Taconic State Park-Rudd Pond

I would like to recommend to everyone whoever likes to get away from the city and busy life to visit Taconic State Parkway. I love this place, Heaven on earth ud83cudf3f

Nice and quiet. Perfect for family with kids. Playground, grills, picnic tables, kayaks, canoes, everything what you need for weekend. Very nice, friendly stuff

Just came back from a wonderful weekend at Rudd Pond. The tent platforms were nice, complete with fire pit and picnic tables. Bathrooms were to be expected with the amount of people using them. Showers are free and very clean. The swimming area is small but nice to cool off in and great for those wrangling small kids. Fishing by permit (we saw quite a few people catching fairly good size fish) and canoes/kayaks for rent. The hiking trails are great- don’t seem frequently used. The loop that the office has maps for is in need of some maintenance but is a lovely hike overall. We went all the way up to the Harlem Valley Overlook and it was breath taking. Staff was wonderful. Dogs are welcome (bring rabies tag #) and must be kept on leash and away from swim and picnic areas. Great weekend getaway. Kids are already asking to go back.

My family and I have been coming to this exact location every year for 10 years. If you’d like a very HONEST review, then please read along ahead. Firstly, this park is beautiful. It definitely is a wonderful getaway scenery. You have a clean, gorgeous pond that you can rent a kayak or boat to fish or ride around in. You can also swim in a designated portion of the pond depending if it’s open the season that you come. We Have only been there during the summer time but we noticed when we went towards the end of August, the swimming portion would be closed. You are outdoors, you experience nature. For a campsite area, you get a porch area, table and a good amount of space to have a tent + park cars & have your kids run around or have space for yourself in. You can also hike & hike to another pond that is nearby the campgrounds, it’s also very lovely for fishing. Bathroom areas are averagely clean but when the park is packed on weekends with campers, you can’t expect workers to clean the bathrooms every 5 minutes. You do have tons and tons of people + children so it’s bound to be messy sometimes but does get cleaned everyday. Showers are clean & water is always warm and good. The park staff is very attentive and friendly. Always wave, and can help you if you need help with anything. When it comes to mosquitos & bugs, yes. It does get pretty bad with bugs but that’s something we have gotten used to from outdoor camp trips and getaWays. You can’t change that considering you’re literally in the woods. I just recommend lots of bug spray but definitely be prepared for mosquitos. Something to be prepared for is that certain phone services do not work here. For example, if you have T-mobile, you will have no service at all in this park or nearby. To get service you’d need to drive out of the campground few miles to have it. That’s the only downside to our trip is that we aren’t able to access our phones through internet or service. Overall, I can’t ever tell you the experience was terrible. I think for a camp trip, this has to be the best type of camping ground for campers specifically throughout taconic state park because we have been to Other locations and this one was the best for campers space & location wise. I definitely recommend this trip especially during the summer & my best advice is to go around August time because it’s not too hot & you get a very true camping experience weather wise!

This review caught the park off-season and vacant, but the landscapes alone are breathtaking. Sunset dances upon Rudd Pond, reflecting through the park, silhouetting the picnic tables and stationary grills for barbecuing. The park’s parking lot accommodates about fifty normal-sized vehicles. There is a gazebo and a log cabin (unsure if the cabin is open to the public, even when Rudd Park is in season).