Campgrounds and RV parks near Port Henry, NY

Lake Champlain drives most trip planning here. The lake supports boating, kayaking, and fishing, and the Port Henry and Bulwagga Beach areas provide swimming in summer. Bulwagga Bay is a popular paddling area, with coves and river mouths along both shores. Inland, Lincoln Pond allows motor boats, rowboats, and canoes, with rowboat, kayak, canoe and stand up paddleboard rentals available, and a car-top boat launch. Fishing opportunities include tiger muskie, largemouth and smallmouth bass, yellow perch, and bullhead. Hiking access to Giant Mountain Wilderness, the High Peaks, and Hammond Pond Wild Forest is a short drive west. Historic stops are close at hand: Fort Ticonderoga sits south along the lake, and the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum and Chimney Point historic site are directly across the bridge in Addison.

The main camping window runs from mid-May through early fall at most private and public campgrounds in the region. Lincoln Pond operates roughly May 15 through early September, and DAR State Park across the lake follows a similar late-spring to early-fall calendar. Summer is peak season. July and August bring the warmest lake temperatures, the busiest beaches, and full weekends at both state and private parks. Maximum stay at Lincoln Pond is 14 consecutive nights, or 14 cumulative nights between July 1 and Labor Day, which matters for longer stays. Spring is cool and wet, with mud a common issue at grassy sites. Early fall offers foliage color and easier reservations, but nights turn cold quickly and some DEC campgrounds close by early September. Winters are freezing and snowy; most campgrounds close, and only limited off-season access is available at a few parks.

Expect a mix of state-run and family-owned parks with varied hookups. Private options offer water and electric at select sites, along with modern restrooms and laundry. DAR State Park camping facilities include 47 tent/trailer sites and 24 lean-tos, flush toilets, hot showers, and a dump station, but no site hookups. Lincoln Pond has 35 campsites, including 24 developed sites with access to flush toilets and potable water, plus 10 remote sites along the shore and 3 island sites reachable only by boat. Sites numbered 26R-35R are in remote areas and do not offer flush toilets or potable water without traveling back to the main facility. A few practical notes: New York and Vermont both restrict moving untreated firewood into their state parks, so plan to buy heat-treated wood locally. Trains run along the Lake Champlain corridor and can be heard from lakeside sites at night. Zebra mussels are present in the lake; water shoes are useful for swimming.