Introduction:
This is a lovely state park in upstate New York featuring spacious sites (electric only), lovely parkland, and reasonably convenient access to Niagara Falls.
Click here to read about our criteria for campground reviews.
The Basics:
Overall Rating: 4.2/5
Price per night / Discounts: $35.25 / None
Campground website: Darien Lakes State Park
Our Site #: 26 Electric Only
Privacy Rating (how spacious and private do the sites feel):
5/5: The spaces here are very large and there are many trees that help provide a sense of privacy. There are two separate camping loops. B loop appears newer than A loop (the trees are much younger), but both loops are nice. The sites are all large enough that you won't feel like you're staring at your neighbor. This is our kind of park and we really enjoyed our stay.
Location Rating (accessibility to points of interest or to major highways):
3.5/5: Darien Lakes is just south of I-90, so very convenient if you're traveling across upstate New York. The park is located about 25 minutes from a major commercial district (Batavia, NY) where you can get everything you need. In the opposite direction, about 15 minutes from the park, is the small town of Alden which offers a grocery store and other necessities. We did not go to Niagara Falls, but it's only about an hour from the park, so certainly doable if you're interested.
Site Quality and Big Rig Accessibility Rating (utilities and accessibility of campground hook ups):
5/5: We loved our site here and, in walking around and looking at the other sites, there really weren't any that were bad. All of them are easily accessible, the roads are in great condition, and big rigs can easily make their way around. As for utilities, all they offer at the sites is an electrical connection, but there are water spigots throughout the park and a convenient dump station at the entrance to the camping loops.
Technology and Customer Service Rating (online resources, reservations, and staff):
3.75/5: You can book your site through the Reserve America system which is always wonderful. Staff at the front desk were consistently very friendly. The one ding I would note is their cancellation and fee policies are pretty tough. There are a lot of fees, costs can be high, and $35 per night for electric only was out of line from most of the other state parks we've stayed at.
Internet Availability Rating (Verizon coverage or campground wifi):
3.5/5: No wifi here, but Verizon worked just fine.
Summary:
We loved our stay at this campground. It's a bit pricey for a state park, but the entire park is immaculate, offering several walking trails, a large lake (swimming available in the summer), playgrounds for the kids, and large fields for sports. The campground was lovely with big spacious sites, lots of foliage, and easily accessible roads for big rigs. While the park was busy over the weekend, our fellow campers were quiet and friendly. During the week, we basically had the place to ourselves. All in all, we loved our stay here and would absolutely come back if we found ourselves in the area.
