![]() ![]() There was a good chance it was going to rain on our second morning (it did–the kids sat in their car seats while we dumped everything back into the trunk), and I didn’t feel like cooking for every meal, so we’d picked out the well-reviewed Hardware Cafe & General Store for breakfast. Max’s highlight: a dead salmon at the beach Eating out in Fair Haven: Hardware Cafe We made do with dipping our feet into the water, and we built a few sand castles. We were there outside of the main season, but in the summer 600 feet of beach are turned into a guarded swimming area. The sand is clean, with small shells and some rocks. We parked right across from Sterling Lake, where we saw loads of swans and other water fowl, and spread a picnic blanket on East Beach. The next day we went straight to the beach. You can print out your confirmation and shorten everyone’s wait time a lot. PLEASE do yourself and everyone in line behind you a favor and fill out the camping registration paperwork at home. ![]() There was a fair amount of poison ivy right around the campsite and on the playground we visited.Seeing the starlit sky overhead and falling asleep to the sound of waves lapping at the shore and trees swaying nearby reminded me why I keep coming back to camping, despite what tent-sleeping does to my back. Overall, I felt we really got our money’s worth for the $22 we paid per night. And of course we roasted marshmallows every night. For breakfast, we toasted homemade sourdough waffles over the fire and fried eggs in a cast iron pan. (Please follow the rules and don’t transport wood more than 50 miles to avoid potentially spreading invasive pests.)įor our first dinner, we had hot dogs off the grill with reheated, pre-cooked potatoes we’d brought in our cooler. The alternative would have been to drive several miles to the park entrance and load it ourselves for $5 per bundle. For $15 plus tax, paid at check-in, someone dumped about 4 bundles’ worth right by the fire pit. Showers were a bit farther away in the Bluff area, though.Įach site has a fire ring with a cooking grate, and I was happy with my choice to have wood delivered right to our site. The restrooms weren’t too far away from any site and were simple but pleasantly clean. (She was more comfortable in the car with her dad the rest of the night, and the next night she did just fine in the tent.) So our neighbors likely heard those 20 minutes of wailing at 1 AM. At most you have a few trees between you, more often nothing at all. To appreciate what that meant, you should know that in the Lakeview camping area, there’s very little privacy between sites. ![]() The minimum stay we could book was two nights, which was just as well, because it took Miki the first night to get used to sleeping in a tent. I told you this was a bit of a $%^! show). So yes, one of us did have to sleep in the car. (Luckily we’d packed an extra, smaller tent. Only to find that a major pole is missing. Then again, I wouldn’t recommend arriving as daylight is disappearing if you still have to set up your tent. I’d chosen a site in the Lakeview Non-Electric Camping Area. The name didn’t overpromise: We were right above some bluffs (separated from us by a fence) with Lake Ontario stretched in front of us, which made for a spectacular sunset when we first arrived. There are three campgrounds nestled into the woods, plus 30 cabins. We were headed to the park on a late Friday afternoon to go camping. Since this is a New York state park, you may want to consider whether an annual Empire Pass or even a Lifetime Empire Pass would be a good purchase for you. The entrance fee is $9 per vehicle (in 2021, collected from 4/1 until 10/31). This park has a lot going on: camping, 1500 feet of beach, a lake with kayak rentals, a bunch of picnic areas, a couple of playgrounds, a ball field, a boat launch and marina, and even a golf course. Fair Haven Beach State Parkįair Haven Beach State Park is right by the village of Fair Haven in the town of Sterling, Cayuga County. I’ll walk you through some of our experience. ![]() We came after the high season, but even so the little village of Fair Haven had some nice dining options, and we even got lucky with the weather. The expansive views of Lake Ontario in the park and from the campsite made us feel like we were by the ocean. I’d heard lots of good things about Fair Haven Beach State Park, and we really wanted to see some wide-open water. And not only because we realized we have a real, great beach not even two hours from our house! TLDR: It was a bit of a $%^! show but totally worth it. We just took our first-ever camping trip with the kids. Eating out in Fair Haven: Hardware Cafe. ![]()
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