The Indian Ladder Trail ducks under waterfalls and past caves in the Helderberg limestone, with spray on the cliff and cool air in the cuts. From the overlook above, the Hudson-Mohawk valley is the whole view, river and farms under the wall. You sleep at Thompson's Lake, still inside John Boyd Thacher State Park, and you can walk the cliff again in the morning without moving the van.
Past the ladder loop, Thacher keeps trails for hiking and mountain biking across the Helderberg plateau. A second day can stay on those paths. In winter the same network takes snowshoes and cross-country skis.
Book Thompson's Lake before you book the van. Reservations open up to nine months ahead on ReserveAmerica. The pads have no electric, and as of September 2026 one loop closes after Labor Day while the other runs to mid-October.
North of the plateau, Saratoga and Lake George are their own trip.
Schodack Island State Park
You paddle from a carry-in launch onto tidal water where the Hudson meets Schodack Creek. Cottonwoods along the bank shelter a Bird Conservation Area with bald eagles, cerulean warblers, and blue herons. The campground runs May through November, and NY-9J south along the river is the road in. This is the first night that still works when Thompson's Lake is already booked.
The Mohawk-Hudson Bike-Hike Trail follows old Erie Canalway lock sites toward Peebles Island, a paved day with no overnight on the route. Troy and Schenectady are the city stops along it. Kinderhook is a Hudson town you pass, and the Catskills belong to Woodstock.
Grafton Lakes State Park
You swim at Long Pond, the sandy beach among Grafton's ponds on a forested plateau between the Taconic and Hudson valleys, and you ride the park trails from there. There is no camping, so the night is Thompson's Lake or Schodack Island. Farther east, the Berkshires are a Massachusetts campervan trip.
Cherry Plain State Park
In the Taconic foothills you swim at Black River Pond and sleep in the same park. There are a few trailer sites among the tent sites, so if you need more sleeping space than a van berth, look at RV rentals across New York. The campground opens weekends only from Memorial Day until late June, then daily through Labor Day.
