Lake Erie State Park is located along the southern shore of Lake Erie in Western New York State near Brocton. About 10 miles from access to Interstate 90.
Lake Erie State Park has previously been selected as one of the top 100 family campgrounds in the US.
It is a relatively small campground with approximately 100 sites -both rustic and electric. We stayed for a one-night stopover as part of a longer road trip.
Site Review:
There are 7 sites along the bluff that I would consider to be the best sites. They are large with some shade and afford a view of the lake.
The majority of the rest of the sites are in a field:
- They are close together
- There is no privacy between the sites at all
- There is no shade
- All sites have fire pits for campfires.
Activities:
Activities are limited here. You can walk along ¾ of a mile of Lake Erie shoreline.
Beach:
There is no designated swimming area at the park. They say there is one but its just a rocky mess. It is natural and not maintained as it is strewn with garbage and rotting fish corpses.
Day Use Area:
Aside from the walk along the shore, there are some picnic tables and some horseshoe pits.
IMO:
I had read some generally favourable reviews about this park:
Reviews:
“This is an absolutely beautiful park! The lake view is excellent. Camping, hiking, biking, swimming, they have it all.”…
Family friendly & beautiful“The area is beautiful- quiet with lots of wildlife (chipmunks, squirrels, toads, etc. Nice open space and playgrounds for kids to run, beautiful trails to hike, and paved circles for scooters. Very family friendly, with a beautiful waterfront area for boating and swimming.”…
“Camping on the shores of Lake Erie is sure to be an unforgettable experience. I was blown away when I walked up to the shores of the mighty lake, and the state park offers some of the best camping on these shores. The park gives you good access to multiple trails and launch sites for boats, canoes, and kayaks. I was feeling lazy during my stay and hung out around the lake and enjoyed a relaxing day of reading and sunbathing. A beautiful spot for sure!”…
You get the idea. So we decided to stop and check it out.
My Opinion:
Well, let me tell you, this park is not as advertised that is for sure. This campground is unsatisfying and in my opinion not typical of what you can expect at New York State Parks. I am baffled that Lake Erie State Park made it to a top 100 list for being the best for anything.
When I give my opinion of an RV Place to Go I don’t base it on personal variables like the friendliness of staff, complaints about camping neighbours, the weather, mosquitos or anything else that is not within full control of the park itself. So if I think a place is not worthy of a good review it’s not because I had a bad experience personally but rather because I think you will likely have a bad experience there as well.
This park is perfect for you if all you need is:
- electricity
- a field to park your RV
- a smelly walk along the shore of Lake Erie
- an ok view of the sunset.
It was fine for overnight, but I can not see why you would want to spend more time than that here.
I do not recommend Lake Erie State park as an RV Place to Go.