Thompson's Lake State Park

This is a nice little park not a far drive from Albany. Its a easy place to get to if you want a weekend away, but still within an easy drive of anything. This park has a small but nice sand beach and swimming area. The campground is on a small lake, no motor boats. There is fishing allowed and rentals of canoes and rowboats. The 140 sites at the campground are generally pretty good and spacious. Most are not on the water and don't even have a water view. There are decent showers (free) and bathrooms. The campground is mostly pretty level, and is a good place for kids to bring thier bikes. There is also a nice playground near the beach. The downfall of the playground is that there is no shade where it is located and the equipment, (especially the slide) gets pretty hot. There is also a nice big open field with a Ball field for playing various games that need space. The weekend we were here the campground showed outdoor movies for kids in the evening which was fun. There is a nature walk and a nice small nature center nearby, within a walk from the park. Its not the best state park, but its nice, and for us, an easy getaway.

Lake Harris State Park, New York

Lake Harris is in the Heart of the Adirondacks. It isn't difficult to get to, it just may take a while. It is very close to the small village of Newcomb, NY. The campground itself is relatively small. There is about 90 campsites. The lower numbered sites are the better ones. The sites numbered greater than 70 or so have very difficult access to the water, even though they look like they are right on the lake. The sites are up quite a steep hill on that end of the campground. The bathrooms on the lower end of the campground leave a lot to be desired and are in need of an overhaul. There is no offical swimming beach, but campers were swimming anyways. It is a nice, quiet lake with lots of nature. We saw frogs, fish, snakes, deer, chipmunks, and even a beaver one evening. You can rent canoes and keep them for the entire day. There is good fishing in the lake and we managed to catch fish both from the canoe and from the shore. There is no playground at this campground, which could be a nice addition. The staff at the campground is very nice, friendly and helpful. There are hiking trails very near by, as well as the Adirondack Interpretive Center a few miles down the road with trails and a nature center. We loved visiting here. There is also a small store in Newcomb with most of what you would need if you forgot something at reasonable prices. They even have worms for fishing. All in all though this campground needs improvements, we would recommend it. We've camped here twice, in good and bad weather, both times Memorial Day weekend. Its a campground that needs a little more attention, but overall it still remains a favorite of our family.

Us...

Our family likes to camp.   My husband and I first started camping before we were married.  We started out like most young couples, tent camping.  We steadily built up our camping supplies as the years went by.  After we got married and had our first son, we decided to get a pop-up.   We ended up with a 19 foot hybrid travel trailer, a Rockwood Roo.  We love it.  We have also almost always camped with our dog.  First Chloe, and then Samurai.  Both are great camping dogs. Now we camp with two little boys and one big dog. Every trip is an adventure.

Gilbert Lake State Park, NY

I've been going to Gilbert Lake State Park since I was a kid and that was over 30 years ago. We've been either camping there or going there to picnic and swim as long as I can remember. Its one of the great NYS parks that was built by the CCC. Gilbert lake has a great beach area, with lots of picnic table and sand for the kids. It has a nice playground as well, that is most appropriate for smaller children. There are several pavillions by the beach that can be reserved and rented for the day. The day use area gets pretty full on most weekends, so if you want a picnic table in a good spot, get there early! During the week, several area summer recreation programs bring the kids there to swim in the afternoons. As for the camping areas, most of the sites are large and well shaded. The bathrooms are clean and most are pretty new. There is a small section with electricity available, but those sites are much closer together with less shade. (But not as bad as some private campgrounds we've been to.) All the campsites are quite a distance from the beach area, you would usually need to drive between the campsites and the beach. There are lots of trails and a small nature center to explore. All in all, this is a great NYS park, and I would recommend it. Our family has stayed here numerous times. As with any campground, some sites are better than others, but most here are pretty good.