Cayuga Lake State Park has everything that you are looking for in a campground and park. We have been bringing our kids to this park to swim for years. However, until recently, we had never camped here. We took the opportunity to bring our boat and enjoy beautiful Cayuga Lake.
Camping
Cayuga Lake State Park is set up a little differently than most of the New York State Parks. Route 89 cuts directly through the park. Most of the camping is on the west side of Route 89 (far from the beach.) The electric sites are all on the east side of Route 89 (beachside) while the west side of Route 89 is strictly non-electric sites. There are 283 campsites (36 electric sites and 247 non-electric sites), 14 cabins, and 1 cottage.
We camped here late in the season, and even though we were able to get a reservation, there wasn’t much to choose from. This park is a popular destination, so if you plan to go, better make a reservation early. The sites aren’t huge and we found ourselves pretty close to the neighboring sites and without much privacy. Regardless of this, The campground is pretty and there are a lot of trees and bushes around the campground, and most of the campsites are at least partially shaded.
Beach
Cayuga Lake State Park has one of the prettiest beach areas I have visited and there is a really spectacular pier. We decided to walk the beach on the evening we arrived and it was really quiet with very few people around. The lakeshore really is fantastic and there are lots of picnic tables and grills in the grass area that runs along the shore. The pier is a favorite fishing spot as well as a great place to get some sunset or sunrise shots of Cayuga Lake. There is a supervised swimming area as well as a really great pirate-themed playground.
Boat Launch
There is a $7 fee to use the boat launch at Cayuga Lake State Park. The only real pain is that parking is prohibited in the parking lot at the launch. You have to put you put your boat in, then drive up behind the building to the parking lot on Garden Street Extension and boogie back down, on foot, to the boat launch. This can be stressful when there is a line of boats waiting to use the launch.
Getting to Cayuga Lake State Park
2678 Lower Lake Road
Seneca Falls, NY 13148
Cayuga Lake State Park is located on Route 89.
Other Places to Visit in the Area
have you been to Cayuga Lake State Park? What did you think? Did you camp or just visit the beach. We would love to hear from you. Please leave us a comment below.