Buck Pond Campground

Do you want to hear the trilling of the Loons, the wind whispering through the pines, look at the night sky, paddle some classic waterways, swim at a sandy beach, hike through the wilderness or bike on the old railroad bed then Buck Pond State Park is the place for you. You will not hear any road noise and have little light pollution. If you are looking for amenities (no cell service) other than what I have listed, then this is not the place for you.

This is a basic old style campground in the trees situated on Buck Pond and Lake Kushaqua. Some of the sites over look the pond and some of the interior sites you can look through the trees to the water. Most are fairly shaded, so if you are running on solar you should have a moveable panel. Like most state parks there are limited generator hours. Most sites offer some privacy. These are dirt sites so some are more level than others and some have easier access. The park can accommodate up to 30 foot trailers on some sites, but the road in the camping loops is narrow, so backing up can be a challenge depending on the site. There are two bathrooms in each of the larger loops, which are basic and clean. There is a hot shower in each.

Loop A, on Buck Pond, tends to have larger sites and about 10 sites are on the water, which fill up fast. Loop B is in the trees and is more suitable for tents, trailers under 16 feet and popups. There are some larger sites. Loop C, on Lake Kushaqua has about a half dozen sites on the water. More sites are suited for smaller trailers. Loop D has only ten sites, but is close to the beach. Use the following website to help you pick your campsite. http://www.campadk.com/campsitephotos.php

Get gas when you can since the nearest gas station is about 15 miles away. You will finad a large grocery store in Plattsburgh, NY, about an hour, Saranac Lake is about 30 minutes away and Lake Placid about an hour. A truck comes around the campground selling wood, ice, ice cream, and a few other items, since the nearest convenience store is about 7 miles away.

Outside the park entrance in the town of Onchiota, that has the Seven Gables Antique and Collectible Shop. It’s a great shop to poke around in. The owner has a small coffee bar and sells a few other camp items, especially warm clothes, if you forget to bring yours. There are all kinds of collectibles from former camps so a great place to look if you have a vintage trailer. She just got wifi, so spend a little there to support the service.

There is an Indian Museum in the town, but it’s only open in July and August, so I haven’t been.

Seven miles down the road in Gabriel is the Pack Basket Restaurant open for breakfast and lunch. They have wifi there and offer some good food. After you eat, drive east about a mile on RT 86. The area is a flat open expanse of farmland that gives you about 270 degree view of the High Peaks Region.

If you wish to visit and learn more about the Great Camps in the Adirondacks, about 7 miles from the campground is White Pine Camp, Calvin Coolidge’s summer White House for one year. They offer tours during the summer season on Wednesday. And if you really want to soak up the atmosphere, you can book a cottage there.

A must see is the Adirondack Museum at Blue Mountain Lake. It’s about 60 miles from the campground, but well worth the drive and visit.

If you wish to explore areas away from Buck Pond in a kayak or canoe, then pick up an
Adirondack Canoe Map. I would recommend Upper Saint Regis Lake if you wish to see more Great Camps and classic motorboat. The boat launch is not marked, so you need a canoe map to find it. Jones Pond to Osgood Pond, into Little Osgood Pond and then Church Pond gives you a feel for the ability to travel from one body of water to the next. From the campground you can explore Rainbow and Kushaqua Lake.

I made my reservations on Reserve America. The campground is tucked away in a little Adirondack hamlet of Onchiota. There are no gas stations or convenience stores, so come with all you need......gas would be available in Saranac Lake about 16 miles away. This is a wonderful campground with about 114 sites, from tent sites to sites for big rigs. Interior roads are in good shape, easy to move about with a large trailer. Several bathrooms around the park that also have showers. Water is available to fill your tanks or jugs but there are no electric sites. Sites on the water are very nice but fill up fast. There is a large beach area and picnic areas by the water. If you are a paddler...this is a good place to stay, plenty of water all around. The campground is actually between Buck Pond (no motor boats) and Lake Kushaqua. From Lake Kushaqua you can paddle through the narrows (and a few tunnels) into Rainbow Lake. The Upper St Regis Lake, Spitfire Lake with the great camps as well as the summer White House. Jones Pond to Osgood Pond is a nice paddle. Paul Smiths College is not to far with trails and the Debar Mountain Wilderness has many recreational opportunities. At the entrance of the campground is a small beach area that many visited when the main beach was closed. Since there are no electric sites if you have solar many sites are shaded so getting good sun is hard.

Our planned getaway to Buck Pond coincided with a forecast of 4 days of rain, and it didl rain! But the place was so beautiful, we stayed on an extra day (we had to drive down to Bloomingdale to get cell service, as no in person reservations were allowed.) For paddlers, Buck Pond itself is a beautiful Adirondack pond, but from the campground you can also access, Lake Kushaqua, the Kushaqua Narrows, Rainbow Narrows, and the North Branch of the Saranac River... almost overwhelming! Our site #38 was level and plenty spacious, but the best part was the privacy - woods on both sides, and behind us. One (empty) site across the way. Good water access to refill our Lance 1475 camper (17'). Dump station access was a bit bumpy, a longer rig than ours would require better skills than I have!

There are some sites on the lake, and while our site was not (in B Loop) it was fairly level and about a 1/3 of a mile walk to the boat launch. It looked like the sites on other loops were somewhat smaller and not all were level.

Chilly nights, Loons Calling, paddling, quiet... there is also some hiking from the campground on a snowmobile/ bike path - which also connected to an unmarked trail up to Mud Pond. Great place - bring a book or two, there is NO phone/ internet access!