I love this campground. Perhaps I may be biased because it was the first place I ever camped at in my adult life. Still, after visiting several other campgrounds in the state, this one is one of the better ones.
The name "Little Pond" may be misleading. The pond is actually pretty large. The campgrounds are separated into several loops, with the most popular sites being the ones right on the pond. Those waterside sites may offer great views but they are a bit on the smaller side, and they don't offer much privacy between sites. Also, the sites themselves are not open to the pond, there are trees between the sites and the pond. There are also a few remote sites that you must hike to, which are also on the water. These sites are more primitive, and are serviced by pit toilets. For the remainder of the sites on the campground, they are spacious and private. There are very well maintained restrooms with flush toilets and sinks around the campground as well. Each site is equipped with a picnic table and fireplace with a flip-down grill though some sites may be in better condition than others so bring your own grill in case your fireplace grill grate is not functional.
The pond has a very small, sandy beach where you can wade into the water, though at the deepest point the water will come up to your thighs. By the beach is a bath house with warm showers. The bath house is a bit old, but it is kept very clean. Also by the beach is a picnic pavilion and a dock where you can rent boats. They have rowboats, canoes and paddle boats for rent. The prices are reasonable, with the paddle boats being the most pricey as they charge by the hour. There are no motor boats allowed on the pond so you can really enjoy the peaceful waters.
There isn't much to do in the immediate area except to just enjoy nature. There is a trail to touch-me-not mountain that is accessible from the campgrounds. The trail is pretty magical, with lots of different topography - fields, pine forests, and a few rocky scrambles. There are a couple of old stone walls along the trail, with an old fireplace and cellar from past settlements. When you exit the pines and come near the top of the trail with an open field (near the old ruins of a cellar), there is a little side trail that can take you to a frog pond. If you're on a good day, you'll see lots of different varieties of frogs and a few turtles. There are also some yummy blackberries along the trail if you're there at the right time of year. There are a few other trails in the area as well as a fish hatchery if you're into that type of thing.
The campgrounds are about a 3 - 3.5 hour drive from NYC so it makes for a great weekend getaway. read more