Riverside Acres Campground & Cottages, Clayton, NY

About

For New York residents seeking the ultimate getaway combining serene outdoor living with unparalleled access to one of the state's most iconic natural wonders, Riverside Acres Campground & Cottages in Clayton, NY, is a must-visit destination. This isn't just another place to pitch a tent; it’s a family-oriented, pet-friendly community and a strategic home base right in the heart of the world-famous Thousand Islands region.

Riverside Acres is renowned among its guests not only for its clean, well-maintained facilities but for the truly exceptional dedication of its owners, Pam and John. It’s this personal touch and commitment to guest comfort that sets it apart. As one long-time guest attests, the owners are "very accommodating and always make our stay very enjoyable and comfortable." This level of hospitality is why visitors, from seasoned RV enthusiasts to professional anglers, return year after year.

Anglers, in particular, will find Riverside Acres the perfect launchpad for successful fishing events on the St. Lawrence River. One reviewer, a bass tournament participant, highlighted the owner's willingness to go "above and beyond," accommodating two boats, providing electric hookups, and even facilitating last-minute shipping of fishing supplies. This level of support ensures that every aspect of your stay—whether for leisure or sport—is made easy.

Open seasonally from the first weekend in May until the third weekend in October, the campground offers flexibility for everyone, from those looking for a quick weekend escape to New Yorkers seeking a full season of adventure in the Thousand Islands. The variety of accommodations, from rustic tent sites to fully equipped cottages, ensures a comfortable experience regardless of your preferred camping style.

Location and Accessibility: The Gateway to the Thousand Islands

Riverside Acres Campground & Cottages boasts a prime location in Northern New York, putting you right in the center of the Thousand Islands experience.

The physical address is 38421 NY-12E, Clayton, NY 13624, USA.

P Central Thousand Islands Hub: The campground is situated directly on New York State Route 12 East (NY-12E), just a short, scenic drive—approximately 1.2 miles—west of the charming village of Clayton. This central placement makes it incredibly convenient for exploring all the major attractions of the 1000 Islands region, including Alexandria Bay, Cape Vincent, and Sackets Harbor.

P Proximity to Attractions: Guests are centrally located to enjoy everything the area has to offer, from boat tours to iconic landmarks. Day trips to Boldt Castle, Singer Castle, the Antique Boat Museum, and local wineries and distilleries are easily accomplished. This is a critical advantage for New York travelers who want to maximize their sightseeing time.

P Accessibility for Vehicles: The location off a major state route ensures easy access for all vehicle types, including large RVs and motorhomes. Many sites are pull-thrus, making navigation easy for those hauling boats or large trailers.

P Connectivity: While you are in the great outdoors, essential amenities like free Wi-Fi and cable TV are provided, offering a practical balance between nature retreat and modern convenience. Additionally, cellular service, particularly with major carriers like Verizon, is often reported as having good coverage in the area, a relief for those who need to stay moderately connected.

Services Offered: Beyond the Campsite

Riverside Acres is committed to providing a full-service stay, offering a comprehensive range of options for every type of camper or vacationer.

LI Diverse Site Options: The campground features a wide variety of site types to suit all needs and budgets, including:

LI Full Hookup Sites (Water, Sewer, and Electric) for RVs and Motor Homes, with 30- and 50-amp service available.

LI Water and Electric Sites for smaller campers and pop-ups.

LI Tent Sites, with the option for electric hookups.

LI Permanent and Seasonal Sites for long-term residents who want a summer home in the Thousand Islands.

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LI Rental Accommodations: For those who prefer not to tow or tent, the campground offers fully equipped rental units:

LI Efficiencies: Large, single-room units complete with a kitchen, living area, and bathroom.

LI Cottage Rentals: A spacious four-bedroom cottage that can be rented as a whole or in half-sections, each sleeping five people comfortably, and including a kitchen and bathroom (note: guests supply their own bedding and towels).

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LI Angler-Friendly Services: The owners are exceptionally accommodating to the fishing community, offering services such as facilitating package delivery for last-minute gear and providing the necessary electric hookups and ample space for tournament boat parking.

LI Essential Facilities: Clean and well-maintained restroom and bathhouse facilities are available, ensuring a comfortable stay for all guests, particularly tent campers.

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Features and Highlights: Family Fun and Community

Riverside Acres is designed with family enjoyment and community interaction in mind, offering amenities that elevate the traditional camping experience.

LI Swimming Pool: A refreshing, well-maintained in-ground pool is a major highlight, perfect for cooling off after a long day of sightseeing or fishing.

LI Children’s Playground: A dedicated playground area ensures that younger guests have a safe and fun space for outdoor activity.

LI Game Room: A full game room provides indoor entertainment with activities like pinball machines, a pool table, foosball, and board games, offering a great alternative for rainy days or evening fun.

LI Planned Camp Activities: The campground fosters a sense of community with scheduled events such as pig roasts, fish fries, picnics, outside movie nights, and community campfires.

LI Individual Site Amenities: Every site includes onsite fire pits and a picnic table, allowing guests to enjoy traditional camping activities like cooking outdoors and relaxing by the fire.

LI Pet-Friendly Policy: Recognizing that pets are part of the family, Riverside Acres is a pet-friendly park, allowing New York families to bring their four-legged friends along for the adventure.

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Contact Information

To reserve your site or cottage and start planning your Thousand Islands vacation, please use the following contact details.

Address: 38421 NY-12E, Clayton, NY 13624, USA

Phone: (315) 686-4001

Mobile Phone: +1 315-686-4001

Conclusion: The Ideal New York State Retreat

Riverside Acres Campground & Cottages is an excellent choice for New York locals for several compelling reasons. It offers a perfect blend of high-quality, amenity-rich camping and the unbeatable location of the Thousand Islands. For downstate and central New Yorkers, the drive is a rewarding journey to one of the most picturesque regions in the country.

The core value proposition here is the welcoming, family-run atmosphere. Owners Pam and John consistently receive praise for their kindness and helpfulness, creating a supportive, neighborly environment that many New Yorkers seek when escaping city life. Whether you are traveling for a fishing tournament, seeking a quiet spot to park your RV, or looking to rent a cozy cottage for a week of family fun, Riverside Acres provides the foundation for an unforgettable trip. By choosing this campground, you secure not just a place to stay, but a friendly community and a well-equipped base camp to fully experience the rich history, vast waters, and unique charm of the legendary Thousand Islands.

Reviews

This is our second summer staying at Riverside Acres, and we couldn’t be happier with the experience. Pam has consistently gone above and beyond to accommodate us. My tournament partner and I travel to fish bass events, bringing both of our boats and tent camping with electric hookups. Pam has made everything easy—from letting us ship last minute baits to doing us several small but meaningful favors. The owners are incredibly kind, and the campground has everything we need to prepare, practice, and fish successfully. Highly recommend for any angler or camper looking for a great spot with even better people.

Jul 13, 2025 · Addison Kelly

We’ve stayed at this campground for multiple years. Pam and John are very accommodating and always make our stay very enjoyable and comfortable. There is a nice pool, playground for kids, electric/water hookups and the sites are plenty big. If you're a camper and are looking for a great place to stay give it a try. You won’t regret it.

Jul 05, 2025 · Tracy Hanchett

I cannot say enough about how much my father and I loved staying here! These amazing owners were able to get us a site for the 4th of July weekend last minute. We scooped up the last spot and we could not have been happier. The campgrounds itself is small, quiet and perfect. Our site was perfect and a very decent size in the shade. Did I mention it was quiet?? That is a major plus when you're tenting. The lovely owners even had a Pig Roast to which everyone was invited and could bring a dish to pass, I don't think ive seen that much food in years. Absolutely fabulous and we were stuffed afterwards. The owners even stopped by a few times to make sure we had everything we needed and to just check up. Not to mention she brought us some of her own homemade strawberry ice cream within 20mins of us getting to our site! That's what I call hospitality!! I am so happy that we were able to stay here. We just got back home and are already thinking about booking a site for this fall. We cannot thank them enough for making our trip perfect. Thank you sooooo much for everything and we will definitely be back soon!!

Jul 08, 2025 · Samantha McDonald

We have camped all over New York State and have never had a bad experience until we tried Riverside Acres. One of the owners, Pam, asked that we call her when 5 minutes out. We did and wait until 10 minutes for her as she stopped to yell at other campers while on her golf cart. After tersely telling us her rules - including a 5 mph speed limit, which we felt was reasonable- she led us to our campsite. As I was driving 5 mph- we lost Pam who was indeed breaking this rule on her golf cart. The Campgrounds amenities were less than stellar. There was a dusty, dimly light game room that appeared to have not been touched in decades. The bathrooms floors were dirty. The coin operated 4 minute showers was something that I will never forget. The pool was very nice but we were told that we could only use it if there were two adults in there at all times. Our "campsite" was in the middle of an open field with other campers. There was no septic hook ups which we knew about in advance. I had to leave with our son for a few days. My wife and daughter stayed behind. That night, lights flickered in our camper and our AC went off and circuits were popping. My wife called for help and Pam's husband, John, showed. Up. He rudely accused of having a poorly wired camper- our 5th wheel was a new 2025- only on our second trip. He also rudely told her that she shouldn't have requested a 30 amp. She emphatically denied as she knows our 40 foot camper runs on a 50 amp. This was requested multiple times with as we had previously made our reservation over the phone. Pam admitted that it was her mistake and she also admitted to moving our site. John pointed out that no other campsite would help people in "the middle of the night".... It was only 9:15 PM at the end of June! We have been at Swan Bay as well as several KOA s in New York State, and had wonderful pleasant people help us well after his "middle of the night" time. John continued to insist as he yelled inches from my wife's face (witnessed by my daughter and reported by my wife) that our RV was wired wrong and he boasted that he had a degree in electrical engineering from Penn State. He stated that he knew what he was talking and that my wife needed to listen to him. My wife and I have several degrees but we both know that no degrees are needed to be kind to people. He kindly hooked a battery charger to our (labeled) Deep Cycle battery. My wife called me and said that nothing seemed to be working and I asked if the charger was on regular or derp cycle. It was regular so my wife switched it over to the correct setting. Unable to have any power, my wife and daughter, fleed early and paid for a Vrbo in the area. We had made arrangements to keep our RV there and John was nice enough to help us move it. The price for the unoccupied camper stay increased from the quoted $50 to $100 which I found out about when I arrived. It seemed reasonable at that time. Pam said that for our troubles that she would reimburse us the $100 with a check since we were taking it back home to the Finger Lakes area to have our RV dealer look it over. When I arrived for pick up - Pam indeed handed me a check - only made out for $50.00. No money was offered for the day that we had to leave. After a thorough check from our RV dealer- it was found that our camper was fine. We have enjoyed using our RV to its fullest capacities at other campgrounds the rest of this summer. We were greatly disappointed and are still aggravated by our experience this summer at the Riverside Acres campground in Clayton, NY

Aug 10, 2025 · Phil Bariteau

This is an awesome place to stay. It is very family friendly and the owners do all they can to make sure your experience is great. The sites are good size, you get electric and water and even WiFi. They even have ice and wood on site for a very good price . Would definitely recommend!

Jul 06, 2025 · Alycia Moore

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