Little Pond Campground — Hotel in Town of Andes

We had high hopes for this campground initially but it ended up being a real disappointment. Since it’s a very family oriented campground having rules like quiet hours makes total sense, but this place takes things to the extreme. It seems like the woman in charge is on a TOTAL power trip. Upon check in you’re met with an extremely long list of rules, including having to keep your coolers in your car or RV at all times, which was extremely inconvenient and we didn’t have the room for. Putting away coolers at night and not leaving them left unattended is all you should have to do, but AT ALL TIMES is ridiculous. This woman is also constantly riding around on her golf cart and nitpicking every little thing on people’s sites. When we first got there and were setting up, she drove her cart up and told me to move my car off the grass. I cannot express how much my car was NOT parked on the grass especially since the lots are 99% dirt. I actually took a picture because I was in such disbelief. It was almost comical. If you are a tent camper, you’re not allowed to pitch a tent on any small patches of grass that do exist so be sure to accommodate for that if you still decide to go here. In addition to this, the camp site was on the smaller side and there wasn’t much room for it along side my in-law’s RV. Not sure why they’d even allow an RV of that length, 2 cars, and a tent to be in that spot anyway. You have to list everything you’re bringing so they know exactly what’s showing up and let us be overcrowded anyway. We ended up having to cram in the RV and not pitch our tent because there was no room for it.

The most upsetting part was probably the bathroom and shower situations. This campground has no hookups for RVs, the only facilities they do offer are bathrooms and showers. So you’d think those would at least be maintained. Our first two days there 3/4 of the bathroom stalls were completely clogged and disgusting. After we told the ranger, 2 were fixed, but the handicapped stall was still left clogged. The next night there 3/4 stalls were completely out of toilet paper! Luckily I brought my own so I could use that. Instead of being concerned about people parking on 10 blades of grass, why don’t you take care of the ONLY facilities you provide? I felt very bad for my in-laws having to use those bathrooms, the only reason we chose to camp at a place with facilities to begin with was so they could be comfortable. There were many people with young children there and I’d feel bad for them having to use these facilities too.

The showers also had issues draining, ended up standing in a puddle of water the whole time.

Also, the name of this campground is accurate. Little Pond. Don’t come expecting a lake. It’s very small. There’s also a man made waterfall at the edge with zero signage or stoppage which could be dangerous for young children.

The whole experience ended up being much more stressful than relaxing. Any time we took a cooler out to cook or grab a drink we were looking over our shoulders out of fear of getting yelled at. I know we aren’t the only people to have the experience of feeling like you’re being watched and scrutinized the entire time. This was a family trip and we’re all adults. We weren’t loud, up late, blasting music, or inconsiderate. We gave them no reason to be unfriendly towards us but still felt very unwelcome and almost targeted like they were looking for any reason to yell at us. My advice would be to camp...

We love Little Pond and have been coming here for years. The campground is very family-friendly and safe.||||Little Pond is not for everyone. Things to keep in mind: ||- They are very strict about the 9pm check-in cut off. If you get there at 9:30 they will turn you away, so plan accordingly.||- They are very strict about the 10pm quiet hours. Their interpretation of this is basically that there is no music, no talking, not even whispering, all food/drink put away and campfire dying. I agree that sometimes it can be a drag. It works for us because we have small children who are already asleep by then!||- There are no RV hook-ups. They do enforce generator use hours (9-11am and 4-7pm). For those of us who do not have RV’s, it’s a blessing to not listen to that sound all day!||- They will not allow you to pitch your tent on grass. I’m not here to debate whether that rule makes sense, but you should know about it. Some sites end up having a very small area for tents because of this, and your tent may be very close to the fire pit. Before reserving a site, look at campsite photos and choose wisely. I don’t know all the tiny ones, but Site 70 is one of them.||- Don’t leave food and coolers unattended. Yes, sometimes there are bears, and no, they don’t just come around at night.||- Yes, there are some rangers who take their job very seriously, and even as a rule-follower I’ve had run-ins with one of these individuals. It sucks, but don’t let it scare you off, unless you’re looking to party (if that’s the case this campground is definitely not for you).||- Pets are allowed, but not at the beach area. Strictly enforced.||||Assuming you’re OK with the rules, this campground is beautiful, safe and great for families. There is a nice loop trail on the campground, another loop up to Touchmenot mountain and an old orchard, as well as the possibility of taking a longer day hike if desired. There is a very basic general store just down the road and the town of Livingston Manor is about 25 minutes away by car.||||The ranger station sells fire wood and ice, and they have daily rowboat, kayak, and canoe rentals.||||We love the “hike-in” sites (68 - 75) which each include a food locker (bear box) and a pit privy. Note that it’s a bit of a trek and no cars allowed. There are some other nice “car camping” sites in the outer loops (up the hill). Several of the lake-front sites have additional picnic tables down by the lake. Sites 9 - 21 are very close together and ground is rough (gravel). Sites 25-28 are sizeable and on the lake, but also right up on the road and near the beach area, so no privacy. 35-37 are also right up on the road, but a little more...

We have been coming back here every year the past 8 years. ||It is true that this site is not for everyone, and I am glad it stays that. ||Why we love this campground|1) It is secluded, cozy, and very private: especially the remote sites where cars cannot drive in. it is a hustle to bring belongings and luggage, but as long as you are experienced camper with carts and necessary tools and items, you will enjoy beautiful lake all to yourself (almost). We especially love coming here in Fall (October) - you will enjoy the beautiful foliage around the lake. ||2) Decent trails within the campground: there are a few trails within the campground, so we always enjoy a little hike after check out (leaving the site empty and clean), before leaving the campground.||3) Strict rules keeps the campground safe and enjoyable for most people: after all, rules are necessary. If you are looking to party especially with a big group of people, please go to other campground. This definitely is not the place for it. Your 'not-loud' voice can be loud for others, especially if its a big group of people or if the site is facing lake, the whole campground can hear them. We do sometimes stay up later than 10pm with very small fire just looking at it, but we were never stalked by rangers for that. ||Small notes|* the closest bathrooms for remote sites are potted toilets, so some people might not like it |* even the main bathrooms are quite outdated, so not really ideal for a long-term stay (at least for us) - Taconic State Park has many clean and updated private bathrooms, which is more preferred for longer stay or stay with kids and camping beginners|* check out time used to be 10AM, now its 11AM.|recommend buying firewood here rather than bringing in bundles from near-by delis. they have good firewood.| non-remote sites are relatively far apart, but check out their site map before booking. You will see some sites locating a little further to other sites. during summer time, I would avoid sites across the beach because it gets a bit too loud with kids screaming (nothing wrong with kids, but you may not want to hear shrieking sounds...