Camping in Macomb Reservation State Park: A Hidden Gem

Are you looking for an affordable campground that’s just a quick drive away from Adirondack Park?  Look no further!  Camping in Macomb Reservation State Park offers both of those things, while also offering hot showers and sites with electricity.

This campground is only open for a couple months a year, but is a great way to stay close to the awesome hiking of the Adirondacks, without breaking the bank.

Let’s check out the basics about this state park and then we’ll do a price breakdown and discuss what to do nearby!

Important Links

Macomb Reservation State Park Website

Macomb Reservation State Park Camping – Make Reservations Here

Hiking Indian Head Mountain – Nearby Hiking

Big Slide Mountain Post

Algonquin and Iroquios Peaks Post

Location

Macomb Reservation State Park is located in the tiny town of Schuyler Falls, New York, which is about 20 minutes outside of Plattsburgh, NY.  This state park is also mere minutes away from the east entrance of Adirondack Park.  

However, with nothing except small towns nearby, this park can be a bit of a hike to get to.  New York City is 5 hours away, Albany, NY is 2.5 hours away and Boston, MA is about 5 hours away as well. 

So while this is a bit of a drive, it’s a great way to unplug and relax around a campfire.  If you are just looking for a little getaway campground, this one is perfect.  If you are looking for a homebase to return to each night after exploring the Adirondacks, this is also a winner.  

For us, we used Macomb Reservation State Park as a homebase while we hiked and explored the area.  Check out our itinerary below!

Our Itinerary

My husband and I camped here in our 25 foot travel trailer for the first two weeks of August.  This gave us 2 full weekends to go hiking and exploring the area.  While we were here, we checked out both Lake Placid and Saranac Lake, which were adorable towns!  

We also spent several days hiking in Adirondack Park.  We hiked Indian Head Mountain, Big Slide Mountain, and our two favorites mountains were hiking Algonquin and Iroquois Peaks.  There are many big, hard hikes up here, and there are also easy hikes for those who don’t want to spend a whole day struggling.  

Each day we returned to Macomb Reservation State Park and enjoyed the beautiful pines, the hot showers, and having an electric site.   

But don’t forget, this campground is not open year round.  Be sure to plan accordingly and if you plan to camp here in 2025.

Season Dates

Macomb Reservation State Park is in upstate New York, like, nearly in Canada.  And because this state park is so far north, they have very specific season dates.  

2024 Season: May 24 – September 1, 2024

2025 Season: May 23 – August 31, 2025

Make sure if you are planning to camp here in 2025, that you book within this window!

The State Park

What started as a location for a military reservation in the 1930’s, Macomb Reservation State Park was transformed into a lovely picnic area with a man-made pond and became a campground in 1957.  This place is popular with locals and those coming from out of state as well.  

Macomb Reservation State Park is a small park, but considering it’s surrounded by state land, you feel like you’re camping within a wilderness.  One of only 3 state parks in the Lake Champlain Complex, and just outside the northeast corner of Adirondack Park, Macomb Reservation State Park is a hidden gem for campers and explorers alike.

In the day use area, there is Davis Pond and a large picnic area across the water from the campground.  A few nature trails are sprinkled throughout the state park, but there are no true hiking trails.  However, the highlight is paddling, fishing and even swimming in the pond.  

Details

• 510 Acres
• 68 Non-Electric Campsites
• 34 Electric Campsites
• Hot Showers / Flush Toilets
• Dish Washing Stations
• Playground
• Dump Station
• Potable throughout campground
• Davis Pond (No Motorized Boats)
• Nature Trail

Camping – Electric Sites (Dog Friendly)

Alright, let’s start with the most luxurious option!  Camping with electric hookups.

Now to some, this is not exactly luxury, but it’s the best you’re going to get at Macomb Reservation State Park.  There aren’t cabins or yurts, it’s all campsites here.  

Sites 200 – 231 are the electric sites at Macomb.  The sites are sprinkled with tall pine trees and for the most part, there is a decent amount of space between sites.  Unfortunately, there are no water hookups in this campground.  So if you want water, you’ll have to fill up your tanks at one of the potable water stations spread throughout the campground.  

We camped at site 210 for 2 weeks and despite the site being a little muddy when it rained, it was a nice site.  The provided picnic table and campfire ring were towards the back of the site, which felt like a backyard.  

There are several different bath houses throughout the campground, so you’ll never have to walk far for a shower.  

But now, let’s get to the rougher side of the campground, the non-electric sites.

Camping – Non-Electric Sites (Also Dog Friendly)

The other camping option at Macomb Reservation State Park is to camp at one of the non-electric sites.  There are nearly 70 non-electric sites and these are much more spread out.  

These 70 sites are split into 2 sections.  The lower loop (100’s) has some sites right along Davis Pond (see image below), and the upper loop (300’s) sites are not lake front, but they gives a wilderness vibe with all the tall pine trees.  

Just like with the electric sites, there are bathhouses all throughout these sections, so you don’t ever have to walk too far.  And while there’s no electric for you to hook up to, many people were running generators within these sections.  

But sometimes, it doesn’t matter which site you want, sometimes it comes down to budget!  So here’s a breakdown.  

Price Comparison

We all know camping is a budget friendly way to visit new places, so let’s go over how much you should be budgeting to camp in Macomb Reservation State Park.  (Disclaimer: These were the prices at the time of writing this article.  There may be surcharges around holiday weekends or the price might increase year to year).

Electric Sites

• Price: $25 per night 
• Weekly Price: $175 per week
• Out-of-State Price: $30 per night
• Out-of-State Weekly Price: $210 per week

Non-Electric Sites

• Price: $19 per night
• Weekly Price: $133 per week
• Out-of-State Price: $24 per night
• Out-of-State Weekly Price: $168 per week

New York State Parks have an up-charge of an additional $5 per night for out-of-state visitors, so make sure you include that in your budget!

Our Camping Experience

As out-of-state travelers, we did pay that extra price to stay here, but even at that price, this was a great option for our budget and our adventures.  But we also loved how quiet this campground was, for the most part.  

We were warned that Macomb Reservation State Park is a favorite place with the locals, so the weekends got a little loud.  But other than that, our stay was very peaceful!  As avid hikers, we loved being just under an hour from some of the best hiking in the Adirondacks.  

Having an electric hookup is a must for us, so we stayed at site 210 for the full 2 weeks.  We were careful with our water usage and our 50 gallon fresh water tank was sufficient for our dishes and bathroom needs.  We used the bathhouses for our showers and had no issues with staying for so long without water.  

With just a quick 20 minutes drive to the Plattsburgh area, we were able to stay stocked at the Plattsburgh Walmart and Aldi for groceries.  And with about a 45 minute drive down to Lake Placid, there are dozens of adorable restaurants for you to enjoy some local cuisine, or to shop hop too!

Overall, we definitely enjoyed our camping experience in Macomb Reservation State Park.  We would recommend this campground to anyone who wants to unplug and relax or be close to the action of the Adirondacks!

Nearby Hiking

Speaking of the Adirondacks, I can’t go without mentioning some of the hikes that we did while camping here.  The hiking is truly incredible, but definitely difficult.

We started by hiking in the Adirondack Mountain Reserve (AMR) and hiking Indian Head Mountain.  The views in this area are out of this world and I can’t recommend it enough.  

We also hiked 3 of the high peaks (Big Slide Mountain, Algonquin Peak and Iroquois Peak).  These mountains were incredible and we so wish we could have hiked more of the 46 high peaks that reside in the Adirondacks.  

Conclusion

With amazing nearby hiking, or just the opportunity to relax, you won’t want to miss camping in Macomb Reservation State Park!  The affordability of this campground allows people on a budget to stay near some of New York’s best regions without breaking the bank. 

Macomb offers both electric sites and non-electric sites as well as a pond for paddling, fishing and swimming.  The space of each campsite is perfect for those who want to get away from the world for a little while and enjoy a good campfire.

As always, feel free to reach out to me at averagewildexperience@gmail.com if you have any questions!

Happy Camping!