Leaves are starting to change and temperatures are starting to drop here in New York. For some, that means a retreat indoors for the winter. But for many New Yorkers, it means some of the year’s best camping is close at hand.
“From the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean, from the Adirondack Mountains to the Catskills, from the St. Lawrence River to the Hudson, tent campers in New York have one of the country’s best selections to choose from” says Aaron Starmer, co-author of Best in Tent Camping: New York, now in its second edition from Menasha Ridge Press.
Starmer, along with co-authors Cate and Timothy Starmer, attributes New York’s outdoor wealth primarily to the 6-million-acre Adirondack Park and Forest Preserve, a green space that covers one-fifth of the state.
But it’s more than just the Adirondacks. Because state-owned “forever wild” forests all over the state are interspersed with private lands, “New York is perfect for tent campers, as the wilderness surrounds you, but supplies and other recreational opportunities always remain nearby,” explains Cate Starmer.
The Starmers’ new camping guide demonstrates the wide reach and variety of New York’s camping resources, from the mountainous Adirondacks and the Catskills, to the human history of the Leatherstocking region, to the Finger Lakes to Long Island, Thousand Islands, and western state for the water-loving campers.
The authors have combed through the thousands of New York campgrounds to find the 50 best, rating them by beauty, privacy, quiet, cleanliness, security, and spaciousness.
“When most people think of New York, they naturally think of the Big Apple,” the Starmers write in their introduction, “There’s so much beyond its borders, especially for those interested in the outdoors.”
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