The best waterside campgrounds near Dansville, New York

In Dansville, waterside camping means waking up to the rush of creeks and casting a line steps from your tent. You’ll find over 1,700 options just for tent campers looking to stay near water—some sites put you right at the edge of the action. Average nights run about $50, but you can snag a spot for as little as $22. Toilets, showers, and pet-friendly rules are standard at most sites. Fishing draws plenty of folks, but winter brings snow sports and there’s hiking year-round. Locals swear by Pooh’s Corner (333 reviews) for its peaceful streamside sites, Waterfall Creek (321 reviews) for the sound of falling water, and ZiegenVine Homestead (313 reviews) for early morning views across the pond. Pack your rod, sturdy boots, and a good rain jacket—Dansville’s waterside camping puts you close to nature, and there’s always something to explore.

97% (3.5K)

Top-rated campgrounds

In Dansville, waterside camping means waking up to the rush of creeks and casting a line steps from your tent. You’ll find over 1,700 options just for tent campers looking to stay near water—some sites put you right at the edge of the action. Average nights run about $50, but you can snag a spot for as little as $22. Toilets, showers, and pet-friendly rules are standard at most sites. Fishing draws plenty of folks, but winter brings snow sports and there’s hiking year-round. Locals swear by Pooh’s Corner (333 reviews) for its peaceful streamside sites, Waterfall Creek (321 reviews) for the sound of falling water, and ZiegenVine Homestead (313 reviews) for early morning views across the pond. Pack your rod, sturdy boots, and a good rain jacket—Dansville’s waterside camping puts you close to nature, and there’s always something to explore.

97% (3.5K)

Top-rated campgrounds

1. Mission Hemlock Grove

92%

(243)

13mi from Dansville · 4 sites · Tents, RVs · Conesus, NY

Welcome, Mission Conesus, originally built by Franciscan Catholics. These lands were likely chosen for many reasons. Suffice it to say there is something special here. Come discover for yourself. Lose yourself here, or maybe find yourself, among the Hemlocks. First, a bit about the terrain. There is much in the way of forest, very mature, and a broad array of plant species. Elevation differences are vast, land to the west is uphill for quite a ways, and downhill to the east, to Hemlock lake below, so the world here can feel a bit tilted. We adjoin 150 acres of nature conservancy lands that nobody seems to know about. These lands are for respectful public daytime use. We also adjoin 6600 acres of NY state forest which is public property. Exploring all that is here would take a very long time! Want to get away? Welcome to our little slice of heaven. See the provided map for site locations. Site 1 is open field and is near the pavilion, sites 2 and 3 are along the woods, and site 4 is the most private and tucked into the woods. We looking forward to hosting you, at the mission.

2. Letchworth Valley Campground & Reso

93%

(45)

24mi from Dansville · 43 sites · Tents, RVs, Lodging · Bliss, NY

Letchworth Valley Campground & Resort is a newly acquired 147 Acre property with a 26 acre lake located 10 minutes from Letchworth Park. Wiscoy Creek famous for trout fishing also runs through a portion of the property. There's canoeing, hiking, fishing, & swimming in an all natural setting. We have 25 primitive tent sites, 16 RV sites that have water and electric, 4 hotel rooms, 5 premium cabins and 5 rustic cabins. Wildlife including a pair of bald eagles, geese, herons, turtles, and birds of all kinds live on the property. All sites have a fire ring with grill and a picnic table. We are pet friendly up to 3 pets. Open May 15th - October 30th Closed October 31st - May 14th

3. Cowanesque Lake

120 sites · Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania

Just south of the New York-Pennsylvania state line, Cowanesque Lake is a beautiful natural getaway for those suffering from a bad case of East Coast tension. Managed by the US Army Corps, the area is well-maintained, family-friendly and perfect for relaxing in whatever way you see fit. If hiking doesn’t suit you, there’s some serious water recreation to be had. This includes fishing or swimming, but as experienced loafers well know, just sitting and looking at the water counts, too. After all, someone’s gotta do it! The atmosphere of rural Pennsylvania offers up a special something-or-other in its lush, expansive greenery, and Cowanesque Lake is the perfect place to take it all in.

Pets

Potable water

Toilets

Public campgrounds near Dansville

South Shore Recreation Area and Campground

48mi from Dansville · 1 site · in Cowanesque Lake

Tompkins Campground

48mi from Dansville · 119 sites · Tents, RVs · in Cowanesque Lake

Stories from the community

J

Janelle

October 2025

12 ft campervan

Weekend Trip to Mission Hemlock Grove

What a very peaceful place! Will definitely be returning! Korey was very quick to respond to messages and answer questions! A beautiful hidden gem!

A

Alessandro

October 2025

Tent

With kids

Weekend Trip to Mission Hemlock Grove

Easy to find. Beautiful views. My kids and I loved hiking to the lake to skip rocks. I'll definitely be back.

J

Jonathan

September 2025

Tent

Weekend Trip to Mission Hemlock Grove

Great, relaxing time as always. I'm here again this weekend as I write this!

G

Geoff

September 2025

40 ft travel trailer

7 nights at Mission Hemlock Grove

I wound up staying at Mission Hemlock Grove for 2 weeks in early September while my truck was getting transmission work. I had to make several day trips to Rochester and always felt safe leaving my belongings behind at site 1. There are some interesting trails and sights on the property including abandoned Christian grottos. I met some other very nice campers during my stay but always felt like I had plenty of privacy. Korey was very responsive from my experience. I’d recommend this property to someone who is boondock ready

Stephen

September 2025

16 ft car

1 night at Mission Hemlock Grove

Camp site 4 was just big enough to get a Frontier into. The sites are spaced enough that you don't see each other but could hear louder talk. Every site has a campfire ring. Porta potty was in the central field area and was getting pretty full but was stocked with TP and sanitizer. Really nice trails right on site, with a trail down to the lake. We didn't look for the bathroom or water supply so can't comment on that.

D

David

August 2025

Tent

1 night at Mission Hemlock Grove

Just what I needed!- secluded and in the forest. No bugs and in the clearing a dome of stars at night.

cliff

August 2025

21 ft pop-up camper

With pets

Weekend Trip to Mission Hemlock Grove

It was great camping there i fully enjoyed myself . It was easy to get to hike trails

J

Joe

July 2025

15 ft campervan

Weekend Trip to Mission Hemlock Grove

Nice, very private, direct access to trail to lake. Clean porta potty on site.

M

Megan

July 2025

Tent

Weekend Trip to Mission Hemlock Grove

Awesome spot for no-frills camping. Locating the sites was a bit of a challenge due to a lack of signage, but Korey was quick to come help us figure it out. We wound up setting up at Site 3, as some other campers had claimed our spot before we arrived. The grass in the field was long, but flattened out after a few hours of foot traffic, and provided some ground padding for the tents and bare feet. Surprisingly, we did not see a single tick! Fireflies were out in droves come nightfall, though. Very magical. The lake is absolutely stunning, and the trail down was easily navigable, albeit a steep drop. We were reprimanded by patrolling officers, as we were not made aware that swimming in the lake is strictly prohibited. Otherwise, the water was crystal clear and the lack of houses around the lake made it feel that much more untouched. The Mission property was stunning and exploring was a highlight. The grottos provide a good refuse from the heat if you can find ‘em, and definitely added a layer of mysticism and whimsy to the trip. Would absolutely return to spend some time at the Mission!

S

Sean

July 2025

Tent

2 nights at Mission Hemlock Grove

Korey's campsite was absolutely beautiful and full of interesting bits of history. A friendly feline tour guide also accompanied us on our hike!

M

Mary Ann

June 2025

16 ft pop-up camper

With pets

Weekend Trip to Mission Hemlock Grove

The pavilion was great after we spent quite a bit of time cleaning up after other campers or events. We actually set up our tents under it since it rained. Unfortunately, there is no swimming in Hemlock Lake, so we had to drive quite a way to find a swimming hole. Getting water was kind of a pain. The hose outside the main buildings was never turned on and we had to bother people to let us in the building to fill water containers. The dogs loved being off leash when we were at camp. The place is quite fascinating, but needs some major cleaning up.

Joseph

June 2025

Tent

1 night at Mission Hemlock Grove

Korey was a wonderful host was kind and considerate. Some sites were a little overgrown, but the main pathway was mowed and well taken care of. This a great budget option for people who are hiking and spending time in the Finger Lakes