Sam L.

The Dyrt Pro

Pine Hill, NY

Joined March 2023

VW Westfalia camping in the Catskills and beyond!

Average campground great location

We stayed at Meadowbrook over Memorial Day weekend in 2024. It's an average campground, but has a really good location between Lake Placid and Saranac Lake. 

Our site had the standard DEC picnic table and fire pit. There are showers (the hot water was broken the day we were there, but the attendant said we could go to nearby campgrounds to use theirs), toilets, and water spigots. I had decent Verizon signal. 

The sites were clean, but the fire pit was showing its age. We stayed in site 37, which was a bit more private and surrounded by trees. The sites in the two loops closest to Rte 86 (#1-13, 27-34, and 51-62) were much closer together, and some didn't have trees between sites. Even at our more "isolated" site, we could still see our neighbors. 

The bathroom was actually one of the nicest I've seen in a DEC campsite; it looked like it had recently been rebuilt. 

There are positives and negatives about the location. On the plus side, there's ice cream and places to eat within walking distance. We also forgot lunch for our hike the next day and were able to walk to a convenience store to grab supplies. And if you're doing things in Lake Placid and Saranac, the location is tough to beat. On the minus side, there's a bit of road noise and some of the campsites looked like they had great views of a parking lot.

Nicest Campground in the Catskills?

Spent a night at Kenneth L. Wilson in early August of 2023. We had site 52.

I was impressed with this campsite! While some of the spots were fairly close together, they seem more spread out than in other Catskill camping sites. Our site was clean, and the staff was friendly and helpful. There's a central dishwashing station as well as a trash/recycling room. Water is from several spigots around the site. We didn't partake, but apparently they rent paddle boards and kayaks for the lake. There's also a really nice looking playground. 

We stayed on a Friday night, and things were pretty quiet (though that could have been because of the rain). 

For what it's worth, I had basically no cell service with Verizon.

Nice Campground with Decent Amenities

Visited Letchworth State park in late July 2023. We stayed in loop 500. 

The park, itself, is great. Not a particularly "wild" experience. The trails are mostly paved, and there are snack bars and toilets located throughout. A road runs along the south rim providing access to the overlooks, waterfalls, nature center, and visitors' center. But the gorge itself is fantastic, and the trails are pleasant. We liked the nature center, though it was a little small. Staff was universally helpful and friendly. 

The campsite wasn't spectacular, but it was solid. The sites are a little close together (you can see your neighbors through the trees), but it was still quiet. They all have the standard fire pit and picnic table. There are central showers for each loop, and we found these to be clean and in good working order.

"Camping" in a funky vintage trailer

My partner and I spent a night here in December with our dog. The trailer was really cute- we had "Jazzy," which had a separate bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen/living area. The kitchen was fully stocked with cookware, silverware, and coffee. The views from the large back window were unbeatable.

There was a heater, but we thought it got a little cold at night. We're not big folks, and we found it a little "cozy" in places- worth considering if you're a taller/larger person.

Decent campsite, amazing location

We stayed here for one night in the summer of 2017. The sites are fairly basic: a spot for your tent, a fire pit/grill, a picnic table, and a communal bathroom and water. 

There's basically no natural shelter here, and it can get very hot and windy! If you're car camping (as opposed to RV-ing), this is definitely something to keep in mind. We didn't have any kind of awning or shade other than our tent, and having some shade would have made a huge difference! There are grill/fire pits at each site, but no wood was for sale when we visited. 

The bathrooms were clean enough, and the site was well maintained. 

Overall, the campsite is decent, not great, but ultimately you're here for the Chaco Culture park, which is amazing! Highly recommend going to one of the star parties when they have them and doing a ranger-led tour.

Nice campground, but campsites not very secluded

Spent two nights here in late August of 2021. The campsites all have fire pits with grills and picnic tables. There's a full time campsite host, showers, bathrooms, and a trash room. 

Pros:

- some of the sites are right by a stream, and all of them have plenty of shade

- campsite was clean and well maintained

- campsite hosts were friendly and helpful

- tons of nice hiking trails nearby

- restrooms were clean 

Cons:

- some of the sites are pretty close together. Our"neighbors" both nights were pretty quiet, but if they weren't, it could have been noisy.

- while the bathrooms were clean, the showers definitely weren't. Bring you shower sandals!

- It can get a little busy on the weekends, so worth reserving in advance. 

We were camping in a VW Westfalia, so we had no trouble getting in and out. Something bigger might have a problem with some of these sites. They're definitely intended to be tent sites.

Decent campsite, zero cell service

We've visited a few times: two nights in June of 2022 and more recently in June of 2023.

Campsites are on either side of a fairly steep valley, so not a ton of room in each site. They’re also fairly close together. We've had number 17 and 23, and both times we could see our neighbors across the campground road, but not on either side. The site is in a nice forest. State Route 214 divides the campground in half, and you could hear road noises from our site, but they quieted down by 6:00. 

There weren’t a ton of services at the campsite, which was fine. No showers or hookups. The toilets were pit toilets, which could have been cleaner. There was potable water. Each site has a picnic table and a concrete/stone fireplace and grill. The sites themselves were clean and well maintained. You can go to North-South Lake Campground and use their showers. 

We had a VW Westfalia, which we had no trouble pulling into our site. If we had something bigger, it might have been an issue. 

Two things to note: there is NO cell service here. You have to drive about 5 minutes towards Hunter to get service. Also, NY has some strict requirements about proof of rabies vaccination for dogs, so make sure to read the requirements.