AUG 2004: 1000 Islands Campground - This modern campground is located just off of interstate 81 in the 1000 islands region in New York. It is on the small side without much in the recreation department on site, which for some is great. We used it as a base camp for wandering around the surrounding areas including Alexandria bay and other nearby attractions. It is up to date and the spots are excellent with numerous pull thru spots. There was only one barking dog on one of the nights and that didn't last for long (thankfully). You can read about my opinion of barking dogs on the opinion page on this site. The rate were very reasonable, last year they were just $20.00 per night for full hookups. This year I understand that they are $25.00. I have reservations for this campground again in August so I would definitely have to give this campground a thumbs up.
SEPT 2004: Brennens Beach - This is an older much larger campground with lots of seasonal and weekend sites, it also has a full complement of activities on site. It is located on the eastern shore of Lake Ontario just outside of Pulaski, NY. This campground caters more to the family style of camping. It does allow both RV and tent camping on site. I found that the vast majority of the "good" campsite were all given to the seasonal campers, I somehow managed to get one of the "good" sites with a excellent view of the lake. However it was quite a hike to bathroom facilities if I didn't feel incline to use my onboard ones. I also noticed that the shower stalls were pay to use. I think this is kind of cheap considering the premium price they charge for camping. The campground overall was clean, apparently well run and everyone appeared to be content with the environment. As far as a family camping experience I would give this campground a thumbs up, however I have yet to make reservations for this year.
MAY 2005: River Forest Park - The campground is located just off of exit 40 from the New York State Thruway just outside of Auburn. As with Brennens Beach it appears that the majority of what I consider the "good" sites are rented out to the seasonal campers. These sites are in the wooded section of the campground and along the river. We stayed there on Memorial day weekend, at this time they still didn't have their pool open or even close to being open, considering the weather it wouldn't have been needed anyway. The open spots were out in the open in more or less a field that apparently had just been mowed with in the last couple of days judging by the cuttings. This campground gave me a feeling of being more of a party campground, the onsite bar didn't help with that impression. The trading post is barebones at best and under stocked. They have a medium size pond that you can rent paddles boats to ride around it in. The rates for full hookups were reasonable at $26.00 a night. The campground is not far from the new Bass Pro store located in the Finger Lakes Mall. The campground unfortunately did have a number of barking dogs and loud music players, there was also a few people who didn't seem to mind wandering thru your campsite. If your into a party type campground then I would give this a thumbs up.
AUGUST 2006: Yogi Bear Campground - Yogi Bear campground is on the outskirts of Mexico New York bumping next to Little Salmon River. The camp ground has a good balance of day use camping versus seasonal use spots. the river sites I believe offer the best spots. naturally being right next to the river they don't have sewer hookup on them. however with a little water and waste conservation you should have no trouble lasting a weekend with out having to dump you tanks (however with a camper full of girls you very well may have to dump them. they have a well stocked camp store along with a functional pool ( with adult only hours too) putt putt golf and various other activities including swimming in the river. this is definitely a family oriented campground, well worth your time and money to stay for a few days.
August 2007: The Landing Campground - Is located just outside of Sylvan Beach New York on the East end of Oneida Lake. It is a smaller campground with a camp store, laundry facilities, a small unsupervised beach and sites with full hookups and some without for tent campers out on the point. the campground is on Fish Creek which is big enough for most boats. they do have a small boat ramp and limited space to dock you boat. they do rent paddle boats, canoes and rowboats for a very reasonable rate. this is a nice campground for the family looking for a weekend campground.