Sampson State Park set on the eastern shore of Seneca Lake. With a long history since the days of the Revolutionary War, WWII Naval training camp and soon after an Air Force training base during the Korean War. Today, roughly 2,000 acres of open space for mobile campers, tenters, and even fixed cabins for rent. Family friendly throughout the grounds. Boat launch, lakeside beach, play grounds, snack shop, game room, outdoor movie theatre and a Camp Store for replenishing camping needs and the ever popular S'mores refills. On-site, many former military roads and infrastructure during WWII Naval base, and Korean War Air Force base, including a Military Museum on-site built in the 1960's. We enjoyed a day walking and driving around the grounds and a good old fashioned picnic along the shore. Later an ice cream at one of the snack shops. read more

Wonderful state park with spacious RV sites, great facilities and beauty. Close to wineries and oodles of trails.

I've lived in upstate NY for most of my life, but only recently visited Sampson State Park for the first time - as a day trip with my pup. Situated off Rt 96A in the town of Romulus, Sampson State Park is a pretty expansive state park that includes plenty of camping areas (over 309 sites with varying levels of shade, etc), rentable cottages, various hiking trails, a marina, sites for RVs, as well as the Sampson Memorial Naval & Air Force Museum (though the museum is temporarily closed - I assume due to the ongoing pandemic). Part of the reason the park is fairly expansive is because it's located on what was once the Sampson Naval Training Station (which later became the Sampson Air Force Base). Plenty of history here! I could also tell while walking around yesterday that they're continuing to make improvements at this park. There's the new-looking "Ship Store" along the marina, but also another building or two that are going up as you drive the loop out of the marina (closer to the playground). The park also includes areas to play baseball, basketball, tennis, and volleyball. I'm not sure I'd specifically want to camp here. Personally, I like places that allow for a bit more separation / privacy from my neighbors, and there doesn't seem to be much of that here. The cottages are also cute, but, again, fairly close to each other. For $1,200/week for a 1 bedroom or $1,400/week for a 2 bedroom, I'd again be wanting a bit more privacy and space. That said, I'm sure there are plenty of people that would love the various sites and amenities available here at Sampson State Park. TL;DR Mainly, this feels like a great option for folks who want a park with easy marina access. Also great if you're interested in the military history. read more

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Park was nice but I would not go here for the beach. There weren't a lot of places to sit if you want to stay away from kids or families

Great camping in the finger lakes. Nice beach with lifeguards.

The NY State Parks never disappoint. Very clean and well maintained park. Part of the land is operated by a private business. Those sites are located on the south end. The state park side is on the north end. The road signs in the park are not good to get you to the correct check-in location. I had to stop for directions. The recreation center was closed for COVID restrictions I assume. The park has excellent playgrounds for children. The beach is very small and is open only when a lifeguard is on duty. However you may swim just outside the roped swimming area at your own risk. That makes no sense but I believe they are trying to avoid lawsuits. Nice boat ramps and marina on the south end. I believe that is privately operated. Live music on Friday. Snacks and burgers shop available. Hiking trails. read more

Sampson State Park - Beach - Parks Near Me - Romulus, New York

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I have lived in upstate New York for almost 12 years, and I am kicking myself that I didn't visit this park until now. Although it is remote, that is part of its charm. We stayed in a campsite for two nights and a beautiful weekend in July. This campground is probably the quietest and most family-friendly one I've ever been to, even by New York State parks standards. There are five loops of campsites, plus a sixth loop with "no-shade" sites (i.e. an open field), as well as another area with a handful of rustic cabins. I would say the amount of RVs versus tent campers seem to be split about 50-50 during our visit. There is a wonderfully rustic arcade, although it's got a high tech debit card system instead of tokens and tickets. There's also a small beach, with lifeguards on duty during daytime hours per normal. Just up the hill from the beach is a general store with a nice selection of sundries and snacks, as well as a short-order kitchen. On weekends it's open until 8 p.m. It's kind of amazing how expansive this property is. You can drive up to seven or eight minutes after you come in the main entrance just to reach your site. Although the campsites are not necessarily specifically defined -- in other words, there's not a distinct border between sites like I've seen at other NYS parks. But I found there was plenty of room to spread out, and no one felt like they were on top of each other. In sum: although Sampson State Park may lack the dramatic scope of other New York State parks such as Letchworth, this is a true hidden gem. I advise you to book your campsite four to six months ahead of time at a minimum. Enjoy! read more

Sampson State Park - Parks Near Me - Romulus, New York

This place is gorgeous. There are plenty of parking spaces, concession stands, restrooms, play areas, and swimming spots. There's areas for those that like the sun and those that like the shade. The roads can be a little confusing though so it is easy to get lost. Though it's not huge so it's not hard to find your way. There is also a small naval museum if you have time. read more

We spent a bit of time there on Sunday as we were passing through from Ithaca to Buffalo. Our toddler needed some time to run. The facilities were in great condition. The park features a military museum, wide open space, ample camping, paved biking, marina, playground, and beach with lifeguards. The depth goes to 8ft. I would like to come back and camp, while exploring the finger lakes. I do wonder if it ever gets crowded there. It seemed quite empty when we visited in August. The only negative for this state Park is that it's not much for any trails. read more

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The sites are great. I stayed in loop 3. It's mostly RVs but it provides lots of room for tents. It's a typical state park. Bathrooms are clean and kept well. There is a small section of cabins. It's on Seneca Lake so it's great for boating and fishing. Lots of cycling around the loops. There's a recreation room in the main office with put-put, ping pong, and air hockey. read more

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We came to camp here for two nights based on the Yelp reviews. We enjoyed our time there despite the rain. There is a great lifeguard attended beach (though small) for families to swim and take their kids too. The campsite we had was quaint, clean and peaceful. The shower station near our campsite could have more showers but overall we throughly enjoyed the layout of the campsites, they were easy to navigate to. They have a concession store onsite to get campfire wood and food at. The registration park office has big area for arcade games if you get bored and the park boosts a nice Navy/Air Force museum which is only 1.00 donation to visit (volunteer-run). The only disappointing thing is one of the days we were there (the Saturday), the store onsite and registration offices were both closed with no signs to indicate it would be closed for the day so they lost out on our business and made it convenient for us to get firewood on that last night. But all and all, we would go back. read more

My fiancé, dogs, and I spent one weekend here camping. The sites are very spacious, but only some are shady. Just bring a tent if you have one in an open field! The bath houses were very small so you have to be prepared yo wait to shower, there are only two showers. L There are certain loops for dog lovers and non dog lovers. The beach is a nice size tol for the kids with a life guard to watch over everyone. There is even a small section off to the side for dogs to go swimming. It was very clean and well kept! Sadly, we didn't get a chance to check out the museum. Maybe next time! read more

I'm not what you'd call a camper. However, when we were planning a trip to the Finger Lakes and our friends suggested throwing our money into wine instead of motels, hotels & B&B's, I was game for a new adventure. Sampson State Park was a pleasant surprise. Check-in was quick and easy. Our campsite was immaculate when we arrived. Every site is spaced out enough to have some privacy. I was mostly worried about the bathroom situation, but they were clean and maintained. We calculated that camping here saved us over $1,000 for the weekend as compared to the accommodations around Seneca Lake. Even for me, someone who isn't really outdoorsy and the target audience of Sampson, I can safely say I'd come back here next year, no questions asked. If I win the lottery, you'll find me at Belhurst, but until then I'll be at Sampson every summer. read more

One of the best campground I've been to in NYS for the following reasons: Friendly & helpful rangers Easy check-in process (I reserved online) New and clean bathroom and shower facilities Campsites are extra large (especially true in loop 6) Bathroom has shelves and plenty of outlets to charge your phone Indoor Game Room with board games, ping pong tables and arcade Free military aircraft museum on campground Boat/kayak launch access Swimmable beach area for kids Covered shelter for grilling Bikeway that runs through the campground around Seneca Lake (part of the 77 mile loop) Fish fry Fridays Close location to area's wineries and distilleries read more

We absolutely loved our experience! We rented a rustic cabin which had two twin beds and one full. There's space for storage and a counter top and hooks in the cabin. There's also a picnic table, a fire pit, and a little porch. No water or electric hook up but bathroom and shower facilities nearby. The cabins have fairly decent shade coverage until mid to late afternoon. Also, cabins have huge lots and lots of room to spread out. The tents sites on loop 6 have no fire pits, electric or water. The swimming area is very clean with clear water. The playgrounds are wonderful! Huge and well kept! read more

Sampson State Park - One of the rustic cabins. Plenty of space for one or even two canopy tents and a fire pit W - Parks Near Me - Romulus, New York

I'm not much of a camper either but really Enjoyed the state park. They have a museum from back when the park was a naval training base. Their check-in area has bikes you can rent for $5 and Hour or $20 a day, as well as some ping pong tables, Pool table (50 cent a game), a few arcade games, and mini-golf at a reasonable price. The park is very easy to navigate, they have a lot of nice playgrounds, a nice concession stand for any items you may have forgotten, and a swim and fish area. The fishing was the only downside, no one was getting anything (even with live bait). Definitely camping here again! read more

Worst campground ever! Our campsite was covered in dog poop and surrounded by drunken redneck neighbors in RVs. Then a guy comes poking around at the break of dawn in a super noisy ATV to empty the fire pit. So we change to a cabin and the guy still comes around waking us up with his atv early am. We ask them to stop coming around so we can sleep, is it really necessary to empty every fire pit every morning?? And, then the lawn mowing starts. Every. Morning. Sunrise. This is the worst campground I've ever been to. read more

This review is for the Navy and Air Force Museum on the grounds of Sampson State Park. We spent over two hours at the museum and it's certainly worth the requested $1 donation. We gave them quite a bit more $ because we thought it was well worth it. The museum reflects on the men, women and events pertaining to this area as a WW II Navy training base, post WW II college and Korean War era Air Force training base. What makes this museum all the more interesting is the fact that the building was restored by Navy and Air Force members, many of whom were trained at this facility. read more

I think I ended up at this park during the height of camping season and it was a last-ditch effort. This park really didn't do much for me, but I could see where it would be great for other types of campers. I prefer quiet, wooded area tent camping. This park was RV-city. Also there is a dock there, so maybe if I had a boat it would have been more enjoyable. This park is on a portion of what used to be an air force training base. Little kids and history aficionados might be interested in the old planes kept on display. The base closed in 1956, but there is still asphalt roads-to-nowhere on the property which is both cool and a little bit creepy. read more

Have many memories here. There's a playground, beach, so much space for kids to run and play... well kept park.

This is an open concept campground in a large field. The best part for us is we could swim in Seneca Lake with our dog on the dog beach. Clean facilities and you are not far from wineries and down town. Over all had a great stay! read more

So much to do! I haven't gone to State Parks in ages because there is never anything to do, but not here. Bike trails that are blacktop, gorgeous playgrounds for the kids and lots of them, swimming, picnicking. They have really gone out of their way to make access to the water convenient for the campers. Loved Loved Loved it. read more