Where to Camp for Free in the Southern Tier

A few days ago while out on a lazy afternoon drive, my husband and I stumped on a campground close to our house and out of nowhere, I found myself super excited.

I started rambling on and on about how fun it would be to get a tent and a blow-up mattress and pull our sleeping bags out of storage and camp under the stars for a night.

When we got home, I looked up the campground and to my sadness, learned that it's a private campground and we couldn't just show up with our gear, pay a fee, and hunker down for the night.

I wasn't ready to give up my idea of an outdoor sleepover with my husband and son and so I started looking up campgrounds and do you know what I found? Tons of campgrounds in and around the Southern Tier and Central New York where the public is welcome and the camping is actually free. That's right, free! Check it out!