Be A Happy Camper On Your Own Adirondack Island

Pitching a tent in the woods for a few nights is a great way to relax and get away from it all, but even better is doing the same thing on your own island!

Imagine having the beauty and tranquility of the Adirondack mountains surrounding you and your closest neighbor isn't a few feet away on another camp site. They're across the water on a different island.

The Adirondack park offers four major regions for island camping - Lake Champlain, Blue Mountain Lake, Lake George, and the Saranac Lake Chain, known as the "Saranacs."

In all of these places you'll need a canoe or kayak to get you to your site (some lakes permit the use of motorized boats), but once you're there it's an experience you'll never forget.

In the Saranac Lake Chain area:

You have the best chance to have an island all to yourself with your choice of 79 campsites across the three Saranac Lakes. These are all only accessible by water, but they only cost $22 per night for NY residents!

Make reservations at reserveamerica.com.

In the Lake Champlain area:

You can camp on the 1,100 acre Valcour Island by putting your boat in the water at the Peru boat launch for a one-mile water crossing, then aim for the north end to camp near sandy beaches of Lake Champlain.

In the Blue Mountain lake area:

Blue Mountain Lake has six campsites scattered across 1,220 acres that will give you the deserted island feel.

Each site has a fireplace and an outhouse and they can be accessed by launching your boat or canoe from the public beach boat ramp on Route 28.

No permit is required to camp at Blue Mountain Lake if you stay for three nights or less and have a group of nine campers or less. For larger groups and longer stays, contact the Blue Mountain Lake forest ranger office to obtain the permit. While motorboats are allowed on Blue Mountain Lake, canoes or kayaks are recommended for ease of exploration on this quieter lake in the Adirondacks.