Camping In Mountaindale, NY: Winter Edition

Winter camping is something my dad has been trying to do for YEARS now and something about the way the stars alligned made it the perfect time to make it happen. My dad’s adventurous spirit is very inspiring. He loves nature and the outdoors. On our camping trips, you’ll always see him making a fire and staying up until it burns out admiring the embers. Ever since we were younger on our skiing trips, he’d even teach me how to make a fire in the chalet. This past summer we went camping and I was able to make my OWN fire. I knew that I was ready for the challenge. To brave it out in the temperatures for an adventure of a lifetime. Since nobody else in the family wanted to brace for the freezing temperatures, it was the perfect daddy-daughter trip. So the adventure begins.

Where To Go Winter Camping

For starters, any New York state parks website is absolute trash. It’s so hard to navigate. You google, “winter camping in ny” and come across a link with those EXACT keywords all to be welcomed with campsites that are closed until April. It wasn’t until my Dad suggested Hipcamp that we started to see some cool results.

Hipcamp is the Airbnb of the outdoors. You can rent a campsite, tent, RV, glamping and more! It’s easier to sign up than Airbnb and based on my experience, 10/10 would recommend. While on our search, Majestic Farm had EXACTLY what we were looking for.

Close proximity to NYC: Anything over 3 hours of driving is just too much because with traffic it could easily double. Luckily, this place was only 2 hours away.
Affordable: A nice Airbnb cabin in the woods could cost easily $300 > a night!! Here it’s $180 a night and perfect for the price. Two nights is less than one night on Airbnb
Around Nature/Camping Feel: it was too cold to camp with a whole tent, so this little home was perfect!

I love that owners added things to do in the description which is how I found out about the town of Mountaindale, NY. Mountaindale is a cute town in the Hudson Valley that is worth visiting for the weekend. It’s a small town so you can do everything in two days. It has restaurants, cafes, a yoga studio, a thrift store, nearby hiking trails, and a ski mountain! It made the planning process super simple because everything was planned out for us!

Camping Highlights

Camping Expectations & What To Pack

You’re roughing it for three days and two nights so it’s really easy to overlook basic necessities. Given that we went during Winter, making sure we were warm should have been #1 priority. I’m writing this because we underestimated just how cold it got and how uninsulated the home we stayed in was. With that said, your basic winter essentials along with camping items are going to go a long way!

Winter Essentials

Scarf
Hat
Thermals (long underwear and shirt)
Thermal socks (if you have heated)
Gloves (preferably heavy-duty ski gloves not the fabric ones)
Hiking boots
Snow boots
Sneakers
snow pants
Winter jacket
BLANKETS! Probably 3-4 PER PERSON
Pillows

Camping Essentials

CAMPING BAG! I can’t believe I forgot mine so such a silly mistake I hope you guys don’t make
Headlamps
Hammocks
Lighter (to start the fire)
Paper (preferably paper you plan on shredding anyways)
Shovel (came in handy for making the fire and around the camp)
camping stove (depends if you want to cook or eat in the town- we ate in the town mostly and packed snacks)
Camping lights (once it’s 4pm, it’s D A R K!!)
Toilet paper
Water bottle
Microspikes – ** A MUST. You don’t want to slip and break a leg. The best $70 I spent at the REI store.
First Aid Kit: you never know when emergencies will happen. Get a first aid kit with lots of supplies. Tweezers, safety pins, band-aids, ointments
Medicine: I always get sinus infections after camping trips so packing Sudafed, Excedrin, Advil, saline spray, etc will help you rough it out!

Things To Do In Mountaindale, NY (Besides Camping)

As I mentioned, this town has a charm to it and can be explored in two days which is the perfect weekend trip. Any longer might’ve been overkill. I love small towns like this because your business makes such an impact! Each place has the BEST service, the NICEST people and I couldn’t recommend this town more!

Shopping / Health & Wellness

Great Eye Finds: Antiquing/Thrifting is so much fun and at Great Eye Finds, you’re BOUND to find something you love. This is the perfect spot to get a gift and the owners are SUPER helpful!
Mountaindale Yoga: If you’re looking for a day to destress and relax, this yoga studio not only has yoga, but aerial yoga and even Bollywood classes. Check out the link for more info!
Visit Nearby Towns: Of course, I have to recommend visiting New Paltz, probably MY FAVORITE town in the Hudson Valley! Check out my post here. Another town to visit is Livingston Manor which is also a half-hour drive away.
Farmer’s Markets: When the weather is nicer (from June to September) the owner recommends going to the Farmers Market on Saturdays in Rock Hill from 10-1 pm from June to September

Adventure / The Outdoors

Tubing: This has some of the best prices on the market so highly recommend coming here for some tubing fun! $25 for an hour is a steal in my book. The area gets decent amounts of snow making it the perfect winter tubing adventure! Check out the link here for more info!
Hiking Trails: There is superb hiking nearby at Neversink Unique Area in Rock Hill.
- Cold Spring Road Access Trailhead provides hiking access to the Neversink River on the RED-marked trail. From the parking lot, the river is about 3 miles.
- Katrina Falls Trailhead provides access to the Mullet Brook loop about 5 miles on the BLUE-marked trail. Also accessible from this point is the trail to High Falls; about 3 miles on the BLUE marked trail.
- Wolf Brook Trailhead can also be used to access the Mullet Brook Loop and High Falls Trail.
- Bashakill trails (and conveniently a vineyard with tastings and events right nearby). Fifteen miles of walking trails and several observation towers enhance the visitor’s outdoor experience.
- One trail follows the historic D&H Canal which borders the Bashakill on the west. On the east side of the marsh, the O & W railroad bed is used as a trail as well.
Enjoy Camp Life: After all, a weekend of winter camping is spent admiring nature. The beautiful premise has some of the most surreal views of mother nature in its true element.

Where To Eat In Mountaindale, NY (Besides Camping)

The Dale: Delicious pizza, great service, live music & good times. What more can you ask? They also have a nightlife scene on weekends until 3 am! It has a hipster charm to it that I love! 10/10 recommend. Check it out here!
Creek Bar Catskills: The owner of the Hipcamp stay states this is a “magical cafe & bar with outdoor seating and fire pits that serves delicious modern Polish American comfort food, great cocktails and has live music and events on weekends”. We went and it was pretty empty, so I’d have to come back and see it in its glory! Check it out here! (They recently changed names, so the domain hasn’t been updated yet!
Forage Gather Market: This is a one stop shop. They have a grocery store, bookstore, cafe with delicious bites, souvenir store (handmade soaps, cards, tarot cards, candles & more!) There’s tons of seating available so the more the merrier!

There You Have It

It’s safe to say that this was the adventure of a LIFETIME! We had so much fun and experienced a lot in just two nights/three days. I love experiences like this because you not only have fun, but learn, challenge yourself, and grow. This trip reminded me that we are so much more capable than we’d like to think and by going out of your comfort zone, the reward tends to be 100x greater. Special thanks to my dad for joining me on this adventure, making me laugh the whole time, and being the best camping buddy! I love you daddy!