Fall Camping
Camping in the fall presents some unique situations that you don’t always experience in the summer. There is the cooler weather, making campfires all the more necessary but still great fun. With the fall comes the changing of the leaves and falling of the leaves, which can add to clean up time when it comes to packing up at the end of the trip. One clear positive is the lack of bugs or at least the reduction of bugs compared to summer camping. This year we experienced an increase in rainfall which did impact our trip but didn’t completely ruin it. The
The Park
Stony Brook State Park offers camping, hiking, picnicking and swimming (when in season). We have yet to go when the swimming area is set up in the gorge. The gorge offers a variety of hiking options. There is the gorge trail, which you can see below, the west rim trail and the east rim trail. All three trails start and end in the same general location at the top and bottom of the gorge. The gorge trail offers 3 large waterfalls and many smaller ones as you make your way from one end to the other.
The gorge trail does have a fair amount of stairs but they are relatively easy to navigate with the exception of the last set to the camping area. The rim trails aren’t for the faint of heart but very doable. My dad and I have our own tradition of the father/daughter hike where we do both rim trails. It definitely gives us a workout but on a clear day, there are some great views.
My first introduction to Stony Brook State Park was about 4 years ago. This was prior to owning my own camper and we only went camping once or twice a year. I don’t remember all of the details of how we picked this one that first time, other than we hadn’t been to it before. That is a deciding factor when we are planning our trips.
Family Camping
A family tradition that we started a few years ago is to camp Columbus Day Weekend at Stony Brook State Park in Upstate New York. This specific park and weekend were picked because it allows quick access to a nearby craft festival that has over 300 different vendors from all over the country.
The first year it was just my parents and my daughter and I. The last 2 years my brother and his family have joined us. We all have our own campers so we are unable to share sites but we get side by side sites and this allows us to be together but also have our own spaces as needed.
This is one trip that I look forward to every year. I love the park and the time spent with family. I really enjoy the craft festival as well. That’s kind of what started the whole trip originally. For the craft festival, the ladies head to that while the guys have their own time, staying at the campground or taking their own adventures.
Tell me about some of your fall camping adventures and your favorite parks.
