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Hide-A-Way Campsite
Phoenicia, NY
- Dates: October, 1994.
- Vibe: Our first camping trip as a couple.
- Weather: Crisp!
- Pros: Nice spot in Woodland Valley. Outstanding Foliage!
- Cons: Traveling by bus. Our equipment (or lack thereof).
- Verdict: Pleasant wooded spot, but there's a New York State DEC campground down the road.
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Steve's Review:
My wife and I met in 1992 but didn't take our first camping trip until the fall after our wedding. Back then, we were living in a tiny one-bedroom apartment in Greenwich Village. A friend of Roberta's recommended North-South Lake Campground in Catskills Park and we thought we'd try it. In 1994, there was no Internet and no way to reserve New York State campgrounds in advance. We hopped on a bus laden with two full packpacks which included my two-person A-frame EMS tent and sleeping bags.
By the time we arrived at the bus terminal in Kingston, NY, we learned that North-South Lake was sold out for the night. So we decided to take a bus to Phoenicia, NY, hoping to book a site at Woodland Valley, about a five mile hike from Phoenicia. What we did not know is that the bridge to Woodland Valley was out and this added a two-mile detour to our hike.
The fall foliage was in full swing and the hike was quite pleasant! Unfortunately, the sun sets early in October and we were quickly running out of day. To make things worse, there was every chance we might arrive at Woodland Valley and find it booked up as well. As it turned out, we found a private campground along the way that had tent sites available.
Hide-A-Way Campsite has about 50 sites, many with electric and sewage hookups (think large RVs). It's not crowded and those here are quiet. There's lots of Red Squirrels here. Like an idiot, I didn't bring any matches! Some kind soul lent us half a matchbook. It was dicey there for a while, but we finally got the fire lit using the very last match! With fire, we had heat and were were able to cook.
The tent was cozy. We had new 20° sleeping bags from L. L. Bean, but we had them laying on the tent floor without a materess pad. This made for a fitful night's sleep, but we survived. Fun outing.
—SBW
