southwick beach state park

Nice beach. Lots of sand. bathrooms are clean. Great place for an easy family vacation on lovely Lake Ontario.

Every summer we drive up for a "beach" day. We pay the daily fee and drive over to the beachfront area which has picnic tables, grills, and shade. Many people opt to set up here and on the beach. The beach itself is quite long and has 2 outlined areas that are watched by lifeguards. There is a "swim at your own risk" area that I prefer. I get as far away from the guards as possible because they do blow their whistles alot and most people set up and swim in the guarded area. It's just too crowded up that way for my taste. The water is extremely shallow at Southwick. You won't be "swimming" so to speak. My 7 year old and get pretty far out from shore and the water is still at his waist. I'm only giving it 4 stars because the water isn't always pretty. I was there yesterday, and there was a lot of blackish stuff floating at the shore line. YUCK! Also, the sand is littered with cigarette butts and other little pieces of trash. Makes for interesting sand castle creations...Regardless, the sand is soft though and there is normally a breeze on the beach, so it helps on those warm days. I prefer this park over others in CNY (including Green Lakes State Park) for a nice summer "beach" outing. PS: The park is a carry in/carry out park.

This beach was less than 10 minutes from my parents house so I went to Southwick Beach very often. I remember the prices rising like everything else which is a bummer. But if you just load up the car with as many people you can fit you get you money's worth! lol I loved going camping. It was such a cheap price for a little area and you can go and cookout, relax, and enjoy the beach. This is definitely a fun place to go both in the summer and winter especially in that area since there isn't much to do.

Beautiful sand beach and picnic areal Considering there is so little natural sand beach on Lake Ontario, South Wicks should never be missed. The camp sites on the water are amazing, but in high demand. No complaints whats soever!

Like some of the other reviewers have already commented, the beach is great. It is clean, the sand is soft and since the park borders a wildlife sanctuary where you can walk for quite a ways along the water. I was not however quite as impressed with the camping sites. They are a bit on the small side with no buffer between you and your neighbor. Perhaps this is why one of the other reviewers had a bad experience with being shushed during quiet hours. I was worried about that but fortunately did not have any problems. Any of the staff we talked to seemed to be pleasant enough. There are 3 loops in Southwick; A/C, B and D. A/C loop had slightly larger sites but not a lot of tree cover. The sites along the outside of the loop are a little better for larger campers. I found it odd though that there were only 2 water faucets at the center of the inner sites without any way to get your camper to them. There was a fresh water hose next to the dump station so fill up before you park. This loop has no electric or hook ups but the bathrooms are newer and very clean. Loop D does have electric but it seems as though you are packed in pretty tight. Some people obviously don't mind that, but I prefer a little space. The last few sites along the outside of D are tree covered and seem a bigger than the rest. Loop B (a road actually) is right along the water and you can see the waves and hear the sounds of the lake. Be warned though that the lake can be pretty loud and there are no utilities. There were quite a few campers in the 26ft range parked in Loop B. I should mention that Southwick is smack dab in the middle of nothing. It's a good 20 minute drive to the closest grocery store or to Sackets Harbor with Alex Bay a little farther away. Since I have younger children having day trips and other activities close by is always something I look for. I did like the little general store on Rt.3 as you go into the park. They were friendly and not out to gouge you; plus they had wood at a reasonable price.There was wood a little cheaper though about 1/4 mile west. Overall I thought the park was nice but don't see why the person that made the Southwick recommendation to me loved it so much. Really nice beach yeah, but I look for a little more than that.

We went to this park for day use, and it didn't disappoint. Even on a beautiful,week-end there was plenty of room for us to hear the rolling waves and relax. Clean restrooms and concessions. Economical experience for families and empty-nesters alike. Will travel to visit again. :)

We didn't camp there so I can't attest to that. But we did obtain a day park entry to use the beach area, which was nice and for a Tuesday, not as crowded as a weekend would have been. We have a cottage, also on Lake Ontario, about 45 mins from Southwick, but the shore and lake bottom by our cottage is rocky. We just wanted a sand beach for the day ~ a place to catch some rays, read a book, lounge on a sand beach, and swim in a sandy bottom lake with no water shoes. Southwick State Park fit the bill and I recommend it.

I have been camping at southwick for 30 plus years with out one complaint till this year.. I will not visit this park again due to employees acting as park police. two nights in a row july 15th and 16th a little after 10 pm a park employee came around being very rude about noise also made rude comments. he did this at other sites also. he told us we could only whisper. he told another group of campers not to talk after ten as he did other sited that were not making noise. the way he treated us and acted was uncalled for. I would recommend finding a different place to camp. c. cotton

I am 55 and have been camping with my family on and off at this park since I was a teen. On our second night at the park a staff member came to our camp site at 10:05 pm and his first words were, Two nights in a row, really I am calling park rangers. He did not even ask us to be quiet. He went on to inform us if we were outside after 10pm we would have to whisper. We were not loud and we are not a bunch of partiers. We are professionals including school teachers, Law enforcement officials, and nuclear plant executives, mangers, etc. We asked the employee if there had been a complaint and he said no. He was rude and condesending and mentioned more than once that we could be removed by park rangers. He then proceeded to a compsite near ours and told those campers the same. We were less than 100 feet from them and could not here them. Not sure if he was having a bad day but from talking to other campers at the park he had done the same to them. So if you want to have a camp fire and talk in a normal voice after 10 pm you should find another place to stay, after years of going to this park, my family and I will find some place else to spend our money.

The first time I went camping at southwick I had a blast. It was warm, beautiful and fun to play kickball or slow pitch softball with other campers. I had a very good time over all and its a very inexpensive place to stay for the week, but make sure to book well a held. The major downside I experienced was during my second time going up, it wasnt soured by the weeklong buckets down pour of rain however...it was the fact that there should be more security or at least more lights around the shower area. I'm saying this because I was in the shower when I heard a male and a female enter the(female) bathroom, both clearly intoxicated the female cursed and told the male to get out multiple times and the male joked and wandered around the shower side which I was on. I can't tell you how vulnerable I felt standing in the only lockable shower stall(the handi capped one, as its the only one that stays on for more than two seconds) trying to stay completely silent, not knowing what was going on and my phone and clothes being outside the shower stall...I was clearly shaken from that experience. No one was around when I finally left the shower area and for the rest of the week I wouldnt use the shower unless my husband waited outside. It was a scary experience for sure because anything could have happened.

beautiful sandy beach for miles! One of my favorite state parks in NY. Nice area for a family picnic, beach day or camping! Gorgeous sunsets and wonderful natural beauty!

$7 per car, bring in your own food or buy it there. Can camp or stay just for the day. Pets are welcome with proof of shots. Life guards are only in one area. Swim at your own risk on rest of beach. All sand, very shallow.

My wife's family has been going here for years. Camping sites are reserved quite early for the following year so you have to make a point to reserve them. Camp sites are a little close together but you get to meet your neighbors if you so choose. Most people do not go to the park beach, they walk down along the coast and spend their time. There is a basketball & volleyball court, as well as horseshoe pits. Plenty of walking trails, although the ones through the woods have a high volume of mosquitoes due to swamp areas. Relatively close to Henderson and Sacketts Harbors, and Watertown. Plenty of restaurants along the way and in the area. We went whitewater rafting a couple of years ago. Our boat capsized and made for interesting bonfire stories later that evening. There are also golf courses and fishing near by. Every once in a while you can get an obnoxious neighbor the next camp site over but for the most part you see people from year to year and get a chance to catch up. If you're trying to save money on a summer vacation or even like to camp without actually making your own campsite I would recommend this place.