In the heat of Summer, finding a sandy beach to cool down is heavenly. Especially one that offers great camping and an extension of the beach just for your four-legged friends. Southwick Beach State Park is one of the best places for a summer escape.
Please note: some posts may contain affiliate links which means we could earn a small commission if you purchase products from our site, at no additional cost to you.
History of Southwick Beach
Southwick Beach is named for the Southwick family, who owned the lakeside property from 1870-1960. During the ’20s, Southwick Beach became a seaside resort with a rollercoaster, midway, and a merry-go-round. An amateur baseball team also played at Southwick Beach. Both businesses failed during the great depression and eventually passed on to other management companies. The property was finally sold to New York in 1965 and was opened as a State Park to the public in 1966.
Sandy Beach
Southwick Beach is 3500 feet of pristine Lake Ontario shoreline and soft, cushy sand. This is a fantastic place to cool off on a hot summer day. This beach has the capacity to handle lots of visitors without making them feel overcrowded. During the Summer, lifeguards are posted on the beach. The water is shallow for a good distance into the lake and without much current, making this a great place to swim with children.
If you are a beach walker, you’ll enjoy the miles of uninterrupted beach that you can stroll, thanks to the land that borders the park, Lakeview Wildlife Management Area. This area is composed of not only beaches, but coastal sand dunes, embayments, and marshes. This entire area makes up the New York State Natural Heritage Area called the Eastern Lake Ontario Barrier Beach and Wetlands Complex.
Out and About with Nova – Dog Beach
Southwick Beach has a large beach designated for dogs. The water here is fairly shallow for a ways out into the lake and a great place to take dogs to swim. There isn’t a strong current on calm days, so this is a safe and fun place to let your dog frolic in the water. Dogs must be leashed at all times at Southwick Beach, and although it seems like this should be a no-brainer, you need to be holding the other end of that leash.
We had a few encounters at Southwick Beach of dogs running up to our dog, dragging their leash behind them, followed a few minutes later by an apologetic owner. This could have gone very badly if Nova wasn’t such a mild-mannered dog, and my husband wasn’t so quick to get her away from the other dog. Please be respectful of all visitors, both two-legged and four, when visiting Southwick Beach.
As always, please clean up after your dog. You represent all dog owners, and when one of us acts disrespectfully, it reflects negatively on all of us.
Camping
There are 131 campsites spread out over four camping loops. The most popular sites are close to the beach, and many of these back right up to the beach, although a fence separates the campsite from the actual beach. This is a sandy beach, and the camping area near the beach is almost all sand, so keep that in mind when you are making a reservation here. You will be tracking sand into your tent or camper. All the campsites at Southwick Beach are open and offer very little privacy. The campsites in the other loops are a fair distance from the beach. These sites are on grass and trees throughout the camping area, but nothing provides privacy, although some of these campsites do back up to the woods.
Winter at Southwick Beach
Southwick Beach isn’t just a summer destination, it is pretty spectacular in the Wintertime as well. When the shoreline of Lake Ontario is covered in snow and begins to freeze, the landscape turns into a winter wonderland. Visitors can see ice formations, ice volcanos, and other winter phenomena as they walk along the frozen lakeshore. Winter sunsets at Southwick Beach can be pretty miraculous, and if you can stand the cold wind coming off the frozen lake, it is worth the chill.
Getting to Southwick Beach State Park
Address: 8119 Southwick Place Henderson, NY