VAN-COMPARATOR Guide
From New York City to the Catskills and Adirondacks by RV
RV rental around New York City for the Catskills and Adirondacks: where to pick up, the parkway ban and low bridges, DEC campgrounds, Lake Placid and fall.
Two hours from Manhattan the Catskills begin; five hours away sprawls Adirondack Park — six million acres, larger than Yellowstone, Yosemite and the Grand Canyon combined. For New Yorkers it is the weekend escape; for a visitor, it is the way to see an America of lakes and forests right after the skyscrapers of New York.
Where to pick up (not Manhattan)
There are no RV depots in Manhattan: pick-up points sit in New Jersey, Queens or the Hudson Valley, often 20-30% cheaper than the city core. Collect the vehicle at the end of your city stay, never before: driving and parking an RV in New York is an expensive nightmare. Expect $120-220/day for a campervan, $150-270 for a Class C.
The deadly trap: the parkways
An absolute New York State rule: parkways are off-limits to RVs and tall vehicles (Palisades, Taconic, every parkway on Long Island and in Westchester). Their stone bridges drop below 8 ft and wedged-vehicle crashes are a local classic. Set your GPS to truck/RV mode with your real height and stick to Interstates and US routes: I-87 (the Thruway) heading north, Route 28 through the Catskills.
The 7-10 day itinerary
- Catskills: Woodstock, Kaaterskill Falls (260 ft, the state’s tallest), Route 28 and the villages of Phoenicia and Tannersville.
- Lake George: the southern gate of the Adirondacks, beaches and Fort William Henry; plenty of family campgrounds.
- High Peaks and Lake Placid: twice an Olympic town (1932, 1980), the optional Cascade Mountain hike, and views over the 46 High Peaks.
- Return option: the west shore of Lake Champlain, then the Hudson Valley and its farm stands.
Campgrounds and season
Public DEC campgrounds (Department of Environmental Conservation), $25-45/night, book on ReserveAmerica up to 9 months ahead — essential for July-August and fall weekends. In late September-early October, Adirondack foliage rivals New England with fewer crowds. Many campgrounds close after Columbus Day.
Compare before you book
Van-Comparator compares Yescapa, Goboony, Roadsurfer and Indie Campers, with Outdoorsy and RVshare coming to the New York market. First time at the wheel? The guides renting an RV in the USA and driving a motorhome for the first time exist for exactly this.