Beechwood State Park, State park on Lake Ontario in Sodus, New York, United States
Beechwood State Park is a 288-acre state park on the Lake Ontario shore in the Town of Sodus, Wayne County, New York. It has about 1,500 feet of narrow pebble beach below eroded bluffs strewn with fallen trees, several miles of mowed hiking trails, a picnic pavilion and small shelters. Maxwell Creek offers fishing and canoe access.
In 1929 the Girl Scouts of the USA bought about 150 acres on Lake Ontario and built Camp Beechwood, used by scouts and youth groups until financial pressure closed it in the late 1990s. New York State bought the land in 1999, budget shortfalls left it a preserve, and a 146-acre parcel was added in 2006. The Town of Sodus took over management under a long-term lease in 2010.
The park occupies the former Camp Beechwood, bought by the Girl Scouts of the USA in 1929 and used for camping and outdoor activities until the late 1990s. Visitors can still find the former camp buildings and facilities, which were left to decay after the state acquired the land in 1999.
Access to Maxwell Creek for fishing and canoeing is possible from within the park. The mowed trails run several miles through the grounds, and a picnic pavilion and small shelters stand along them. The pebble beach along the 1,500 feet of Lake Ontario shoreline is narrow and strewn with trees fallen from the bluffs.
The state bought the land in 1999 intending a full state park, but budget shortfalls led to its designation as a preserve, so the former Camp Beechwood buildings were left to decay rather than be developed. The Town of Sodus took over management in 2010 and has since repaired and secured them.
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