Covered Bridge Campsite

Costs more than other campsites but you get a very private space! Ours was even facing the river! Comes with about 7 packs of wood.

I’m a little scared to tell you how much I loved this place for fear that you’ll all book up my spot, but I feel it’s my duty to share, so here it comes. I love camping, but I’m really picky. I want it all. I want the feeling of privacy, I want to camp on the waterfront, I want the rustic environment with all of it’s natural charm & I want that hot shower with a flushing toilet nearby. I wanted the ideal romantic campsite that would be great for a couple. That’s a lot to ask for right? Wrong! I found our gem, so stay with me here…
First things first! Call them up & discuss your needs. I may want & need all that I have listed above, but your needs may be wildly different. They’ll most likely have an ideal spot that caters to all of *your* needs. I need a huge tent, because I’m a bit of an air mattress «glamper,» and I also needed the feeling of privacy. *I* was keen to walk a bit & leave the car in another spot to achieve my perfect campout, so they directed me to *my* needs. I spoke with Heidi (a couple owns this site) & she answered all of my questions in-​depth before helping me book the site. There is something for everyone, I assure you. Call & discuss with her, she gets *it*.
We stayed on the Islands, beyond the Pines sites. There were rules involved. The sign should just read «NO JERKS ALLOWED,» but jerks don’t read signs & jerks don’t even know that they’re jerks, so there are rules that pertain. I booked a spot on the Island where there are no radios (except w/​headphones) and no dogs allowed. Sure, you think your music taste is great, and that your dog is harmless & cute, but I might not think that! This part of the campground was perfect for me, but if you want to play radios, have your car right near the tent, or bring your dog along, she’ll book you another part of the campground where it’s allowed.
We pulled into the Pines parking lot & got a handy wheelbarrow to haul our things over to what felt like a completely secluded campsite for my boyfriend & I. The only signs of life from neighboring sites were smoke signals from their campfires. It felt like we owned the land, just him & I, and I was really grateful. I’m a city dweller, I don’t need other people to communicate with, because they’re with me at all times when I’m home. I wanted to feel alone & I got it! No giant frat party here! If you want a more active part of the grounds, ask, but I don’t think jerks are allowed, so keep it in mind if you’re a big jerk!
We were told how to keep it clean if we didn’t want to tempt greedy raccoons & we did, so there was no evidence of hungry animals that would have eaten us in the night. We were also assured that even though it’s bear country, bears weren’t an issue there like many of the Catskill campgrounds. Not a single bear interrupted us. We did see some gorgeous deer when we pulled into the road, some salamanders, a few hummingbirds & a chipmunk. All so very welcome to share the experience with!
Outside of flushing toilets & showers, there are outhouses closer to each site for that middle of the night bathroom trip. When I arrived, Heidi assured, «They’re clean.» And they were. Nothing gross about the shower house, or the outhouses & that’s kind of hard to achieve. Hats off to the couple who own this place. They’re doing everything correctly. On-​site Heidi runs a little camp shop for all your forgotten, but needed basics. Firewood & sodas, ice, eggs & bacon, marshmallows, grahams & chocs for s’mores. Batteries for lights, and well, you get the picture. These people get my style! Or I get theirs, rather, but you know what I mean.
On the campgrounds you’ll find the sincerely charming & quaint old covered bridge, a quick hike to waterfalls, and a great menagerie of animals that Heidi keeps! Roosters & chickens, some fancy Polish chickens who look like Andy Warhol art stars, donkeys, a horse, cats & bunnies, curly feathered wedding geese and a goat that begs for a nibble of food. Heidi took the time to satisfy my curious questions about the animals while my boyfriend happily fed them all some feed that you can buy for just a dollar. Thing is, I always leave the campsite & do Catskill things, but this time I didn’t even want to leave the site at all. It was all there for me. Although it’s pricier than some campgrounds, I’ll definitely be dropping my usual favorites & come here instead. It was worth every penny & I’m happy to have found it at last. It’s perfect & our hostess Heidi was a sincerely gracious & cool gal that I’ll see year after year, I’m sure. I woke up in NYC after my trip feeling fully charged & refreshed, already ticking down the months for my next trip up.

BEAUTIFULLL and well kept campgrounds – maybe the best I’ve been too (but i’ve only been in CA so can’t compare to other places upstate). The owner is lovely and runs the office/​convenience store up front. The Pine Retreats are a perfect area to camp though you do have to park first and wheelbarrow stuff over (not hard at all). Our site was right on the river in an opening with trees and sunlight and it was PERFECT. There’s a waterfall hike, river hike, fishing areas, and the store is stocked with a lot of stuff if you need it. I can’t say enough great things about this site – def a must try.