The Best in Tent Camping: New York State: A Guide for Car Campers Who Hate RVs, Concrete Slabs, and Loud Portable Stereos (Best Tent Camping) - Softcover

Cate Wells began her outdoor adventures as a Brownie and continues to camp on travels around the world. She works in publishing in New York City and enjoys nature as a welcome change from city life.

Aaron Starmer is a freelance writer and avid camper who grew up exploring the wilds of upstate New York. He has worked for years in the travel industry as an editor for Longitude Books in New York City.

Tim Starmer has been exploring and camping in New York since he was a child. Love of the outdoors has taken him across the country and as far away as the Overland Trek in Tasmania. He currently resides in Upstate New York where he works as a timber framer.

With Nicoll Bay on its eastern edge and the Great South Bay forming its southern boundary, Heckscher is largely surrounded by water. Less than 50 miles from New York City, it is a convenient getaway for many urban dwellers, who constitute a very high volume of day-users. The park, located at the end of the aptly named Heckscher State Parkway, has well-maintained, clean, and secure facilities. Park police are a common site; day visitors are shuffled out at sundown; and the main campground gate closes at 10 p.m. In addition, campers are not allowed in areas outside the campground after sundown.
The campground is nestled in the woods, set off from Hecksher Parkway loop by an open field. As you enter, look for the campground office on your right. Arranged in a simple rectangle, and divided into four rows, the sites are closely spaced, but nicely shaded, well manicured and flat. One large comfort station serves the campground in the center.
Use the grill for cooking. Other fires are permitted only in metal bottom containers that the camper must provide. Each basic site features a cement platform and RVs (limited to less than 11 feet high) are not an uncommon site. However, there are no electrical or water hookups and quiet hours (during which time generators must be off) are strictly enforced. At the back of the far loop, you will find the quietest sites, with 67 and 68 being the most spacious. Activities are organized in the summer for children, and families find it an ideal place to find respite from the more trafficked sections of the park.