Round Pond Recreation Area

A great place to get off the road and really relax, clean, secure, and very easy to access. We pull a 35 foot travel trailer, and there are a few of the back area sites where it gets a bit tight... main access road, and route to dump station is no problem at all. Stop here multiple times a year ... love and enjoy the area. Base facilities (commissary, gas, etc.) just a few minutes away. Have a good time!! * I must agree with the comments on the entrance road... a very steep drive up, then down into campground (basically driving up and over a ridge)...so keep in low gear, and take your time ... not too big of a deal :-)

M.T. left this review using the Directory software: Tent camping overnight. I had the tent area to myself. The staff was very courteous and professional. Outstanding stay. I enjoyed the sound of various firing ranges during the late afternoon, but don't worry, they are silent by sundown.

This is the first time I've stayed here at Round Pond, even though I spend at least a week a year in this area visiting relatives. I've read the previous reviews and was leery of staying for any length of time with only water and electric, and without Internet access. Since I was only going to be here for a week this trip, I decided to give it a try. The experience was well worth it. The campground is beautiful and very well maintained. Last weekend being the Labor Day holiday, I thought it would be crowded and noisy with folks just here for the day. Maybe the high fuel costs are keeping people away, but I don't think the CG was even half full. Several cookouts and party's were in full swing at some of the pavilions, but not overly noisy or out of hand. The price was higher than at most military CG's, but is a bargain for this area. I've stayed at private CG's in this area that were not nearly as nice for twice the price. The site I stayed in (C-1) was very large, level, and heavily wooded.....nice for camping, but terrible for cell phone service and Internet...LOL. I was able to get online using my Verizon AirCard, but only intermittently....mainly early morning and late evening. Cell phone service was bad. The signal kept fading and the call would drop. All things considered however, I would recommend Round Pond to anyone visiting the area. As other reviewers have said, it is very convenient to New York City and the tour of West Point is a MUST. Oh....BTW....I was a little concerned about the steepness of the hill at the entrance based on the previous reviews, but I had no problem at all with my 29' fifth-wheel, pulled by a Dodge Ram 3500. The one switchback is a little tricky if someone is coming down the hill at the same time, but it shouldn't be a problem for most rigs under 40'. I'm going to try and post some pictures I took of the hill in the photo section as soon as I get into an area with broadband coverage, to help you judge for yourself.

Yes, the hill looks like it belongs in San Francisco but pulling a 6,000 lb trailer with an 8 cyl Ford Explorer (towing package) gave me no trouble going up the hill. At $25 it is not the cheapest, but commercial campgrounds in the area are outrageously expensive. It provides a convenient way to visit NYC and if you don't care to wait three hrs for a return train, cross the river. The trains run on a better schedule there. It is a pleasant, well kept campground on a small lake. Avoid football weekends if you can. nortvoods

Electrical hookup was 20/50 amp, no 30, if you had 30 amp you would need a pigtail adapter, which the campground office sold. Sties had picnic table, freestanding charcoal grill, fire ring, and water hookup. There was a camp store and a dump station as well as a laundrymat. The laundry was closed for the entire time we were there. Our site was #9, close to the bathroom but right across from the dump station, about a hundred feet. The site was right by a dirt path/road which was heavily traveled causing lots of dust and noise throughout the day and evening. The bathrooms were OK but quite outdated and not well maintained and water pressure was not real good. No WIFI or cable but with the ant. we had about 28 channels come in pretty good. There was a beach on the lake but the goose feces covered most of it. Enforcement of rules were slack, checkout times not followed, quiet hours not observed. If in need of diesel, it was much cheaper in New Jersey than New York. Overall not a bad campground but they do need to enforce rules for the benefit of all.

Round Pond is arguably one of the nicest parks in the military system. I am certain that it’s spotless upkeep is in no small part, attributable to the fact that it is part of the U.S. Military Academy, or more commonly West Point. These people have their act together and run a tight ship. Very friendly as well. There is ample evidence of seasonal homesteading though, which surprises me. Here is a brief review of the positives and negatives for the park. POSITIVE: Location, location, location Beautiful surroundings, Close to all base facilities. Helpful and positive staff. New York City Access - Go yourself via commuter train or check with MWR. They run trips to theaters and tourist sites. Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome - An hour and half north but well worth the visit. See their website. Thayer Hotel - Inside the gate at West Point. Excellent Sunday brunch. Revolutionary War history everywhere you look. Visit nearby Forts Montgomery and Clinton. Close to the Appalachian Trail - If you are a hiker this is a must. Access at nearby. Roosevelt State Park or Ft Montgomery. Morgan Kennel run by MWR. If you need to leave your dog for any reason. About a 5 mile drive from the RV park. Clean and run by people who care. Ask at the park office. Woods everywhere you look and many trails. Fishing in the pond. NEGATIVE: No sewer - but sign up for the “honey truck” Monday or Friday. $5. It will relieve you of drives to the sewage dump. Laundry inadequate - two washers, one inop, two dryers. Go into Highland Falls. There is a 24 hour laundromat on the main street. Many washers and dryers that work well. Bugs - can be very aggressive. Take your Deep Woods Off. Gunfire - You are no more than a mile from heavy weapons ranges - Very noisy when in use. If your animals are gun shy be forewarned.

C.H. left this review using the Directory software: Yes, the road in is steep and winding, but it's certainly not a deal-breaker. When choosing a site, ask about your electrical requirements, for some sites have only a 50A hookup. The heated bathhouse with its free hot showers and laundry facilities is located quite a ways from most sites. This was our third stay here and as usual, we enjoyed it.

Rate has gone up to $27 for 50 amp & Water. Good stop for FL to New England. Stop and visit West Point itself - museums, visitor center, chapel, etc. Also take a nice nature hike around Round Pond and then Wilkins Pond using the road right after the Laundry Building. We're Navy - lots of Beat and Sink Navy signs at the football stadiums.

We were in the bath house area which has 10 campsites that are of the lowest quality. It is a tough climb even for our 25 foot TREK. The price is out of site for water and electric. Would not use again because of price and driving conditions in and out. The bath house was Army clean.

We enjoyed our stay at Round Pond a great deal. The staff were wonderful, the facilities were first rate. If you are looking for a get a way, & a commune with nature this is the place. RVs must use I-87 to get to this MWR, all other routes are cars only & you may encounter low clearances on others. The direction given on this site are spot on.

Used this little campground as a stop over spot for a Northeast camping vacation. In retrospect, I should have stayed more than a night and I will likely return. Staff was friendly, campground was immaculately maintained. The beach was very nice. There were several people camping near the bathhouse in an area that appeared to be a parking lot. I'm not sure if that is a normal camping area, but I would not have been happy if I had been parked there. As it was, I had a very nice somewhat secluded campsite that we enjoyed. Cell phone service (AT&T) was available, but spotty.

I was apprehensive about the road into the facility after reading other reviews. People stating it was steep with a couple of switchbacks. They were right. I looked at the satellite view of goggle maps and determined it to be doable with our 43' 5th wheel. Thankfully we did not encounter any on-coming traffic. The camp has a very nice wooded setting which we enjoyed very much. We took advantage of the Leisure Travel office on Post and signed up for a trip into NYC Theater District. "John" was very informative during the 1hr+ ride into town. Dropped us off at the "Discount Ticket Booth" in Times Square, then picked us up after the performance later that night. Getting to NYC by train is the way to go. It is a bit of a drive to get to the train station and parking can be an issue. We opted for the Croton-Harmon Station as it had more parking available. We would have liked to stay longer however, Army was playing Duke that weekend and the park was sold out. Things got a bit noisy as the weekend approached. One of the other sites became "Party Central" and the music was a little loud, but not too bad. We were in site C13 right at the RV dump which was very convenient upon departure. Access to sites 10-11-12 can be a bit tricky if 9 and 13 are occupied. A great place to stay and would do so again.

First stop on two week trip to New York and Maryland. Great location, 1 mile to West Point golf course and 2 to US Military Academy. We arrived two weeks prior to closing of park for the winter, therefore it was very quite. Stayed in site C2. We tow a 25 foot airstream. Trailer sites are not big but adequate. Class A site is small parking lot near rest rooms. Tents and popup sites are in the woods and some of the nicest. Rest room, laundry centrally located. This is a very small park, you can walk around the loop in 15 minutes. Academy is a must see, museum, Thayer hotel, as well. Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow 20 minute drive, NYC 1 hour. We would stay here again. Next stop Naval Academy-Annapolis.

Nice campground and a friendly staff with knowledge of the area. Though the hill is steep I found it not a problem in a 35ft RV with a explorer toad and using second gear up (1st gear once for 75 yards). I had no issues going up or down towing. A beautiful area with much to see. 1 hour or so to NY. The base has all amenities and it is a well kept base. No sewers but a honey wagon for nominal fee. Restrooms adequate. Lovely lake with lots for kids. Some sites are tight but manageable. I would love to go back and spend more time. No Internet connections and difficult for satellite except for those that are there for extended periods. Those sites go quick to students and active. Just to see the academy is worth the trip.

Stayed here for 7 nights and had an good experience overall. The reservation was easy to get and was able to work with staff to adjust by several days at about 3 weeks out. The entrance is up a steep hill but a properly sized tow vehicle should not have any problems. The road is a bit narrow at places so meeting another RV would be an issue. There are several places where the trees are low or hanging into the road where you will scrape if not careful. Initially, we were assigned site C5 that is in the loop behind the dump/bath house. We were directed to drive around this back loop which turned out to be nearly impassable with a 37’ fifth wheel. There are very low overhanging trees and large rocks along the loop. I badly scratched our rig and nearly lost our sewer outlet on a rock. Turns out our rig would not even fit in the assigned site. The staff put us into overflow for the night, which is right next to the office and has electric and water, and found us a better site. The rest of the stay was very enjoyable. There was not much ATT service while on the back side of the pond near the bath house. However, we could get a couple of bars when we walked to the top of the ridge on the other side of the pond. I would stay here again when visiting the area, but I’ll make sure to avoid that back loop.