State agencies finalize plans for Rollins Pond, Golden Beach campgrounds
By Gwendolyn Craig
In response to a flurry of public comments, the state will no longer experiment with extended stays at Rollins Pond Campground in Franklin County, at least for now. Other changes were made to the campground’s unit management plan and to Golden Beach Campground’s plan in Hamilton County, both of which the Adirondack Park Agency approved on Thursday.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation proposed in August allowing longer stays at the 519-acre Rollins Pond Campground as a possible way to address campers who skirt its reservation limit. The DEC has found campers use different email addresses or have family members reserve additional weeks to thwart the 14-night rule that applies to DEC campgrounds from July 1 to Labor Day.
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The trial was to be part of the campground’s unit management plan, which went out for public comment. The APA, charged with long-range planning in the park, reviews these plans for conformance with its own rules and regulations.
Josh Houghton, a natural resource planner with the DEC, said most commenters were against an extended camping stay. The department received many complaints about the misuse of existing campsites and availability. The DEC received 23 written comments and 684 responses to a survey about the management plan.
Jerry Delaney, executive director of the Adirondack Park Local Government Review Board, said he had read the feedback and felt it warranted an investigation. The 1955-era campground has an occupancy rate of 32%.
“You look at Reserve America, and it says they’re almost full and they’re not,” Delaney said, referencing the online platform the DEC uses for some reservations.
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Art Lussi, an APA board member, said something is not right if the campground is not at 80% occupancy during July and August.
The frustration goes beyond the Adirondack campground, Houghton said, and the department is looking at other solutions. The DEC recently has accommodated same-day reservations, which Houghton said has helped when there are no-shows. Houghton also said the DEC is looking at getting rid of its cancellation fee.
The DEC made other changes to the unit management plan including adding language around cleaning, draining and drying boats to protect against invasive species spread and requiring a “periodic review” of the boat launch for the potential to convert it to a hand launch site.
The plan also authorizes DEC to make upgrades to the campground, from new comfort stations to construction of a trail bridge to the Adirondack Rail Trail, the 34-mile multi-use trail connecting Tupper Lake and Lake Placid. It’s unclear when work, now that it has been approved by the APA, could begin. Project estimates for the management actions exceed $7 million.
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The DEC also presented changes to the Golden Beach Campground and Day Use Area’s unit management plan, which the APA adopted. The campground is in the hamlet of Raquette Lake in Hamilton County and has operated since 1931.
The department received 10 comments and 192 survey responses on its plan for the 106-acre site, most in favor. The DEC plans to add more accessible features for people with disabilities including accessible restrooms, showers and beach pavilion.
The DEC also plans to rehabilitate campground roads, restore some campsites and replace a number of buildings. It’s unclear when that work may happen, too. The estimated cost of the projects is around $6.3 million.
Top photo: People who camp at Rollins Pond Campground must drive through Fish Creek Campground to get to their sites. Photo by Mike Lynch
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This happens everywhere. We are in NC and all the prime camp spots have the same campers there all season long.
Golden Beach Campground is actually in the Town of Arietta. Certainly, it would appear to be in the Hamlet of Raquette Lake to most. In 1928, the land surrounding the three “Great Camps” ( Sagamore, Uncas and Kil Kare) south of Raquette Lake were located in the Town of Arietta. Local voters who were housed at the camps, wanted to be able to vote in local Town of Long Lake elections. A transfer of jurisdiction occurred, and the camps became part of the Town of Long Lake and an equal area became part of Arietta. [See History of Hamilton County: King & Aber]
Thanks for the clarification, Mitch!
Please do not allow extended stays at campgrounds. Many families already locked out of sites because of abuse by people who work the system. More monitoring needs to be done.
While they are considering getting rid of the cancellation fee, which I think is a great idea, how about they also seriously consider ditching RESERVE AMERICA and bring it back in-house.
NYS has a manned call center in Rotterdam and hence there is no reason why that call center couldn’t be taking reservations for campsites for NYS DEC and PARKS. And one would think bringing such functions back in-house has to be more cost effective than paying for it to be outsourced – plus not to mention that ReserveAmerica is headquartered in Texas versus in NY.
I believe extended stays are good up to a certain extent. When people keep a clean and tidy camp area then I see no reason for them to be push out. It’s when the next one that moves in and trashes the area is the one that makes it bad for everyone. They are the ones that need to move on. I believe that if someone keep their area clean and tidy then they should be rewarded with extended time. If they don’t abide by the rules and trash their area then they should have a shot stay and move one. It just that simple.
Not really that simple, Dale. I don’t disagree that some folks are slobs but that has no bearing on how long they should stay unless they are damaging property. “Clean and tidy” is relative and subjective.
Some folks, those with huge RVs (often retirees) lock up sites selfishly for extended periods – especially coveted lake side sites. I’ve even seen these RVs only used during the weekends and left closed up during the week. There should indeed be limits so that other people can use the campground, too. Working families that have limited vacation time, for example.
Drop Reserve America immediately. It’s a technical mess costing money that need not be spent. Bring reservations in house and the customer/ camper satisfaction will improve greatly and at considerable cost savings.
I am excited that the DEC took to heart all the criticism against the extended stay experiment for the Rollins Pond campground. Since the onset of Covid-19, campground has become overcrowded and nearly impossible to get a reservation. The 14 day limit is adaquet enough. It gives other the opportunity to camp. Now, if they can only fix the situation with Rollins Pond access. It is true you need to drive through Fishcreek to get to Rollins Pond and that is a long drive. If you have a site well into Rollins, it takes forever driving at the posted speed limit. They need to come up with an entrance off the main road for Rollins so we do not need to go all through Fishcreek.
I have seen several RVs parked at sites when no campers are occupying the site. This is WRONG, the campground is for everybody to get a chance to camp. The caretakers know the campers are away for several days during the week. Rules are rules and people always find ways to skirt them, depriving others to enjoy the campground.