Governor: NYS Campgrounds Among Top 10 In Nation

Governor George E. Pataki announced that 10 State-operated campgrounds have received national recognition as favor-ite family destinations throughout the United States. The sites, which are ope-rated by New York State Parks and the Department of Environmental Conser-vation (DEC), were named on Reserve-America’s recently-released second an-nual Top 100, Family Campgrounds list.

"From waterfront sites along the Great Lakes to the wilderness of the Adiron-dacks to quiet rural settings in the Hud-son Valley, our State campgrounds allow family and friends to spend time enjoying the Empire State’s magnificent outdoor resources," said Governor Pataki. "We’re proud that State Parks and DEC are continually seeking ways to enhance the camping experience and the national designation of these parks and campgrounds underscores their popularity as family- friendly destinations."

"In New York State we’ve opened 18 new State parks in the last nine years and we’ve committed to opening or expanding 20 more in the next five years, providing additional recreational opportunities for New Yorkers and visitors from around the world season after season, our exceptional parks continue to serve visitors with a wide variety of recreational activities and programs that highlight New York’s unique natural heritage," Governor Pataki added.

ReserveAmerica, a reservation service that covers national, state and private recreational facilities throughout the nation, compiles the Top 100 Family Campgrounds list to help campers plan trips and recommends America’s greatest "hidden gem" locations. The 10 pop-ular New York State campgrounds in-cluded on the list are:

• Allegany State Park, Western NY

• Fair Haven Beach State Park, Fin-ger Lakes Region

• Golden Hill State Park, Niagara Region

• Green Lakes State Park, Central NY

• Letchworth State Park, Western NY

• Taconic State Park, Copake Falls, Hudson Valley Region

• Thompson’s Lake State Park, Ca-pital District

• Wellesley Island State Park, Thou-sand Islands Region

• Ausable Point Campground (DEC-operated), Adirondacks

• Moffit Beach Campground (DEC-operated), Adirondacks

"The New York State Parks system is one of the finest in the country serving campers of all ages and interests," said State Parks Commissioner Berna-dette Castro."With Governor Pataki’s support, our properties are flourishing, providing patrons breathtaking scenery, outstanding facilities and tremendous value. It is well-deserved recognition for New York, the DEC, our vast park system and for the parks staff whose dedication, hard work and hospitality made this significant honor possible."

DEC Commissioner Erin M. Crotty said, "Visitors from all across this State and nation recognize New York as a world-class destination for outdoor activities. ReserveAmerica’s recognition of New York State’s camping facilities is a great honor and we look forward to continuing to provide outstanding service and accommodations to further en-hance campers’ experiences in the Adi-rondack and Catskill Forest Preserves."

Since 1995, the Governor has opened 18 new State parks across New York. In his State of the State address in January, the Governor laid out an am-bitious goal to open or expand 20 additional State Parks over the next five years.

The ReserveAmerica list was developed by park rangers, regional park management and campers who wrote testimonials. Nearly 3,000 parks that are part of the ReserveAmerica system were considered and the final 100 camp-grounds were chosen based on specific family-friendly criteria including location, hiking trails, family beaches, visitor centers, educational programs, children’s events, radio-free zones, and avail-ability of hot showers and laundry fa-cilities.

ReserveAmerica operates the state’s camping reservation system which provides online and phone reservations for campsites throughout New York operated by State Parks and the State De-partment of Environmental Conserva-tion. The 15,678 state-operated campsites and cabins provide accommodations for more than 900,000 people each year.

While the most popular time to camp is Memorial Day through Labor Day, many state campgrounds are available in the spring, fall and winter. Reserva-tions are accepted for campsites and cabins from 2 days - 9 months in ad-vance of the date of the planned arrival by calling toll free 1-800-456-CAMP or online, www.ReserveAmerica.com.

New York recently received the 2003- 2004 National Gold Medal State Park Award recognizing the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation as the best state park system in the coun-try for excellence in park and recreation administration and outstanding service to patrons. The agency welcomes more than 60 million visitors each year and oversees 168 state parks and 35 state historic sites. For more in-formation on any of these recreation areas please call (518)474-0456 or visit the website at http://www.nysparks. state.ny.us.

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