Camping Near Selkirk

Camping facilites in the Capital Region are fairly thin. While opportunities abound in the Catskill and Adirondack Mountains (plan on a 90 minute drive), there are only a few parks nearby. The following State Park is the nearest option to Selkirk (about 20 minutes):

Thompson's Lake State Park

68 Thompson's Lake Rd.

East Berne, N.Y. 12059

 

From the Route 32 Bridge, head west to Route 85: upon reaching Route 85 turn Left southbound (see the directions to reach CP-VO for directions to Route 85, but turn in the opposite direction once you reach 85 than if you were going to CP-VO). Follow Route 85 to Route 157 and take a right onto Route 157. It is six miles to the park.

 

For more information about the park, call 518.872.1674

Another alternative is about 45 minutes north on the Northway (I-87):

Moreau Lake State Park

605 Old Saratoga Rd.

Gansevoort, N.Y. 12831

 

Take I-87 (the Adirondack Northway) north to Exit 17; take exit 17S South off to Route 9. Go south on Route 9 1/4 mile to Old Saratoga Road. Make a right onto Old Saratoga Road and approximately 1/2 mile on the right will be the park entrance.

 

For more information about the park, call 518.793.0511.

For reservations information, camp map, and other information about these and other New York State Parks, visit the New York State Parks web site at State Parks/Camping/Day Use.

About an hour north of Hoffmann's are a number of trailheads into the Adirondack park (follow Route 5 to Amsterdam, then take Route 30 north). Camping (in a tent) is generally possible a short walk from these trailheads. The Northville-Placid Trail off Route 30 in the Town of Benson (just north of Northville) is fairly heavilly travelled, but a few miles prior to that trailhead is the trailhead for Cathead Mountain, which should permit a quiet overnight. Both trails are on Benson Road just over the Hamilton County line.

To the south, 20 minutes down the Thruway, is Catskill (exit 21): from here, take Route 23 east to Route 9W. Go south to Route 23A and then 11 miles to Haines Falls. Numerous trailhaeds may be found on the side roads in this area, along with North-South Lake Campground (at Haines Falls, take the first right turn and then travel 2 miles to the park entrance).

Also, continuing west on Route 23 to the area near Windham, is the trailhead for the Escarpment Trail. From here it is 1.2 miles (about 1/2 hour hike) to a lean-to on a very gently climbing and well maintained trail.

Another 10 minutes down the Thruway, is Saugerties (exit 20): from here, it is about 20 minutes to the Woodstock area (take Route 212 west to Woodstock). Again, there are a number of trailheads in this area offering camping after a short hike in.

Trail maps for the Catskills region are available from the New York/New Jersey Trails Conference. They may be purchased in Albany at Ragged Mountain Equipment in Stuyvesant Plaza (on Western Avenue about 1/2 mile west of the main SUNY campus). Also available there are the Adirondack Mountain Club's regional trail guides to the Adirondacks (about 1/2 dozen different books) and the Catskills (one book). These are also available at the Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS) store at Crossgates Mall (about 1/2 mile west of Stuyvesant Plaza).

For a more exotic experience, proceed west through Woodstock on Route 212 to Route 28; turn right westbound and proceed to Big Indian; turn left southbound onto Oliverea-Slide Mountain Road toward Oliverea (thers is a fire house on the north side of the intersection and a general store on the south side). Proceed south to McKinley Hollow Road, and turn right westbound. Go to the end of the road: the Mountain Gate Inn is a hiker/camper-friendly Indian restaurant in the former AMC Catskill Mountains lodge. A lean-to is about 10 minutes up the trail with another about 10 minutes beyond that. The food at the Mountain Gate Inn is beyond excellent. Accomodations are also available here. [Note that there is also a route through the mountains between Route 32 in Feura Bush and Route 28, but it is tortuous -- contact the webmaster for detailed directions.] From here, it is a fairly short drive to the Ulster & Delaware RR in Arkville. From Arkville, it is possible to pick-up Route 30 and travel north to I-88, parallel to and within site of the D&H to the Capital Region, completing a loop.

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WARNING
Selkirk Shores State Park is out by Syracuse!

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