Taconic State Park — Attraction in Town of Copake

My boyfriend and I like to camp and are trying to expand our experience. We choose this park on a whim for a weekend and we will likely never return. It's a nice park and that's what's so sad. This place is overrun by large families renting multiple sites and treating the place like it's theirs. The kids run free, screaming into the quiet hours. We were woken up at 6:30 am on Saturday by children screaming to each other and at no time did we hear a parent step in to quiet them. They are very disrespectful of space as we had kids running through our campsite and even one child playing with our grill tools twice. We started locking everything up in our car or tent whenever we left. I grew concerned that our tent and personal items were at risk. During the day the children yelling continued, joined by loud music too. We had a moment of peace when they all went to the lake to swim but when the screaming started again we packed up and left. We stopped by the office to let them know we were leaving early and why. The manager was understanding but ultimately said he couldn't do anything. He did state that the park is extending, so for quieter sites choose loop C or D and go during the week. As for the facilities the bathrooms are in need of some serious attention. 1 stall in the women's room locked and some of the toilets were too close to the door. The men's room was ruled/trashed by children and my bf made a joke about needing a tetanus shot due to all the rust. We are afraid to use the showers and just skipped it all together.They have only 1 shower building for the entire campground so that's also concerning. The campsites have platforms because it's on a bit of a hill. We chose not to get one with a platform because they looked too slanted and unleavened. In rain I could see them being beneficial though. If you get a non platform site the ground is very rooted and rocky so it's tricky to find a good spot for the tent. Pros: lots of campground options, the kiddie pool is cute and creative, good hiking trails, great canopy over the campsites with a good breeze. This camp just needs a a firm hand to reel in...

Pros: New shower facilities. Close to the bike & hiking trails.

Cons: You are required to book through Reserve America. No noise control, sites are very close together. Bathrooms were closed between 9-11am for cleaning.

A bit of additional frustration when we tried to book online they said they were completely booked however we spoke to a reservation agent at Reserve America who was able to tell us they had 4 walk up sites available. When we arrived they didn't let us book a walk-in site, but someone had just cancelled so they gave us their spot.

We are avid campers, we backpack, tent camp & travel with our camper. The campers at the camp group were not courteous. Our first night there was a huge group in Section A. They were yelling, had numerous dogs barking, they also had a megaphone where they would let their kids just scream. Not to mention the neighbors who gave their small child a whistle to blow all day! Sunday at 5:30am a group behind us was up splitting wood as loud as you could imagine. 5:30AM!!!! Quiet hours are 10pm-7am

Sunday the weather cleared and we hopped on our bikes and rode to Millerton! It was great! We ate lunch at the Oakhurst Diner. It was the perfect getaway from the chaos at the campground.

Sunday evening 3 families next to us arrived. Their kids kept running through our sites, screaming. Our neighbor had his headlights on until we had to finally tell him at 11pm to turn off his car and lights as they were shining right inside our tent. We finally got 15 minutes of quiet time and then there's a dog barking, car alarms, and more noise!

We wake up to again our neighbor splitting wood at 5:30AM!!!! At that point my partner lost it. He strongly expressed to stop splitting wood. It immediately stopped.

If you opt to check out the campground be warned...and if you want quiet look for a spot...

A popular camping ground in predominantly evergreen forest. Great facilities, those new shower rooms... playground, play field, variety of sites, some platform, some woodsy, some better for groups some for rvs some pet friendly. The pond was closed the week before we came on September 2nd not sure why. They have a deep water swimming area for adults and confident swimmers and a shallow pool for tots. I aways found it a bit murky but its only ankle deep so its fine. Lifeguards on duty when they operate. Same Ole depot store with ice cream and sandwiches and all necessities across the road, you can walk there. Plenty of things to do around. All within 15 minutes or so. Great Barrington, bash bish falls (restricted access currently), diners, farms, antiques, boating, beautiful area with a ton of hikes and lakes. The camp is about 100 sites. A and C areas seem more crowded with less space between but better for large groups. You have to wait by showers during peak times but it's worth it. Family wash rooms with a changing table, shower, toilet all accessible. Clean and new, hot water and kept up well. Ive seen showers that are less fancy in many resorts honestly. Overall it's a bit too large n crowded for my taste but that's not as bad considering it's proximity to the city. They have some events here too. One note roads are rocky and a bit uneven so are most tent sites. my toddlers are fast but clumsy, ruined all of their knees and elbows on this trip. Bring plenty of bandaid and good headlights for each person. *some firepits and picnic tables seem to be in a very bad shape. I see some are updated. We will be sure to let them know before leaving our picnic table is rotten and shaky. Feels quite...