Campgrounds and RV parks near Loch Sheldrake, NY

Water recreation dominates the local scene. Loch Sheldrake itself is a 64-acre lake with a small fishing pier, picnic tables, and a hand-launch site off Route 52, with brown trout, largemouth bass, sunfish, brown bullhead, and yellow perch in the water. A short drive northwest, Mongaup Pond offers swimming from a designated sand beach, non-motorized boating, canoe and kayak rentals, and connections to the Big Indian Wilderness and Willowemoc Wild Forest trail systems. Families often build itineraries around Holiday Mountain Ski and Fun Park, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, and the Catskill Fish Hatchery, all within easy driving distance. Anglers fish nearby trout streams stocked from the hatchery, which draws its water from Mongaup Creek to raise trout for New York state waters.

The area sits in a humid continental climate with four distinct seasons, so campground operating windows and site conditions vary sharply through the year. Summers are warm and humid, winters are cold and snowy, and spring and fall are milder with wide day-to-night temperature swings. Summer is peak season for the private RV parks and the busiest window at Mongaup Pond, when Environmental Educational Recreation programs run in July and August with nature hikes, crafts, and activities for children. Spring and fall bring cooler nights and thinner crowds. Mongaup Pond and other Catskills DEC campgrounds typically operate from mid-May through Columbus Day weekend, with early-fall foliage weekends in late September and early October booking quickly. After the camping season closes, several DEC campgrounds in the Catskills remain open for day uses such as hiking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and ice fishing. Winter is not a general RV season here. Expect snow, freezing overnight temperatures, and closed public campgrounds, with Monticello averaging around 66 inches of snow over the course of the year.

Sites range from full-hookup RV pads at the private resorts to wooded tent and trailer sites without electric or water service at Mongaup Pond. The DEC campground has 163 tent and trailer sites, flush toilets, hot showers, a trailer dump station, a sand beach, and a hand-launch boat ramp, but no site hookups. RVers who need electric or water should target the private parks in the immediate area rather than the DEC facility. Standard DEC rules apply at public campgrounds: check-in is between 2 p.m. and 9 p.m., campers must sign for their own site with equipment on hand, and all campers must be listed on the permit at registration. Pets are allowed with proof of a current rabies vaccination, and dogs must be walked on a leash no longer than six feet. New York's firewood regulation restricts moving untreated firewood more than 50 miles from its source, so plan to buy local wood at or near the campground.