Wilmington Notch Campground and Day Use Area

• Dates of Operation:
  • Opening Date: May 10
  • Closing Date: October 14
• Camping Fee: $18 per night (out of state residents surcharge additional $5 per night)
• Address: 4953 NYS Route 86, Wilmington, NY 12997 (directions below)
• County: Essex
• GPS Info. (Latitude, Longitude): 44 21 00.42396N, 073 51 39.72175W
• Campground Phone: (518) 946-7172
• Regional Office Phone: (518) 897-1309
• Make Your Camping Reservation: ReserveAmerica

Wilmington Notch Campground and Day Use Area Map (PDF) || DECinfo Locator

Firewood Restriction Map (PDF) shows the 50-mile radius from which untreated firewood may be moved to this campground. Help prevent the spread of invasive pests and diseases by following New York's firewood regulation.

Wilmington Notch is located beside the Ausable River and accommodates fishermen looking to challenge the rapids in search of a great catch.

Olympic Whiteface Mountain is on the other side of the river and offers a gondola ride to the summit with a great view for miles.

Lake Placid Olympic Village is a short 8 miles from this campground offering unlimited attractions.

The campground is situated in a birch and pine grove at the base of Whiteface Mountain.

Amenities

54 campsites, hot showers, flush toilets, trailer dump station, recycling center, firewood and ice sales, picnic area.

Accessible Features

In the camping area, wheelchair accessible features include the:

• Shower building (near Campsite 36)

See Maps, Directions, and Featured Activities sections on this page for more details on these features. Visit the DEC Accessible Recreation web page for additional accessible recreation opportunities including a full listing of Accessible Features at DEC Campgrounds and Day Use Areas.

Campsite Restoration Project

This campground has sites that have been selected for restoration. While undergoing restoration the chosen sites will be closed. For the list of sites and more information on the project visit the Campsite Restoration Project page.

Directions

From the Northway (I-87) northbound: Exit 30 Route 73 north to Lake Placid. Route 86 8 miles east of Village of Lake Placid. Campground is on the left side of the road.

From the Northway (I-87) southbound: Exit 34 route 9N south to Jay; Route 86 south to Wilmington; 4 miles west of the village, right side of the road.

From Tupper Lake: Route 3 east to Saranac Lake, Route 86 through Lake Placid; 8 miles past the village, campground is on left side of the road.

Get driving directions from Google Maps 

Planning and Management

The Final Unit Management Plan (UMP) for the campground guides the DEC's land management activities at this facility for a five-year period, although a number of goals and objectives in the plan focus on a much longer time period. The UMP addresses specific objectives and actions for public use at this facility.

For more information regarding the UMP for this facility please contact the Bureau of Recreation, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY12233, Telephone 518 457-2500, and email for campground information

Additional Information

Area Attractions

For sightseers, Wilmington Notch is the ideal campground. It is five miles from Santa's Workshop, one mile from High Falls Gorge (a series of spectacular falls on the west branch of the Ausable River) and seven miles from the Whiteface Mountain Memorial Highway, which winds its way to the summit of the majestic mountain. Also, just minutes away in the Lake Placid vicinity, are the other Olympic venue sites.

Historic Interest

The campground first opened to the public for camping in 1926 with 12 developed camping sites, and it has been expanded to 54 sites.