Press Releases
Return often to find important news articles, exciting happenings and special offers from the Adirondack Lakes Region press room.SARANAC LAKE, NY - The Saranac Lake Islands Campground may be the best vacation deal on the planet at $22 per night.
There are some provisos, of course. You must have a canoe, kayak or boat to transport you to your campsite. You must carry everything you need, including drinking water, and you must make a reservation in advance.
After that, you have fresh lake breezes, water for swimming, fishing and boating as far as you can see and plenty of privacy.
The Saranac Lakes in the Adirondacks of northern New York are large, interconnected bodies of water covering 8,400 acres and dotted with islands. A direct route from one end of the chain to the other is approximately 23 miles long.
The appeal of so much pristine water is heightened by stunning views of the Adirondack High Peaks. Most of the islands and much of the shoreline of Lower and Middle Saranac Lakes and Weller Pond are state-owned, making them part of the six million-acre Adirondack Park.
Like the deals found on E-bay and Priceline, there is a short learning curve necessary to take advantage of island camping.
You may reserve one of 77 campsites on-line or by calling ReserveAmerica toll-free at 800-456-2267. Not all 77 sites are on islands. Some of them are on the shoreline, but are still accessible only by water. Some islands are large enough to support as many as five campsites. Campsites accommodate no more than 6 persons and the maximum length of stay is 14 consecutive nights.
Two group sites that can accommodate up to 12 persons each are reserved by a lottery system. Call the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) at 518 897-1310 between Jan. 1 and April 1, 2011, to enter the lottery.
Campsites may be reserved up to nine months in advance. If you want to reserve a particular island for the night of August 1st, then you can make an on-line reservation no earlier than 12:01 a.m., November 1st. And for the islands with the most privacy, a sandy beach or a southern exposure, nine months in advance is not too early.
Many of the islands comprising this campground have a large fan base. Couples, families, and fishing buddies often come back to their favorite island year after year.
Since camping on an island is only $22 per night plus a flat, non-refundable reservation fee of $9, people often reserve a number of prime weeks or weekends during the summer, then watch the weather to determine whether or not they will use their reservation.
Tony Corelli of Saranac Lake camps on the islands every summer, sometimes for three weeks, although not consecutively since it is not allowed. He and his wife have a routine, he said. "We fish, have a long, lazy breakfast, go to the beach, have a long cocktail hour and dinner and do it all over again."
Some folks "no show" or cancel reservations at the last minute, mostly when the weather forecast is for rain. There is a financial incentive to cancel a reservation at least eight days in advance, however. The cancellation fee is then a flat $9 plus the $9 non-refundable reservation fee, according to Peter Rondeau, Conservation Operations Supervisor for DEC, Region 5. Cancellations seven days or less in advance of a reservation result in a fee of $40 ($18 cancellation fee plus $22 first night's camping fee.) "No shows" pay for everything they have reserved plus the cancellation fee.
How does a neophyte know which campsite to reserve? Try the map on the DEC website. (The map on the reservation site is useless.) Better yet, scout the campsites from the water if you have the opportunity. Not everyone plans a year in advance, but if you are going to be boating in the Saranacs, look at the campsites and figure out what you want : sun in the morning but shade in the heat of the afternoon? A small island to yourself? A shoreline campsite for maximum privacy?
The folks at ReserveAmerica try to be helpful, but they don't know anything about the individual campsites. During the camping season, there are personnel at the parking and boat launch area for the campground. Called State Bridge, this area is located on Rt. 3, six miles south of the Village of Saranac Lake and 17 miles north of the Village of Tupper Lake. If they aren't too busy checking people in and out of the campsites, these DEC employees may answer questions about individual campsites: 518 891-2841 between 8 am and 9 pm daily, from late May through Columbus Day weekend.
How do you know when an individual campsite is available? That information is found on the reservation website calendar. Each campsite in the system, numbered 1 to 79, is listed for every day of the season. An "R" on a particular date means the site is reserved. "A" means it is available. Fridays and Saturdays during the summer go first.
September is probably the nicest time on the Saranac Lake Islands. Consider camping when the bugs and most of the crowds have gone. Even now, you'll find sites available.
