Marie goes camping

We were going to NYC for work. My bf suggested we make a trip out of it and spend the weekend upstate. I was immediately sold.

The Beaver Pond campground is only an hour drive from the city, which was perfect for us as we already drive all the way to NYC from Maryland. The last section of the drive was picturesque with lots of trees surrounding the road, and the leaves had just started changing.

The campground itself deserves 3.5 stars in my opinion. Here’s why.

Pros

1. It was easy to book only a week in advance. This was a spontaneous trip, so such ease worked in our favour.

2. It is located by a lake and has a beach. The beach was closed for the season but it’s worth mentioning.

3. Some campsites have a wooden platforms for the tents. It’s the first time I saw something like that. Setting up tents was easier, and sleeping on the wooden “floor” was warmer than on the ground.

4. The bathrooms were big and clean. There were showers but we didn’t use them because 🥶.

5. It was only a short drive away from the Bear Mountain State Park, where we went on a beautiful hike.

Cons

1. The campsites are crammed together with very little privacy. It’s hard to tell where one campsite ends and the next one begins, so you kind of run into your neighbours all the time.

That was the end of the season in October, I can only imagine how it is in high season when the beach is open…

2. The rangers weren’t present there overnight, and as a result, nobody could do anything about the noise. We couldn’t sleep until past midnight because a party next to us clearly violated the no-alcohol rule and partied into the night. Nobody was there to stop them.

3. Generally, lack of rangers’ supervision means less respect for other campers, trash left unattended and scavenged by animals, etc.

——-

Did we have fun despite the noise and the other downsides? Yes, definitely.

Would I go back? Eh, I don’t know, maybe, if I really want to stay close to the beach, don’t want to drive far from NYC, and can’t plan well in advance. Most likely it’s a pass from me though.

——-

Some details:

We stayed at side D21, and it had trees for at least one hammock.

No pets permitted; no alcohol permitted. Full rules here.

There is a camp store with lots of goods. Outside of camp store hours, wood can be purchased at the office for $7/bunch.