Beach campsites to suit every taste
Bayville resident Madeline Mullen, 6, munches on strawberries at the Hither Hills Campground in Hither Hills State Park in Montauk. (June 18, 2010) Credit: Photo by Emily Anne Epstein
Waterfront property. Only for the rich, right? Not necessarily. If you're willing to pitch a tent or sleep in a camper, you can have instant digs for a relative pittance. From Montauk to Lido Beach, half a dozen or more campgrounds offer accommodations right on the sand or a short walk to the waves.
"This is really relaxing," Vicki Clark, 61, a retired teacher's aide from Bayport, says while sitting outside her camper at Wildwood State Park Campground in Wading River and reading People magazine. "At home you have to scrub the floor, you have to do the laundry. Here you can commune with nature. You can walk down to the water."
But getting reservations at some campgrounds can be as competitive as scoring tickets for a Justin Bieber concert. For instance, you have to call nine months in advance for the week you want at Hither Hills State Park in Montauk; the reservation line opens at 9 a.m. and sites are sold out by 9:04 for weeks in July and August, says Tom Deff, park superintendent.
Here's where you can go.
Wildwood State Park Campground
Hulse Landing Road, Wading River, 631-929-4262
Hither Hills State Park
50 S. Fairview Ave., Montauk, 631-668-2554
Theodore Roosevelt County Park
East Lake Drive, Montauk, 631-852-7879, suffolkcountyny.gov/parks
Smith Point County Park
End of William Floyd Parkway, Shirley, 631-852-1316, suffolkcountyny.gov/parks
Nickerson Beach Park Campground
Lido Boulevard, Lido Beach, 516-571-7724, www.nassaucountyny.gov
