and kid friendly with activities such as wagon rides, arts and crafts, movie night and various themed weekend events. The hosts were super friendly and welcoming during our entire stay. An easy back in site with full hookups (B10) backed against a row of trees and a field that provided much entertainment of squirrels and birds. There is a camp store with very reasonable prices and accepts credit cards. Wood ($4) and ice ($2) are also for sale. There are two small cabins to rent along with a couple of family tent sites. The bathrooms/showers were clean near the camp store. Amenities include a pool, mini golf ($1/person), two playgrounds, horseshoes, a recreation center with games and movies, basketball and shuffle board. There are many seasonal campers at this campground, but all seemed friendly and welcoming as well. It truly seemed like one big happy family there.

We have gone to this campground for the past 5 years. We have always had a great experience and the camp has always been clean and bathrooms also have always been clean. Only down side is that there are not full hookups. But we really don’t mind that at all. The campground is perfect location near Keuka lake in Wine Country, also close by to branchport, Penn Yan, and also Watkins Glen! Will continue to go to this campground!

Nice level sites. Clean campground. Bathrooms and showers need updating. Fantastic hiking and views.

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 spent two nights camping at Robert H. Treman State Park. The campground has an area with wooded sites, an area with sites in a large field (with hookups for RVs), and an area for the cabins (which looked very cool). All sites have fire rings and a picnic table. There are also flush toilets and free showers; these facilities were well-maintained and clean. We stayed in site 35 which is a wooded site located at the end of a loop. It was one of the larger, more private sites; reserve it if it is available.

The park contains nine miles of hiking trails. We hiked the Gorge Trail (2.12 miles) with a return on the Rim Trail (2.09 miles) to create a loop from the campground. The hike took us alongside the gorge of Enfield Glen and past twelve waterfalls. The route was a lot of up and down with terrain through wooded areas as well as on rocks next to the water. However, the stunning views and its variety did not disappoint. Unfortunately the swimming area was closed due to flooding but it would be a perfect ending to this hike on a warm summer day.

Overall, this park was great. The size was just right with on-site access to hiking and swimming. The nearby amenities of downtown Ithaca was a bonus!

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, the Watkins Glen Int’l Raceway, an extensive wine trail 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!

Pinecreek is a beautiful park in a great area 10 minutes from downtown Ithica New York and Lake Cayuga. The area has everything you could possibly want or need. Fabulous State Parks with spectacular waterfalls, a farmers market right on the lake front, Cornell University and so much more. That being said it may be the reason the campground doesn't offer any planned activities. They do have a swimming pool and what appears to be a large clubhouse/meeting area that is not or was not used while we were there, nor were any activities publicized. They do have a small arcade but it did not stay open past 8 pm and did not appear to be air-conditioned.

Our campsite was a full hookup with a large grassy area for setting up our outside chairs and picnic table. Although we enjoyed our stay we felt it was a bit overpriced for not having much to offer. They also have a very long list of rules & while they do allow pets there is a list of breed restrictions you need to be aware of before booking a reservation. They also charge for electricity on any stays one week or longer which we had not encountered previously at campgrounds where we have stayed.

Overall we enjoyed our stay but not sure we would stay again.