Watch Hill Fire Island Campground & Safari Tent Glamping

This place is magical. Yes there are some mosquiotos and bugs but you’re in the middle of nowhere - it’s to be expected and really isn’t as bad as the person below makes out. I can only assume that they are used to 5* hotels surrounded by “things to do”. If you want a little adventure and beautiful scenery and quiet then this is your place. The staff were great, we had an amazing stay

The area around Watch Hill Campground is stunning. The people working there are lovely and helpful and the other guests were friendly and respected quiet hours. However this year, cuts to the NATIONAL PARK SERVICE are clearly affecting the quality of the experience for all. No ranger programs during the week; no lifeguards during the week that I could see. The showers were moldy and filthy and the few shower curtains remaining were torn and black with mold. The water is cold of course but that is to be expected. I couldn’t bring myself to enter the shower. Our glamping tent had a broken zipper and a huge tear in the screen and there was no one to report this to. Mosquitoes also bad but that is no one’s fault. The beauty of the place makes it worth a visit but be prepared.

I went at end of season. I didn't have a "glamp" so I am not reviewing it. Great time! Expect to wake up early because the catbirds will wake you. Exceptionally peaceful. BRING your bug spray! The real stuff, with DEET because salt marsh mosquitoes are built differently.

DO NOT come here if you hate mosquitos, use your phone alot (there is only 2 outlets in the entire campsite that were actually working), and shower with hot water (basically nonexistent) The mosquitos were unstoppable to the point where bug spray wont do anything. We found cockroaches, spiders, and colonies of ants in the showers (both men and women.) This place also has nothing to do at all. All you can do is walk around the nonexistent “town” or you can go to a bar. The only thing thats mildly good is the food. The french fries were seasoned well and the pina coladas tasted amazing (the review has to do with the campsite not the food so i wont be adding any extra stars) The service was also horrible at the general store. Well in a short summary, dont come here. Cold water, almost no outlets, Mosquitos dragon flys cockroaches ticks i can go on!

WARNING ! Mosquito infested camp sites. The evenings were torture and made unbearable by the shear quantity of mosquitos - we're not talking hundreds, we're talking thousands, easily hundreds of thousands. We retreated and were confined to our small tent just to escape the swarms of biting parasites. Day time around the tent site was only marginally better. You might bathe yourself in Deet, the known carcinogen substance that is the main ingredient in bug sprays, but what fun is that? For any relief make a dash for the beach front through clouds of mosquitos only to return to your camp site through the gamut of pestilence. The authorities either need to spray insecticide, which is probably detrimental to the larger ecosystem, or simply warn people ahead of time. But of course making this fact public would have an effect on what? Cash-flow. "Glamping"? Folks, there is nothing "glamorous" about being eaten alive by parasites. Nuisance deer, acclimated to tourists and their picnic baskets and covered in another parasitic bug, ticks, cruise the campsites while tourists sleep, so stow food-stuffs tightly in open proof containers and check your body cavities for tick implantation - sexy eh? Perhaps culling the herd would help? But of course there are a lot of visitors who want to see the wildlife, Bambi & Rocky Raccoon, up close. Trouble is, if the wildlife have become acclimated to our breakfast cereal, potato chips, and hotdogs are they still "wildlife" or just nuisance animals? It begs the question - no? The toilet and shower facilities are ill-kept, if kept at all. We even got mosquito bites while showering on body parts I'd rather not talk about. Wear your flip-flops because the mold and fungus in the showers is fairly nasty. Cold water only in dirty buildings. Who is the money for this place going to? They should be fined and hauled into court for embezzlement. Better to come after the first hard frost in the off-season but, alas, you can't without a personal boat because the ferry does not run at the close of the official Bug Season. It's too bad, because after a good hard freeze this place would be ideal and offer solitude in an awe inspiring marine environment, barrier island setting. But during Bug Season? IT IS A NIGHTMARE of pestilence, and my experienced advise is to, STAY AWAY. Even tons of bug spray does not help to keep the vicious mosquitos from following and biting you. But even that will not save you so be sure to schedule an appointment with your doctor to check for Lime Disease, Malaria, West Nile Virus, and Dengue Fever. Happy trails!

The campground has excellent infrastructure and is remarkably close to the beach--moreso than other sites I've been to. The bathrooms are comfortable and better than what is offered at most beaches/campsites. The general store is well-stocked, and the restaurant by the docks was very good. When the weather is good, falling asleep on a sandy campground without the rain fly on your tent so you can see the stars and hear the ocean is a beautiful experience.||I would say that the two biggest drawbacks were the price and, as others have mentioned, the insects.||It is difficult to reserve 1 night camping as when we booked we were forced to buy 3 nights minimum, which netted out to $118. Glamping options are more available, but also much more expensive.||The insects were ravenous. There is an electronic bug killing machine at each campsite, but I would definitely bring 100% DEET and wear long sleeved clothing and pants when at camp. If your machine is not on, notify the general store immediately--you will need ALL the relief you can get.||Outside of the campsites the only other insects to be encountered are sandflies on the beach. Their bites can sting a bit, and they only strike if your repellant has washed off and you are sitting still.

My family and I went backcountry camping in the wilderness section of the campground. The beach was beautiful with lots of interesting finds from the ocean! It can get very cold and windy, so keep that in mind when planning your attire and camp set up. We also stumbled across an interesting arrangement of props that could either be a ritualistic site of a religion I don't know about or an art exhibit. Still pretty cool though!

We went camping here over Labor Day weekend. Our camping game is high (meaning we have lots of gear to make it super comfy), but trying to limit our equipment knowing that we have to carry everything from the ferry to the campsite was stressful. But we did it, and it was 100% worth it! Here is what we learned: It is buggy!! Bring Picaridin spray for the body. We had 2-6 oz cans between 5 people, and we used them both for the 5 day weekend. Spray tents with Sawyer insect repellent to keep the bugs away from the tents. If you have, bring a cart. It is quite a hike with your gear from ferry to campsite, and in the heat is it's not fun. You can borrow carts from the ferry station area. Ask the staff. Bring bungee chords to keep all your equipment in place on the carts There is camp store with all necessary supplies, but it is expensive. If you can organize and bring everything from mainland, it will be cheaper. There is boardwalk everywhere. Unless you are wilderness camping on the beach, you won't have to drag anything through sand (phew!!) Choosing a campsite: The map on the reserve america is not clear. Some campsites are two in an alcove area. If you are a group of two sites, you need to pick correctly. Site 10 is solo site. 11/12, 9/8, 7/6 are alcove, the others are in row next to each other. Unlike other campgrounds we have been to, these sites are on the smaller side. In our 11/12 site we luckily picked an alcove area, we had two sleeping tents and bug tent. There is a restaurant at the marina which becomes a disco on the weekend. The food is pretty good, cocktails are not bad! Beach is walking distance from the tents with a lifeguard Lots of birds, and very chatty gray catbirds (bring ear plugs! I kid you not! One was right outside our tent at 5 am!!) It seems that a lot of families come back every year on the same weekend, and it felt like close community. National Parks have lots of activities during the day. On Monday they had a canoeing trip. You had to sign up the day of the trip to get a spot. Highly recommend, and we will make it an annual trip! I am not sure the glamping sites are worth the price but we have all camping gear. I can't speak of their comfort.