Catskill Mountains / Gilboa KOA Holiday

Valerie English

2024-04

My husband and I love this place. Yes, there where some changes made last year and not everyone was happy about them. Some feel the need to complain on social media and try to discredit the campground because of the changes. Unfortunately, you can never make everyone happy when change comes into any business. You will always have unhappy people who won't agree with the improvements. Don't let the negative comments stop you from coming and seeing for yourself just how amazing and beautiful this camp ground is.If you look around at what is available at other camp grounds in the area and compare the prices for overnight and seasonal sites, they are very comparable. The rules that are in place are in line with every other park we have camped at and are enforced in order to ensure everyone can have a safe enjoyable time.The staff have so many fun activities and themed weekends. The bands and DJ's are so good and there is karaoke nights with songs for the whole family to sing.All the staff we have met where amazing and went above and beyond to make us feel welcomed. If we had any issues, (which where very few and far between) they where immediately addressed and taken care of. The campground is kept very clean from the bathrooms to the common areas.In addition, this is one of the only campgrounds where I truly feel my furbabies where welcomed and allowed to enjoy the park and all it offers. Dogs have to be well behaved and on a leash like every other park but they are welcome. The park has newly installed dog wash areas. Not many parks have the availability to groom your dog to keep some of the dirt and mess out of your camper. There is a very nice sized dog park where they can have off leash time to run, play and socialize. The staff even included my dog in arts and crafts by making a paw print. They swim with us and enjoy the beautuful creek. My pets look forward to camp as much as we do if not more.The people and staff I have met at camp last year have now become my camp family and we have kept in touch over the winter. We are counting the days until we get to come back home to see old friends and are looking forward to making so many more new ones this year!Photos are of some of our memories from last year with our furbabies.Restrooms: Very Clean and updated

Amy Luke

2024-04

We’ve been seasonal campers for going on 4 years now. What brought us to Nickerson now Catskill Mountains Gilboa was the creek, large sites and wide open fields to play games in but what keeps us coming back is the friends we’ve made there! Things have changed over the years but we have liked the changes and are excited to see the improvements each year! We can’t wait to get back to our spot and share meals with our friends that have become like family! I look forward to setting up my site and relaxing nights by the fire! I added the fishing picture because it’s probably the biggest fish I’ve ever caught! The second photo is from the haunted trail which I had the pleasure of helping set it up and be a part of, this was an absolute blast!

Don Kerzner

2024-05

Spent Mother’s Day weekend here. It’s been a few years since we’ve been here and let me tell you what an improvement to the campground. It is my understanding that there are new owners and it appears that they really care about the place and the staff was fantastic. The new small bathrooms located at different areas of the park are fantastic. They are individual rooms with a shower, sink and toilet. They were spotlessly clean, the water had great pressure and was hot for my whole shower.We perused the activity calendar for the season and were impressed with the lineup of bands and entertainment. Wish our kids were young again. We will absolutely be spending a lot more time here.

Sherstin Lauman

2024-04

This campground is gorgeous! The natural beauty of the park took my breath away. Gina checked us in and was so very nice and helpful. We met the new owners, who were very helpful as well and seemed to genuinely care about our experience, as well as making this a beautiful park for generations to come. The sites were spacious and the kids really enjoyed exploring the play areas and had a ton of fun. We will definitely come back to visit this summer!

April Lewis

2024-04

We love this campground! There are so many activities for the kids and the area is beautiful. All the employees that we encountered were very friendly and helpful. We had a chance to talk with the new owners as well. They genuinely care about improving the campground and making everyone's stay perfect. We will definitely come back!

Virginia Aspenwall

2023-08

Beautiful place to stay. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay here! We stayed on an RV site in the 500s right across from the creek. Wonderful view and spacious campsite. Walking around the campground revealed many other sites we would choose in the future. This place would be awesome for tent camping as well, some of the sites make you feel like you are truly in the woods. They placed bathrooms strategically throughout. We spent time at the creek and at the pool. All in all great place. We lost water at one point and a staff member showed up in less than 3 mins. Not sure what had happened but it was back on right away. We will be back for sure.

wallace west

2024-01

New owners so forget my old review. They only care about the money and not you. Removed rv and found a new place that cares about family and friends.If you have grandkids and want the best camping experience, this is the place. Last year we rented a RV and fell in love with the park. Our grandkids loved it so much. My wife and I brought a RV bunkhouse just for the grandkids for the season here. May 1st to Oct 10 $2300 well worth the money. Every inch of the park is clean and so are the bathrooms and showers. The employee's are more than helpful they make it very easy to appreciate the experience. If your tenting, site 604 is out of this world it has a rock formation and set it a nice spot.

Chol Kim

2023-05

Great for families. Awesome for those afraid of roughing it. The RVs are perfect. They are clean, full kitchen, beds and bathroom with showers. You can also pitch tents on the site right outside the RVs. There is a nice hike to a beautiful waterfall. Amazing views and awesome creek to go fishing and relax. We had a blast!Playground: Multiple playgrounds. Lots of variety. Kids love it.Restrooms: Very clean public shared bathroom with clean showers.Dog-friendliness: Dogs are welcome. Dog park on premises.

Joseph Curtis

2023-09

We had a great weekend, nice campground. My son loved the new bathrooms in the 200 section. We tried Nickerson's because we were fans of Copake KOA, the campground that the Reinard's owned previously (we were disappointed they sold it). They have very high standards, which we appreciate.

Tina Humphrey

2024-05

This koa is absolutely beautiful. With the mountains all around and the schoharie creek running through it, It's quite and very peaceful. The owner is super nice and there are plenty of activities for everyone children and adults. We will come back as many times as we can we love it!!

rick palmer

2024-04

This was my favorite place growing up as a kid. So many good memoriesFishing the creek as a kid was awesome. If they had step counters back then it would have been 20,000 a day. Haven't been back in 25 years and I'm sure things have changed but my memories will be forever.

Tammy Garard

2023-09

I have many great memories of nickerson as a kid. I went back this summer on vacation and had a great time with friends that had never been there. Next camping season we are all going to be seasonal.Playground: Very nice size play ground for kids also water slidesRestrooms: Very cleanDog-friendliness: 2 dog parks for large and small dogs.

Anonymous Writer

2024-04

As a sesonal camper of 7 years i am sad to say the 2023 season will be our last season at nickersons due to the new owner and her inconsiderate and rude family. She has completely ruined the place and made it all about money and not the campers. Go look at her article about how to run a campground as she stated in it that you not be friends with any campers and treat them as what they are ( product/ clients) to me you should run a business especially a campground treating your customers as friends especially the ones who have paid you bills for 7 years! To sum it up she has ruined the whole place and i will never be going back. there are many better campgrounds within 30 min of this rotten place!

Nick E

2022-05

Love this place! The creek, the pool and the waterslides were all big hits with the kids. Camp sites in the 500 level along the woods were very spacious, cant wait to come back next year!

vikki skarzynski

2023-12

New owner and her family are incorrigible. They do not value or even like their customers and feel that faithful patrons are disposable. She drove 125+ seasonal campers who had been there for generations out with nothing more than a poorly typed eviction notice. She purposely and admittedly raised rates ($7000 increase!) so high that no one wanted to renew their seasonal leases. She also has a complete disregard for safety but very readily will make up the details of certain events to cover herself. In conclusion, yes, this is a beautiful campground, too bad it will quickly be run into the ground by a woman who only values money and provides nothing but smoke and mirrors.

Kate Gagnon

2023-08

Huge campground! So clean and the events are just amazing! Water slides and the community feels make it so refreshing to either just spend a weekend there or spend the whole summer!

Mike McDonough

2018-05

My wife and I spent the weekend at Nickerson Park Campground with our camping club and EVERYONE absolutely loved it! The sites were spacious, amenities were excellent, the pool and "water park" were awesome, it was quiet, and the staff was PHENOMENAL!I would give them 10 stars if I could!

William Truax

2020-05

Just cant say enough about Nickerson Park Campground. From the friendly helpful staff to the large, spacious and well maintained sites. This is definitely the way travel trailer camping should be. It is quite appearant that the owners and management take the business seriously. It very noticeable by the upgrades that have been done and the work that is continuing. The natural beauty of the surrounding mountains and Schoharie Creek are astounding. Whether your coming from the next county over or the the next state you will not be disappointed.

Gina Cerutti

2022-05

My wife and I took our 9 year old for the long holiday weekend. After reading reviews about the campground being very family oriented, we thought it was the place for us. But we were wrong! Upon arrival, we were greeted by 2 rude women in the store at check in. One was the manager of the campground (Gina). We chocked up there behavior as them being overwhelmed and busy. We wish that our bad experience stopped there but it didn’t!As we made our way down the hill to our campsite, seasonal campers screamed at us and told us to slow down. Speed limit throughout the park is 5mph…I was going 7mph…We finally made it down 3 levels to our campsite (which was very nice).After an hour drive our 9 year old had to go to the bathroom so while we unhooked there camper she went to the bathroom and they were absolutely disgusting. Stall doors didn’t lock, hair all over the showers and only one working sink. Again, we tried to chock it up to them being busy but we soon learned that this was not the case. No matter what time day or night during our entire 4 day weekend, the bathrooms were horrific. They were not cleaned once yet members of staff drive around on golf carts all day! We booked this campground thinking there would be tons for our kid to do but the “arcade” was 2 claw machines. One was broken and the other one has ripped teddy bears in it.4th of July night we were at a friends camp site up on the 3rd level and when arriving back to our site during quiet arrives we were greeted by sheriff vehicles and a lot of commotion. Loud fire works that sounded like grenades were being set off for a few hours. Come to find out, the police tackled an innocent black woman because members of the staff were racial profiling. Yet again I wish it stopped there.Our last day before checking out was the only nice day weather wise. (Not there fault) but the pool was green and absolutely disgusting they shut it down and didn’t reopen it. So we had to take the kids down to the creek to swim for a few hours before heading out.If I could give this place zero stars I would. I would 10/10 NOT recommend and will 100% NEVER go back!

Ed Sturm

2023-10

I’m sorry to say this place has changed so much in a few short months. What went from a thriving community nestled in the woods, went to heck quickly. The new owner Cathy had ostracized her clients so badly they she chased away almost all 180 seasonal campers. I used to come up every year as my father was a seasonal. I’ve spent the last 23 years there summer after summer. This year I was met with $70+ dollars a night to camp. I was coming in after work and would really only be there last Friday until Sunday. I was told that if I couldn’t get in earlier than 9. Please don’t come. When I said wow 80 a night with tax. Cathy told me that if I didn’t like the prices I could go elsewhere and that I should shop around and see the cost of doing business. Meanwhile I have family there. Seriously? Like I was bringing my trailer in visiting my dad. But she didn’t get that far with me to care who she was talking to. I can’t believe that what was an amazing place to relax has turned into such a place of hostility and entitlement that you must bow to her to get to enjoy it. I’m just appalled by her behavior on so many levels. Do yourself a favor and follow her directions. Shop around and find another place to camp. You’ll thank yourself in the long and short term.

Omni Slash

2023-05

I recently camped here....... campsites are too close together, They cut down all these trees to make more sites, almost no tent sites any more. Staff is consistently driving around and using gas engines to cut weeds, too much noise from this. pavilion has almost no games anymore. not even a pinball machine!!!

Office Staff

2022-05

Super friendly staff, lots of open space/fields, campsites nestled along the wood line. In walking around (hoping to find the perfect place to rent seasonally for our RV) we noticed that they are also quite gracious in the space of the sites. A lot of other places would squeeze an RV in between some of their lots. We were appreciative of this, and that they haven't clear cut all the trees. Extremely dog friendly, and has a very nice dog park.

Chris Zambrano

2023-10

4 generations of my family have camped here for nearly 40 years. At one point there were close to 20 of us that camped at one time. To say I've grown up here is an understatement. I spent the entire summer here from age 3 to 16. In one short season the new owner had demolished everything that was great about our campground. She is currently converting it into a KOA. She has priced out most the 180 seasonals with site fees that have doubled and in some cases tripled. She has also doubled our electric bills with no real explanation why or then "the previous owner was doing it all wrong". This campground had been around for a long time before she came crashing though and there weren't any issues. Entire sections of the campground now regularly lose water pressure and the smell of the water is terrible. The garbage dumpsters that are scattered around have literally overflowing causing smell issues and rat problems. But beyond these issues the new owner and her daughter have made it a point to remind everyone there that it is "their campground to do with what they please and that are unconcerned with the people who camp here". the amount of callousness and rude behavior from these two people should never happen. If you're thinking of camping here or did in the past and want to return, please don't. This kind of behavior should not be rewarded with your patronage. Go somewhere else, as long as the current owner remains.

George

2022-05

First time here. It is huge, beautifully laid out and a well managed facility. Something for everyone! Kids of any age will love it. And the live entertainment this Labor Day weekend, Tailor Made, was great!

Robert S

2023-07

My wife, grandson and I rented a trailer for a few days recently. Weather didn't cooperate as well as we would have liked but there was still plenty to do. When the sun did come out we all thoroughly enjoyed the wonderful pool and our grandson was over the moon for the inflatable watersides. The entire grounds were exceptionally clean and well maintained. I think the most impressive thing was that every single staff member we encountered during our stay was wonderful. Pleasant, helpful, and engaging. We'll be bringing our other grandkids there soon!

Ryan Rockwell

2023-07

We arrived 1 1/2 hour early and got charged extra $35 fee for being early. The last 4 days the water slides were down because of water problem. Kids were bummed but luckily we had other family there so we kept them busy with other things. The sites we have are nice sites and previous years when we depart we had the option to reserve the sites for the next year but that has changed now and can't no more. Hopefully we can get the sites again next year for our 8 day stay but will see.

Jennifer Kelly

2023-10

Our time at Nickersons this year has been nothing short of fantastic. We have loved every weekend we have been able to spend there and were welcomed by Cathy and staff like we had been camping there for years. We are so happy we found this place and cannot wait to camp next year!!!

Michelle 1968

2023-08

Love the open fields for the kids to run ride bikes and play games and just be kids.So nice to see a campground that doesn't squeeze the campers or tenters in on top of one another. We all have plenty of space.Very clean and well maintained. The owners & staff are so friendly and helpful!! A++

amani wilcox

2023-10

BEWARE. Many seasonals have weathered the changes throughout the years by different owners and rules. Simply as they loved the beauty of the the campground and the friends who became family. However, this new owner Cathy, is in a complete league of her own. Unfortunately, it is for all the wrong reasons!! She is very dismissive, flakey, presumptuous and unhinged! She has no social awareness and will shamelessly let you know her daughter(co-owner) is a lawyer. When you sign the contract, you will see firsthand how crazy they are with the liability, rules and "laws". This was always a peaceful and well run campground. But all the ever changing rules and hysteria about liability for small things made for a very non relaxing and stressful place! This place will turn into KOA next year. You will be nickeled and dimed for everything! You will be "evicted" for nonsensical issues. You will be micromanaged. You will be kicked off the seasonal webpage if you express any legit concerns. And if you need further proof of how this business stinks from the top. Owner unbelievably suggests that kids hit by cars speeding through the campground would at least have liability fall on the driver not them and allowing golf carts will be good as "at least you probably won't die if you're run over by a golf cart." Very unprofessional and scary....Can't say you haven't been warned. Please reconsider this place especially if still under the same ownership. It's absolutely nuts!! Approximately 150 out of 180 seasonals have all left!! This mass exodus speaks volumes!!

Juanita Swick

2023-10

As someone who doesn't generally leave reviews, I decided I could not ignore it this time. My husband and I have been camping @ Nickerson for only 5 years, the last 3 as seasonals. We have been in love with the place, until the 2023 season. If you've read the recent reviews, you know there are new owners. You also know the seasonal campers are not happy to say the least. Most of them are leaving, we already have. There are many reasons we as seasonal campers are leaving...constantly changing rules, disregard for our happiness, disrespect when issues are brought up or pointed out, rate increases (ours was going from $3270 this year to $10,000 in 2024!! (Do you think they wanted us to leave?!?). While these are not necessarily the concern of people who vacation here for shorter periods of time, here are some things that should:1) Lack of rule enforcement, ex. speed limit, quiet time, people walking thru and dogs pooping on your site.2) lack of gate monitoring especially concerning for emergency vehicles3) Overflowing garbage dumpsters4) Dangerous dead trees throughout the park5) WATER!! Often none or very low pressure. Grey. Black. Brown. Full of sediment. STINK! Makes you question the safety of cooking, drinking or bathing in it. BRING YOUR OWN!! This is a new problem. DOH has been here and we've been told it's fine use a filter. Hmmmm makes you wonder.There are too many problems to list them all, but I think you get the picture.The new owners are very quick to lay blame on other people, from campers and staff to prior owners.Don't let the 4.5 star rating fool you. Most reviews were from past years. Pay closer attention to the recent 2023 reviews. The amazing campground prior to 2023 is not the same today.The fact is, the new owner is KOA affiliated, and is turning this campground into a KOA park. So if you are looking for the laid back, relaxed, family oriented, nature positive place this once was, keep looking. It is well on its way to being another overpriced, corporate greedy , poorly managed campground