Booking an entire ring of sites at a campground like AMC Harriman with friends or family is a great way to reconnect with nature and your crew.
It can take time to get your camping groove on. While a site at a campground may come cheap — many run in the $20 range — sleeping under the stars in a tent requires an upfront investment and know-how that can either feel intimidating or downright ridiculous. Vacations are supposed to be relaxing, and for many, sleeping in a nylon bag is not exactly the epitome of comfort.
Glamping, on the other hand, smoothes out camping’s rough edges. You never have to pitch a tent or sleep on the ground when you glamp — the shelter and comfortable bed are always part of the package. Beyond these niceties though, you’ll still be spending time outside, offline, and sometimes cooking out the same way you would if you were camping. And now that glamping company Tentrr is popping up in state parks, the lines between the two forms of camping are getting increasingly blurry.
No matter which kind of camper you call yourself, spending a night in the woods is always easier with friends or family — especially those who are more experienced outdoorspeople than you. Suddenly, meals are easier to plan and prep with more cooks around the campfire, and instead of buying every accessory like a lantern or propane stove from the get-go, you can pool your resources and gear.
The best part of course, is being able to gather in a setting that is often cheaper and more of a mental escape than a group house rental. Being able to spend nights outside, free of devices, is one of the biggest draws of camping, and the desire to unplug from our screen-saturated lives is one reason why camping was growing in popularity even before 2020’s social distancing norms made it attractive.
These group camping and glamping options run the gamut from cabin camping for those who don’t want to pitch a tent, to traditional campgrounds where you’ll be roughing it together — an image that backcountry campers would scoff at since none of these options require you to carry your gear very far. Finding a state park or private glamping ground that ticks off all the boxes for your party is another part of the learning curve, but once you discover it, you’ll have the perfect place to reunite year after year.
Note: The season at the following sites generally runs from May to October.
Even if you opt for tent or backcountry camping at AMC Harriman, you'll be treated to summer camp vibes, complete with a dining hall.
The Appalachian Mountain Club [AMC] originated in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, where its traditional lodges are primarily a place to rest your head after a long hike. Visitors to AMC Harriman, by comparison, spend most of their days at camp, and after one visit you will understand why. There are multiple lodging options: cabins with or without en suite baths, front and backcountry platforms for tents, and three-sided tent shelters (cabins start at about $125, camping starts at $30). Each one requires guests to park their cars a good distance away, removing the visual clutter of vehicles and their noise so you can immerse yourself in nature, while also having access to hot showers in clean, communal restrooms.
Another perk is the dining hall that serves optional buffet breakfasts, dinners, and brown bag lunches, so you don’t have to cook every meal at your cabin or campsite (or most importantly, make coffee, when bleary eyed in the morning). Free canoes, kayaks and life vests are on hand for guests to paddle the lake-sized pond, and there is a unique kiddie pool built into the pond's deck for little ones to swim.
Calling the main office is the best way to find out if there are multiple sites that can be booked at once, and be prepared to book far in advance for an open weekend (becoming an AMC member gives you an early crack at reservations in November). Mid-week stays are still available this summer.
200 Breakneck Rd, Haverstraw, NY 10927, (617) 523-0636 Note: No dogs allowed.
The glamping options are always expanding at Gatherwild, run by a husband-and-wife team who built the cabins and furnished the lodging themselves.
The seven cabins and canvas bell tents at this Germantown glamping ground have names like “Gypsy Caravan,” which would be a good alternate name for this boho-chic retreat. Aside from one cabin with electricity, each hand-built cabin or canvas tipi on this 15-acre, former apple orchard is off-the-grid with solar powered lights, Instagrammable décor, and a comfortable bed with a down comforter.
A fully stocked, covered outdoor kitchen is available for anyone to use, and personal coolers and ice for sale make it easy to keep food fresh (depending on your food supply, you may want an extra cooler). The game-filled barn provides entertainment and a place to recharge your phone, but the point is to unplug, stargaze, and enjoy life on this small, working farm (that also happens to have a vintage store on site). Dogs are welcome, as are kids over 2 (the cabins can get very hot in summer and are not conducive to little ones napping).
Speaking of blazing summer days, you can cool off in a swimming hole 20 minutes away. Cabins start at $167/night and mid-week stays are still available this summer. The entire property can also be rented out starting at $2800 for two days during the week.
331 Roundtop Rd, Germantown, NY 12526 Note: Dog-friendly with a $20 deposit.
Among the overnight accommodations at June Farms in West Sand Lake is an Airstream trailer with a hot tub. Nearby cabins have fire pits.
Although there are family-friendly things to do on this 120-acre working farm, and kids are allowed on certain times of the week to feed the animals or visit the on-site Pony Bar restaurant, a firm no-kids policy at June Farms gives the property a more adult summer camp vibe. You’ll need to book each of its seven, varied lodging options separately, but then you can share in their amenities. For instance, the Airstream (from $345/night) comes with its own hot tub, and the three two-person cabins in “TimberTown” (from $135/night) next door, which offer queen beds and electricity, share a communal fire pit.
Owner Matt Baumgartner runs seven area restaurants and beer gardens, including Pony Bar, on site, which serves wood-fired pizzas and snacks six days a week. An added perk: TimberTown and tipi rentals come with a golf cart for the short trip to the restaurant or the communal restrooms and showers. And since June Farms is a short Uber or Lyft ride from the Albany Amtrak station, this would be an easy, car-free getaway.
275 Parker Rd, West Sand Lake, NY 12196 Note: Dogs are not allowed
Mongaup may be the most ideally located campground for a Catskills getaway. Just a 20-minute drive to Livingston Manor, it is close enough to eat out at the popular Kaatskeller, shop at cute boutiques, grab a beer at the bucolic Upland Brewery, and fly fish on the world-class Willomec River. The campground itself feels tucked away in the woods, where you’ll find a sandy beach for swimming, a pond stocked with trout and bass, and a verdant walk through woodlands and over babbling brooks along the nearby Frick Pond loop.
There is still weekend availability in August, although you may not get a water view or the very private sites 139 to 144. Sites at this DEC-run state campground sleep up to six people in two tents tops, and can be booked through ReserveAmerica ($22/site), but it will not let you book multiple sites, so camping buddies will need to create their own accounts and book sites next to yours. Mark your calendar to reserve nine months in advance for the weekends and sites you want next year.
231 Mongaup Pond Rd, Livingston Manor, NY 12758; (845) 439-4233 Note: Dog-friendly, but bring proof of current rabies vaccination
Prior to opening glamping ground Camp HEREHERE in the northern Catskills, founder Kat Schaufelberger worked in the high-end hospitality business in New York City hotels like the Gramercy Park Hotel and The Standard, where she was the events director. Her property may not cater to the same crowd, but it exudes a level of cool you normally don’t find in the woods. Each of the two-person, eight canvas cabins come with a queen bed, private deck, electricity, wood stove and an assigned toilet and hot shower in a communal bath house. An additional A-frame cabin with its own bathroom and sleeping loft, plus a site for a tent provides 10 potential places for your group to claim. It’s dog friendly, but not perfect for kids, though the A-frame cabin and tent site could accommodate children.
An on-site “mess hall” serves plant-based, family-style breakfasts and dinners sourced from nearby Barber’s Farm (think pancakes, scones, homemade pappardelle, tacos and and pizzas) that are included with the stay (starting at $400/night, two-nights recommended). The craft beer, cider and wines that range from rose on tap to Chateauneuf-Du-Pape are extra.
420 W Fulton Rd, West Fulton, NY 12194 Note: well-behaved dogs welcome with current rabies vaccination.
This summer, glamping company Tentrr debuted 45 sites in New York state parks, and so far, few people have noticed. This means that there are many summer weekends still open for sites at popular campgrounds like Taconic State Park near Millerton, a short car service ride from the Wassaic MetroNorth station, Mills-Norrie State Park in Dutchess County, Harriman State Park, and Lake Taghkanic State Park. The canvas Tentrr cabins come with queen beds and are situated apart from the state park campsites, but guests can use all of the campground facilities. The only hitch? These Tentrr “cabins” are new, largely unreviewed, and a few campground staff members have noted kinks to work out. For instance, the walk from the parking lot to a site can be a quarter to a half mile away, and carts that have been promised for the longer hike-ins have yet to arrive, so you may want to downsize your gear or bring your own cart.
Other park staff have noted that some cabins are set up in areas that receive a lot of foot traffic by day, but are quiet at night. Call the campground office before booking a Tentrr site through the platform to see what the staff recommends. In terms of its sheer size and views, the Lake Taghkanic Triple Site ($345/night) is a winner for groups, with three Tentrr sites close together on the lake, a grill, fire pit, Adirondack chairs, a Tentrr “loo” and solar-powered shower. Bring your own bedding.
Lake Taghkanic State Park, 1528 New York 82, Ancram, NY 12502 Note: Dog-friendly, but bring proof of current rabies vaccination.
As the largest campground in the Catskills — there are 180 sites here — this will not be a completely quiet night in the woods. But that could be a good thing if you’re camping with a large group who does not mind adding to the overall boisterous atmosphere of this popular campground. Loops 5 and 6 are coveted for their waterfront setting but loop 1’s spread-out sites offer the most privacy.
Multiple trails fan out from the campground; take the hike to Catskill Mountain House for views of five states, or hike to Kaaterskill Falls, and avoid the crowds coming from Route 23A. As with Mongaup, bookings are done through Reserve America ($22/site) and each party will need their own reservation.
874 N Lake Rd, Haines Falls, NY 12436; (518) 589-5058 Note: Dog-friendly, but bring proof of current rabies vaccination.
Kent Johnson, founder of the popular Camp Rockaway glamping grounds at Rockaway Beach and Fort Tilden in New York City, opened his first upstate outpost on the Hudson River adjacent to the Champlain Canal this spring. The four-site glamping ground (starting at $149 per night, with a two-night minimum) offers his signature canvas safari-style tents and showers, with shaded back decks with hammocks, and an option to add a pre-pitched, tipi-style pup tent with cots for two kids for an additional $99.
You’ll be steps from Hudson Crossing Park, featuring a “play garden” for kids and self-service kayak rentals, and a one-mile walk or bike ride along the Old Champlain Canal Tow Path, part of the Empire State Trail, into the town of Schuylerville to access breweries, bakeries, restaurants, and markets. Farms, the Saratoga race track and the historic Schuyler House for any accompanying “Hamilton” fans are also nearby.
Old Champlain Canal Tow Path, Schuylerville, NY 12871 Note: dogs are not allowed.
Nicole Davis lives in the lower Hudson Valley and has been working in local media since 2005. You can reach her at nicole.davis@hearst.com with tips, pitches and thoughts on where the next Kingston or Hudson will be.