Montauk Camping- Everything You Need to Know
Do you want to travel to Montauk, NY but avoid the pricey hotels and still stay right on the ocean? Hither Hills State Park is where you want to be!
My boyfriend Alby and I spent a long weekend camping in Montauk at Hither Hills and had a blast! We liked it so much we are already planning to go back! Check out my full Montauk budget summer travel guide before you go!
Hither Hills is a very clean, affordable and enjoyable campground. After spending three nights there, we’ve learned all it has to offer, the best areas to stay and everything you want to know before you go. Let’s get into it!
Where to Camp in Montauk- Everything you Need to Know
Montauk Camping- the campground
Hither Hills State Park is the best place to camp if you want to stay in the Montauk area…which based on experience, this is where you want to be!
It’s located about 5 minutes outside of the downtown area of Montauk, a great location. And….it’s on the ocean! An absolutely beautiful beach, we couldn’t believe how big, clean and stunning the beach Hither Hills offered. Honestly just as amazing of a beach all the expensive resorts offer.
I plan to stay here time and time again in the future! We absolutely loved it.
Montauk Camping- the best campsites
The campground is divided up into three sections. We ended up having to stay in two different ones during our stay because we booked last minute.
Based on experience, I recommend staying in the section of – I, H & G. We were on site I7 and really liked it. This put us on the backside of the site along the woods, if you want to be closest to the ocean, book one of the G sites.
There are fewer sites on this side (compared to the A, B, C, D, E & F side) which gives it a much less busy feel. The bathrooms on this side are also newer and larger. Either side you stay on, you are only steps away from the beach which is amazing!
Next time, my boyfriend and I want to stay up in section J. This area is up the hill and overlooks the ocean. You have to walk a little bit further to get to the beach (not much) but you have amazing oceanfront views from your site!
You will have an awesome time wherever you end up at Hither Hills but these are just what we would recommend if you have the option to choose!
Montauk camping- water, electricity, bathrooms, etc.
Bathrooms are kept clean. The showers have hot water and are open to campers to use for no extra cost (no quarters needed!).
Water spigots are found around the campground. We didn’t have one right at our site but there was one close by.
For power/electricity we brought our own power source but if you need to plug something in to charge the bathrooms have a lot of outlets.
There are trash cans and recycling conveniently located around the campground.
Montauk Camping- things to know before you go
- Hither Hills is a very popular campground in the summer months. We went the first weekend in June expecting it to be fairly quiet and to our surprise it was fully booked.
- They have a unique policy if you want to add one more night onto your stay. We did this and even though we could see online that there were a couple open sites we had to go about booking it their way. When we woke up in the morning of when we wanted to add another night, we headed over to the check-in window a little before 8am. This is a first come, first serve deal so be sure to get there early if you want the site! They told us there is even a line by 7:30 am on occasion. We added our name to a list and they told us they would let us know if we have a site at 1 pm. The woman working told us this is their protocol, it’s weird but if you want the site just go along with it. We came back at 1 pm and got the site and re-setup camp over there.
- The campsite does have quiet hours and they do enforce them.
- Hither Hills is very safe.
- Campfires are allowed but have to be in a metal container and only certain times of the summer.
- For a tent site, it cost us $30 per person, per night.
Montauk Camping- conclusion
If you are looking to visit Montauk, NY and are looking to save money and/or for a campground this is where you want to be!
Hither Hills is perfect. You can spend your entire time in Montauk here and have an amazing time since you are right on the ocean. Or you can use this as your home base and explore all Montauk has to offer. You are in a great location to do this. It will not take you long at all to get back to Hither Hills when exploring the beaches, town, hiking trails, and more around Montauk.
We plan to come back to Hither Hills time and time again in the future. We cannot wait to bring friends and family back to show them this beautiful area!
Have you ever camped at Hither Hills? Do you have a trip planned here? If you have any questions, ask them in the comments below! I would love to hear from you.
Follow along on Instagram where I am most active with my travel photos!
Happy camping! 🙂
sierra
Hello there! It's wonderful to have you here. I'm Sierra, a NH native with a love for travel and adventure. I have a constant desire to explore beautiful places around the world and go on awesome adventures! I seek to inspire others to travel to see all the beauty and culture the world has to offer! 🌞⛰️🌼🫶🏼🦋🌲📸🥾💛
2 Comments
Amanda
Thank you for posting this! I do have a question, did you leave your tent up and go off the campsite into the town? Was it safe to do that? Or would you pack everything up and the reset it all- if you wanted to go to town for a bit?
sierra
Hi Amanda! Thanks for checking out my post!! 😊 Yes, we did leave our tent setup when we’d go into town, and we explored often! I was never worried about anyone taking anything, and nobody ever did. We felt that it was very safe to do that at Hither Hills!