Adirondack Mountains Camping - Fish Creek State Park

The Adirondack Mountains of New York State have something for everyone. Fish Creek State Park Camp Grounds is one of my favorite. Nestled between Tupper Lake, Saranac Lake, and Lake Placid, the views are astounding, the air is fresh, and you can still swim in the lakes and ponds.  Fish Creek has about 300 camp sites, non-electric, and most are on the water. There's a public picnic ground and beach but most people swim at their camp site. Inside the grounds is a boat launch and you can keep your boat at your site also.

As a family, my parents started going there every summer for two weeks when I was a very young child. Then, we were in a tent, slept on cots in sleeping bags, cooked on a propane Coleman stove with two burners and in the evening, the only light we had was with a real kerosene lantern, the wood burning in the fire place, and a flashlight to walk to the bathroom. The bathroom facilities were basically fancy outhouses (really). They were kept very clean by the Park Rangers but can you really hide that smell? As a child, it was hard to use it and hold my nose at the same time. There were no shower facilities. Every 10 or more campsites, there was a water spicket and you would fill up your buckets and haul the heavy pails back to camp for drinking, washing dishes, and brushing your teeth. You heated the water on the two burner Coleman stove if you wanted to really wash your face well. But mostly everyone back in the day just took their baths in the pond when they went swimming.

As the family grew, so did our sleeping quarters. Dad bought a small camper trailer that slept six when you put the inside table and cushions down. More siblings joined the family, and the camper trailers kept getting bigger. The Park updated the bathroom facilities making it much more pleasant. They also added one large shower facility which we were all glad to see!

The fresh air, the ability to swim from your own campsite, the campfires and the friendly campers. You can walk or ride your bicycle safely around the entire site. The speed limit in the park is 10 mph, and they've added a walking/bike path for the short distance outside the park. It's five miles around and a refreshing trip after a great outdoor meal. You still have to walk to the bathroom at night with a flashlight. You still have to go to the water spicket for your water. And the sites still do not have electricity. But it is camping, right?

The white birch trees are beautiful. There's the perfect mix of trees and sunshine and water.

The love of camping is in my entire family. My brother's and sister's families still go to Fish Creek every year for two weeks and more frequently for those nice long weekends. They haul their trailers, screened rooms, boats, jet skis, canoes, kayaks, and bicycles then just thoroughly relax.

I'm thankful there's always an extra sleeping bag for me.