Sodus, New York

Abandoned Girl Scout Camp at Beechwood State Park

A deteriorating 1990s Girl Scout camp in a beautiful lush park on Lake Ontario.

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The empty deteriorating cabins are reminiscent of an 80s horror slasher flick.

The Girl Scout Camp closed in the mid-to-late 1990s. Neither the town nor the state wanted the land, but the town ended up with it, and turned it into a “state park”, which, it seems, they immediately forgot about. The abandoned buildings include a mess hall, various cabins, vinyl-curtained lean-tos, a campfire ring, and even a swimming pool. The cabins feature much broken glass, bed frames that seem to have been ripped apart, and holes aplenty in the walls. Various graffiti lines many surfaces in the park, even trees.

As of fall of 2018, the town of Sodus is increasing security on the premises, to hopefully curb the vandalism. Despite all of this, the park itself is quite beautiful, lush with greenery and tall towering trees, bordering Lake Ontario. Camp Beechwood is a great area to explore, almost completely flat, making it an easy walk. It is especially gorgeous in the fall when the leaves are full of color.

Update: The mess hall was burned to the ground in mid-September 2018.

Know Before You Go

Due to a lot of tall grass and overgrowth, it is wise to wear long socks and boots. We have picked up a few ticks every time we've explored here, so check each other after. The house at the entrance was formerly the caretaker's house, but is now privately owned; please don't block his driveway. Enter any of the abandoned structures at your own risk. Recommended is a walking stick/gold club, to be used to check unsafe/unstable floors. There has been an uptick in crime/vandalism here, so don't go at night, and maybe bring a can of pepper spray, just in case. The park is managed by the town of Sodus, and has a parking area off of Lake Road.