Good no-frill camping in the Lake Placid region - Wilmington Notch State Campground
Written: Oct 17 '08 (Updated Oct 17 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Generally pleasant layout of campsites, Hot showers & bathrooms, Mostly wooded, Good location
Cons: No hookups for those who want them, No heat in the bathrooms/shower buildings
The Bottom Line: If you are looking for an inexpensive, no-frill campground in the Lake Placid Region, the Wilmington Notch State Campground is well worth checking out
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| jps246's Full Review: Wilmington Notch State Campground |
Want to stay at a no-frills inexpensive campground near Lake Placid and the Wilmington/Whiteface Mountain area?
The State run Wilmington Notch Campground might be a good stop then. This campground offers basic campsites along with hot showers, toilets and some great scenery. Not only that, but it has some really nice sites.
We lucked out when we arrived as it was a day before the Columbus Day Weekend started and we had our pick of about 20 sites, including the best site at the campground (#33). We snapped that one up and enjoyed the location of our home for the next three nights.
The campground is quite basic, it's made up of a series of loops that are inside of each other that break down the site into just over 50 sites. Most of the sites have some sort of tree cover (in some places pretty thin) and while most of the sites aren't on top of one another, most are fairly close without any real break in between. The sites on the exterior of the loop, which included ours though, tend to be slightly more wooded and a bit more removed from each other.
Our site was actually located at the back corner of the loop and the campground so we were basically all alone in our area. Sure there were people across the loop road from us, be we had quite the area to stretch out in and enjoy. I really liked it. I also liked the fact that we were back away from Route 86 so the roadway noise wasn't as loud as it would be for the sites that are located closer to the roadway.
There's nothing fancy about New York State campgrounds and the Wilmington Notch Campground is no exception. The sites offer a place to set up a tent or park a trailer, a picnic table and a fireplace. Water is available at several locations throughout the campground. There are three bathroom buildings, one at the front of the campground near the caretaker's cabin, one at the back of the loop and another on the back side of the campground. That last bathroom is also home to the hot showers. When we were there, the bathroom at the back of the loop was closed, but the other two were open.
The bathrooms aren't heated, so especially in the fall or the spring, taking a shower can be a bit chilly. You just have to move fast! I actually didn't have any real problem, there was plenty of hot water and the showers were on an automatic switch - you just pushed a button and you got about 5 minutes of water. If you needed longer, just press the button again and it would keep going.
Since we were camping in a tent the amenities at the site were fine with us. We were able to cook at the site by getting water from the closest water station and the bathroom and showers weren't all that far of a walk for us.
By the time we got into the Columbus Day Weekend, the campground filled up quite quickly and was completely filled by Saturday night. The campers were a pretty even split of tent campers and trailer campers.
How do I find the Wilmington Notch Campground?
The campground is quite easy to find. It's on the northern side of Route 86 just before you come to the Whiteface Mountain Ski Area entrance if you are heading east. From the west it's just after the Whiteface Mountain Ski Area entrance. It's about 8 miles from Lake Placid and about 4 miles from the village of Wilmington.
The signage is pretty small for the turn since it's a state campground, so it's best to keep an eye open.
How much will I spend?
In 2008 the rate was $16 a night for a site no matter if you were car camping or camping in a camper or trailer. This is significantly cheaper than you'll find at the private campgrounds in the area.
When is the Wilmington Notch Campground open?
The campground opens in early May and closes on Columbus Day. Check-in and check-out is available from 8 in the morning until about 9 at night.
Reservations?
We didn't bother with reservations and we were able to stay without any problem through the holiday weekend. However in the summertime I would suggest making reservations if you were planning on staying there on a weekend since it is busier.
What's around?
We found a great diner over in the village of Wilmington where we had breakfast each morning. There's also a few other places to eat there along with some basic services. Lake Placid is a bit further in the other direction, but that has just about everything you could imagine service wise.
As for attractions, the entrance to the Whiteface Mountain Ski Area is just down the road. The entrance for the Whiteface Memorial Highway (to drive to the top of the mountain) is located just past the village of Wilmington. Lake Placid and all its Olympic sites isn't far.
For hiking, there are a few trails nearby in Wilmington Notch. There are also innumerable opportunities for hiking nearby in the rest of the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks.
We found the campground to make a good base of operations. We did the touristy stuff and hiking in the region and getting back and forth to the campground was easy and convenient for just about everything in the area.
Final Thoughts
If you are looking for an inexpensive, no-frill campground in the Lake Placid Region, the Wilmington Notch State Campground is well worth checking out. It has nice sites, a good location and very reasonable rates.
More Adirondack Information
The Adirondacks
Whiteface Mountain Memorial Highway
Whiteface Mountain Ski Area
Gore Mountain Ski Area
Prospect Mountain Veterans Memorial Highway
Natural Stone Bridge and Caves
Lake George Howard Johnson Tiki Resort
Recommended:
Yes
Best Time to Travel Here: Jun - Aug
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