Camp Gateway Brooklyn Tamarak and Goldenrod is a Camping Ground listed on Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, New York 11234, and it occupies an unusual position in the camping world: a National Park Service-style campground inside the boundaries of the country's largest city. The listing carries an aggregate rating of 3.7 from 91 reviews, which is the kind of middle-of-the-road number that usually signals strong opinions pulling in opposite directions, and the written reviews bear that out. Guests describe a genuinely safe, clean and affordable place to sleep that also happens to sit on an old airfield with aircraft overhead, aggressive mosquitoes and wildlife that has learned to raid coolers.
Because this is an urban campground rather than a woodland retreat, much of what visitors report revolves around logistics as much as nature: how far the tent pad is from the car, whether the camp store is open, how to reach a bus or subway, and how loud the night gets. The reviews below are the honest, occasionally blunt record of people who camped there — some returning happily, others leaving early.
Camp Gateway Brooklyn Tamarak and Goldenrod at a Glance
The campground sits within Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, New York 11234, and the listing classifies it as a Camping Ground with RV camping among the permitted activities. Its official information page is hosted on Recreation.gov under the Camp Gateway Brooklyn NY campground entry, and the property also has a Google Maps listing tied to its own place record. Geographically it is pinned at roughly 40.596 latitude and -73.886 longitude, in the America/New_York time zone, and reviewers repeatedly frame it as a base camp rather than a destination: a place to park a rig or pitch a tent and then travel into Manhattan, Queens and the rest of the city.
What the listing itself emphasizes is a fairly traditional park campground feature set rather than resort amenities. There is on-site parking, public toilets and public showers, a children's camp designation, dogs allowed, and wheelchair-accessible parking, entrance and toilet facilities recorded. Reviewers fill in the texture that a listing cannot: tent sites with picnic tables, fire rings and grills, a tarmac surface on the RV side, and a setting layered over the first airport to serve New York City.
What Do Visitors Like About Camp Gateway Brooklyn Tamarak and Goldenrod?
Overall sentiment among the written reviews is genuinely split, which fits an aggregate of 3.7 across 91 ratings. The strongest recurring praise centers on value and location: reviewers describe it as a safe, clean and affordable place to stay while visiting New York City, with bathrooms and showers that several guests called clean, and staff who were described as helpful, honest and laid back. The strongest recurring criticism is environmental rather than managerial: mosquitoes that multiple campers called the worst they had encountered, raccoons that do not fear people, aircraft and traffic noise, and inconsistent experiences with the office and camp store being open. A few reviewers had nights disrupted by loud music and partying with no staff visible, and at least two said they would not bring children back. Several guests, including self-described frequent campers, said they would return.
1. An Urban Campground on an Old Airfield
Multiple reviewers point out that the campground occupies the site of the first New York City airport, and that history is visible in the layout. One reviewer described the RV area as essentially a parking spot on a sectioned-off piece of an old landing strip, and another warned tent campers not to book an RV site because the surface is all tarmac. Paul Butler noted that the camp is fairly isolated from the rest of Brooklyn but works well as a base for travelling, and Gheorghe Curelet-Balan highlighted easy highway access toward Manhattan, Queens and other city attractions. The nearby Floyd Bennett Field museum was called an interesting attraction for those curious about US history.
2. Safety, Cleanliness and Staff
Safety and cleanliness are the most consistent positives in the reviews. John Kruk wrote that the site felt very safe and far enough from surrounding neighborhoods to not worry, and described the ranger as very helpful. Toniekia Poole called the bath houses and restrooms safe and clean and the staff honest and extremely helpful with transit advice. Paul Larkin rated the place highly for excellent staff and air-conditioned bathroom facilities, and Christopher Martinez said the showers were very clean and that staff patrol to keep an eye on things even if you do not notice it. Jestin Wright appreciated clean, well-lit bathrooms.
That picture is not universal. Mya Gill described the most clueless park staff she had encountered and a camp store that never opened on schedule, and Owen Williams said staff had no idea a campground existed and that the office was never open. Sarah J reported arriving slightly after noon with nobody present to direct her to a spot. The honest summary is that staffing experiences varied considerably between visits.
3. Mosquitoes and Raccoons Dominate the Complaints
Almost every critical review mentions insects. John Kruk, who said he camps often and is from Florida, called the mosquitoes the worst he had experienced and said repellent did not seem to matter. Toniekia Poole, a camper of many years, described them as unlike anything she had seen. Sarah J reported a dozen bites within three minutes, and Blake Thorne called them ridiculous. Owen Williams noted that industrial-grade insect repellent machines seemed to improve conditions at night, which is the one review suggesting active mitigation.
Wildlife is the second recurring warning. John Kruk described raccoons that are not afraid of people, with one getting into his wife's purse on the first night, and advised bringing food and backpacks inside. Paul Butler simply told readers to prepare for mosquitoes and raccoons. These are visitor observations rather than statements from the campground itself.
4. Walk-In Tent Sites Versus Tarmac RV Spots
The two sides of the campground behave very differently, and reviewers are explicit about the trade-off. Tent sites were described as having the usual National Park Service fittings — fire ring, grill or BBQ, picnic table — but cars cannot be parked beside them. Mya Gill noted that anyone with more than a tent and a sleeping bag would be making multiple long trips to the vehicle, and Blake Thorne measured roughly 100 yards of carrying to his site. Paul Butler rated the walk-in sites as pretty good.
RV campers describe a different reality. Christopher Martinez noted there are zero hookups, so an extended stay amounts to boondocking with water and a dump station nearby. Jon Robichaud called it the best option for a cheap night or two in an RV while visiting the city, while acknowledging the grounds are a bit run down. One reviewer also pointed out that campfires are not permitted in the RV section.
5. Noise From Aircraft, Traffic and Late Nights
Noise is the complaint that cuts across otherwise positive reviews. Paul Larkin, who still rated the campground five stars, said Brooklyn camping means it is loud, very loud sometimes. Jon Robichaud could not imagine tent camping with plane traffic overhead, and Owen Williams attributed the noise to the JFK flight path. John Kruk mentioned ongoing helicopter traffic on the old airfield.
The night-time crowd is a separate issue. Marie-Andrée Belzile described cars driving at high speed and drifting, plus party boats with blasting music from 1am until 4 or 5am. Blake Thorne reported loud music and shouting until around 2am with no staff on site, and said he felt uneasy with small children. Recreation.gov customer service was, in his account, responsive and refunded the unused third night.
6. Value as a Base for Visiting New York City
The clearest consensus is about purpose rather than perfection. Justine Kelly gave four stars precisely because the place is not a five-star kind of campground but is perfect for what it is — somewhere to leave an RV while visiting the city. Christopher Martinez called it a great hidden spot for an RV trip to New York in spring or summer, and Gheorghe Curelet-Balan described it as a nice and affordable campground right in the city.
Cost figures come from reviewers rather than the listing: Christopher Martinez cited around $30 per night as the going rate, Blake Thorne also mentioned a $30 fee, and Gheorghe Curelet-Balan recalled paying $20 per night seven years before writing. Those numbers should be treated as dated anecdotes, not current pricing. Access is the recurring caveat — Christopher Martinez noted the campground is about a mile from the bus stop and suggested driving rather than walking, and John Kruk pointed out you cannot walk to the subway or bus, so city parking costs should be budgeted.