Introduction
Stunning Woodland Valley Campground lies nestled at the foot of Slide Mountain, the tallest peak in the Catskills. Those unfamiliar with this part of New York state will quickly become aware of the stunning beauty available to them here. As well as offering a campground with 70 tent and trailer/RV sites, the area offers day use opportunities. Guests traveling with an RV will find sites able to accommodate RV’s up to 30-feet in length in shaded or partly shaded spaces. Note that, although these sites are semi-private, they are not secluded. The park maintains a picnic area with tables and grills, flush toilets, hot showers, a trailer dump station and a recycling center.
Woodland Valley Campground offers guests magnificent hiking opportunities along the Slide-Wittenberg Trail and the Woodland Valley-Denning Trail. Visitors to the area will want to take advantage of the exceptional hiking here. Guests may also wish to try their hand at fishing for supper in the Woodland Valley Stream. This stream is situated beside the campground area. Attractions to this area includes tubing on the Esopus Creek, a railroad museum, and the world's largest kaleidoscope. Guests will also find relaxing train rides through the stunning Catskill mountains should they find the time.
Guests to the campsite will find 70 tent and trailer/RV sites each outfitted with a picnic table, fire pit, and grill. The park maintains flush toilets, hot showers, and a trailer dump station. Most sites are accessible to those with impaired mobility. Due to poor cellphone reception in the area, guests will find a pay phone for their use in the campground.
Camping Accommodations
RV Rentals in Woodland Valley Campground
Transportation in Woodland Valley Campground
The park's address is:
Woodland Valley Campground
1319 Woodland Valley Rd.
Phoenicia, NY 12464
You'll find the park approximately 20-miles from Phoenicia. From Phoenicia, take Rte. 28 across the bridge over the Esopus Creek in Phoenicia. Turn left at the small yellow "Woodland Valley Campground" sign onto Woodland Valley Road. Follow Woodland Valley Road back over the Esopus Creek. And turn right at the "T" after the bridge. Continue left at the first sharp bend and follow Woodland Valley Road approximately six miles to the campground itself.
Guests to Woodland Valley Campground will find parking available to them in the day use area as well as in the campground near the showers.
There is no access to public transportation available within the campground.
Campgrounds and parking in Woodland Valley Campground
Campsites in Woodland Valley Campground
Woodland Valley Campground
Guests will find Woodland Valley Campground nestled at the end of a valley surrounded by the breathtaking beauty of the Catskill Mountains. The campground is surrounded by Slide, Cornell, Panther, and Wittenberg Mountains. Hiking trails abound in this area. The campground acts as the trailhead for the Slide-Wittenberg and Woodland Valley-Denning Trails. Slide Mountain, the tallest peak in the Catskills, offers guests a truly amazing hiking experience. Guests will find most of the campsites here wooded. Of the 72 camp sites, 65 are reservable and some sites can accommodate RVs up to 30-feet in length. Lucky campers will be able to book a site near a small stream. The campground offers a tranquil space for relaxing after a day of hiking and invites guests to cast a line and try their hand at catching dinner.
Woodland Valley Stream contains cutlips minnow, blacknose dace, longnose dace, sculpin, brook trout, brown trout, rainbow trout, and white sucker. The park maintains a campground with both tent and RV/trailer camping. Guests will find the campground outfitted with tables and grills, flush toilets, hot showers, a dump station, a recycling center, and a pay phone. There is a picnic table, firepit, and grill at each camp site. Strict quiet hours are observed between 10 pm and 7 am daily. Guests are free to use their generators between the hours of 9-11 am and 4-7 pm.
When guests need a break from hiking and fishing, they will find other activities of interest in nearby Phoenicia. Phoenicia is renowned for it’s tubing and trout fishing. Guests will also find a railroad museum, skiing in the winter months, and a variety of music and craft festivals in the area.
Seasonal activities in Woodland Valley Campground
Tubing
You'll quickly learn that tubing is a popular pastime in this area. Guests interested in tubing will find facilities available in nearby Phoenicia along the Esopus Creek . Those interested in trying this local pastime will want to be mindful that the Esopus Creek is rated class II whitewater. This means that guests can expect to see one to three foot waves and rapids. Rocks and trees are naturally occurring in this body of water, making it treacherous. Tubers need to be mindful of their environment and physically capable of maneuvering around obstacles they encounter in the water. They also need to have the ability to swim and recover if thrown from the tube.
Hiking
Guests to the Woodland Valley Campground will want to make sure they are traveling with their hiking boots. Located deep in the Catskills, this campground offers guests two exceptional hiking experiences. Guests will find the Wittenberg Mountain Loop or Wittenberg and Cornell Mountains Trail is a challenging eight and a half mile moderately trafficked out and back trail. Guests will see beautiful wild flowers along this trail in the spring time. The trail is best used from April until October due to the real risk of snow and ice. Dogs are welcome along this trail but must be maintained on a leash.
Guests to the Woodland Valley Campground may also wish to try the Phoenicia East Branch Trail. This trail is located near the campground. Guests will follow the yellow-blazed trail up challenging grades. The climb is so steep here that guests will find wooden ladder along certain sections. Once they have passed the ladders, guests will find a narrowing in the trail. Here you will ascend gradually for more than a mile before finding a rocky descent to a stream. Guests will then ascend again and turn onto an old carriage road for approximately two-miles. Guests will ultimately reach a junction with the Giant Ledge-Panther Mountain-Fox Hollow Trail.
Empire State Railway Museum
Guests to Woodland Valley Campground with an interest in trains and local culture will want to stop by the Empire State Railway Museum. In this museum dating back to 1960, you can explore the inside of a Delaware and Hudson Railway baggage car and view the restoration of a 19th-century locomotive. This station is the northwest terminus of Catskill Mountain Railroad’s Kingston-Phoenicia line. The line offers scenic rides of the region in vintage coach cars. The museum is dedicated to preserving the history of these railroads, the local culture and the towns they served.
Fishing
Guests to Woodland Valley Campground with an interest in fishing will want to spend some time beside Woodland Valley Stream. This lovely mountain stream contains a variety of fish. Guests will find cutlips minnow, blacknose dace, longnose dace, sculpin, brook trout, brown trout, rainbow trout, and white sucker living there. Fishing licenses are no longer being sold at any the New York campground facilities, but can be conveniently purchased on-line or by phone prior to arrival.
Kattskill Kaleidoscope
Adventurous visitors to Woodlawn Valley Campground will want to investigate the Kattskill Kaleidoscope. This 60-foot tall kaleidoscope is the largest in the world.
Designed by '60s psychedelic artist Isaac Abrams and his son Raphael, this massive kaleidoscope opened in 1996. Guests to the attraction find themselves leaning into sloping padded boards to gaze into shifting images. See shifting images representing moments in US history set to a similarly patriotic sound track. Approximately 20 guests can fit into the kaleidoscope at a time. Please, be mindful of your comfort in tight spaces when considering this activity.
Shandakin Historical Museum
Visitors to Woodland Valley Campground with an interest in local history will want to experience the Shandakin Historical Museum. Guests will find the museum housed in the former School District No. 10 Building. This 1925 structure appears on the National Register of Historical Places and will reveal to you much of the area’s illustrious history and local family genealogy. The museum, established in 1989, offers frequent educational programs to Shandaken Township residents and tourists. Guests will find the museum opened Friday, Saturday, Sunday & Mondays 10-4 and by appointment.