Camping Companions

Less than 30 miles from Rochester, NY is the tiny Hamlet of Hamlin. Hamlin rests on the south shores of Lake Ontario, one of the 5 Great Lakes of North America. It’s the 13th largest Lake in the world, so make sure you bring your fishing poles.

In our opinion, the best feature of the park is the beaches which are lined with picnic tables and grills for your summertime cookouts. There is a lifeguarded swimming area there as well. The park also offers Pavilions if you need a bigger space for your family get-togethers. There are wide open fields for yard games, and over 6 miles of hiking trails within the park. Public restrooms are scattered throughout. The campground itself, while still in the park, is separated from the public area. If you plan on going to the beach from the campground, make sure you bring a wagon to haul your sand pails, umbrellas, and chairs, because the campground is not on the water’s edge. You will have to cross a couple of parkway roads to reach it. Or, you could drive over and park in one of the many parking lots. There is non-motorized boat launch near the Yanty Creek Nature trail trailhead to launch your kayak or canoes from.

The campground has had to cut down a lot of the ash trees within the park due to the Ash borer beetle, so sites may be more out in the open instead of buried within the trees. A standard site with electricity, picnic table and fire ring is $25. per night. Pets are allowed in loops A, B, & C. We prefer loop D, which is a non-pet loop. It’s a good thing our dog likes going over to Grandma & Grandpa’s. There are 258 campsites within the campground, however there are no non-electric sites or cabins available to rent. There is a camp store that is located along the park road with the C loop surrounding it. There is also a recreation hall and playground in this same area.

If you have forgotten to bring something, the camp store has the necessities, but a short, 5 mile drive will take you to a Tops grocery store. There is also a laundromat a very short distance from the Tops if you need to wash some clothes. If you are like us and think the small bundles of firewood offered at the camp store are a waste of money, we suggest searching on Facebook marketplace a few days before you leave for local vendors. We’ve reached out while at camp and not everyone is very responsive. We once had someone respond to us 6 days after we had left the campground! Our favorite score was a guy selling a Kubota tractor bucket full of wood for $20. near Ithaca, NY. That’s a lot of wood! If you want the guy’s information, email us at campingcompanions@gmail.com and we will hook you up!