Back Bay Campground

Back Bay Campground sits on the southern shore of Black Bay on Black Lake in Hammond, New York, a few minutes from the St. Lawrence River in a corner of St. Lawrence County where the fishing is outstanding, the summer pace is genuinely unhurried, and the water is the point of everything. The campground is a full-service camping and cottage operation in the Thousand Islands region—one of the most historically celebrated freshwater waterscapes in North America, where 1,800 islands scatter across the St. Lawrence between Ontario and New York. Full hookup RV sites with 30 and 50-amp service, water, and sewer accommodate RV campers, while cozy cottages and tent sites serve guests who prefer enclosed accommodation or a simpler camping experience. A swimming pool provides a controlled water option, and the campground store is stocked with ice, gas, propane, food, and drinks—the full supply roster for a weekend at the lake. A boat launch and dock access give campers direct water entry, and boat rentals are available on-site: 16-foot aluminum fishing boats for anglers targeting Black Lake's perch and bass, and 18 to 22-foot pontoons for leisurely lake tours. Kayak rentals and outdoor games round out the on-property recreation. WiFi is available throughout, and the weekend activity calendar—movie nights, karaoke, and themed holiday events—adds a social dimension to what is otherwise a nature-focused camping experience. Black Lake is a 6,000-acre natural lake in St. Lawrence County famous throughout the Northeast as a perch fishing destination—the lake's enormous population of yellow perch draws ice fishers in winter and live-bait anglers in summer in pursuit of one of the most consistently productive freshwater fisheries in New York State. Bass, walleye, and northern pike round out the species list, and the lake's clear, fertile water supports the kind of multi-species fishing that keeps anglers occupied across an entire week-long stay rather than a single afternoon. Hammond, the nearest town, is a small lakeside community with the unhurried character of upstate New York's working rural landscape. The St. Lawrence River, a few minutes north of the campground, opens into the Thousand Islands region where the river broadens between granite outcrops, wooded islands, and the Victorian castles and summer estates that the Gilded Age's wealthy families built on the riverine archipelago. Boldt Castle on Heart Island—the unfinished monument to a love story that has defined Thousand Islands tourism for over a century—is accessible by boat tour from Clayton and Alexandria Bay. Wellesley Island State Park provides hiking, camping, and the Minna Anthony Common Nature Center, one of the Thousand Islands' best natural history interpretation facilities, directly on the river. Back Bay Campground operates from May 1 through September 30, aligning with the northern New York camping season when Black Lake's fishing peaks and the St. Lawrence region is at its most accessible and welcoming. Summer weekends fill quickly given the combination of excellent fishing, proximity to the Thousand Islands, and the cottages and boat rentals that make extended family stays particularly manageable here. Early reservations are essential for July and August holiday weekends in a region where quality waterfront camping with full services is limited.