When: September 24 - September 26, 2021 Duration: 3 days, 2 nights Location: Bear, DE Cost: $38 per night Miles from SE PA: 68 miles Site#: 26 About Lums Pond State Park Our good friends clued us in to how amazing Lums Pond is a few years ago, and we've been...
Bass Lake
Parish, NYBass Lake - Parish, NY
When: June 21 – June 25, 2021
Duration: 5 days, 4 nights
Location: Parish, NY
Cost: $0 per night (with TRA membership)
Miles from SE PA: 260 miles
Site#: 262 and 263
About Bass Lake
Bass Lake is part of our Camping Timeshare that we have through Travel Resorts of America. It’s located in Parish, NY, close to Lake Ontario and not too far from the Finger Lakes. We have been wanting to check it out for years and I’m so thrilled that we finally made the journey.
Because we booked a bit late, we were in a spot in the field with only water and electric hookup but since our stay was only a few days, this suited us fine.
Our Bass Lake Crew
Crammy Grammy and Stargazer, my parents, continued on the trek from our previous stay at Ives Run to Bass Lake, around the beautiful Seneca Lake. We passed through Watkins Glen and saw many vineyards and breweries along our scenic route. We were excited to have the ‘rents along because we took a kid-free day-trip to Seneca Lake to celebrate our 18-year anniversary.
Amenities
By this point in our joureny, we were in desperate need of some clean clothes. Thanksfully, Bass Lake had a laundry facility with 4 washers and dryers, which meant an efficient sud-cycle. While I conquered the laundry, The Engineeer took the kids mini golfing and enjoyed some fishing on the lake in his Hobie. If you don’t have a boat, you can borrow one from the resort (so cool!). There was also a pool, a game room, and the camp store located near the laundry.
Closer to our campsite, there was a snack bar, another pool, playground, and dog park.
But let’s talk about the Wi-Fi. Most campgrounds boast about their free Wi-Fi but you can’t even get enough signal to check email. Not Bass Lake! Their Wi-Fi was fantastic, which pleased The Engineer since he had to call into meetings most of our stay and the kids were super happy to be able to FaceTime their friends, watch movies with the FireStick, and play some Minecraft. The Explorer managed to blow through our data on our jetpack in just a few days (apparently unlimited doesn’t actually mean unlimited – grrrrr, Verizon). We decided we’ll definitely go back for a longer stay next year and plan to work remotely so that we can stay longer.
While our stay was short, we certainly enjoyed the peaceful campground and since it’s only a 4-hour drive, we plan to make it an annual trip.
Activities We Did
Bass Lake is in a small town but there are plenty of activities to do if you’re willing to drive. Check out the list of the sights that we saw during our stay.
1. Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is only about 15 minutes away from the campground. We first had our sights set on Southwick Beach State Park but when we arrived, the Ranger informed us that the water had tested positive for E. coli. No thank you! So we traveled about 45 minutes to Wescott Beach State Park. It was decently busy for a weekday but the water was shallow and very warm. The kids enjoyed the sand and the mild waves.
2. Restaurants
Since I had cooked and planned meals for nearly 2 weeks straight, I decided a night off was warranted. We ordered take out from Marinos. It was tasty and hit the spot.
On our way to Lake Ontario, we stopped at the most delicious deli. I can’t eat gluten, which can often cause us some challenges when trying to locate a place to eat. We found the Mill House Market and the food was so scrumptious. We will definitely be adding this quaint little establishment to our favorites list for our next visit.
Additionally, a few nights a week (maybe more during “normal” times), you can order food at the campground’s Cafe and Bar.
3. Seneca Lake
Every year we make the trek to Ives Run around the time of our anniversary and every year I say, “We’re going to stay at Bass Lake right after Ives Run so that we can visit the Finger Lakes. This year, I made true on that promise. While my parents watched the kids and dog, we went to Seneca Lake and visited a few of the many wineries, breweries, and eateries. We started at Three Brothers Wineries & Estates. I really enjoyed the cider at War House Brewing Company. I got their tasting Passport and did a tasting at each of their establishments. It was a unique experience.
We ate lunch at Ventosa Vineyards since the kitchen was closed at Three Brothers. The food was tasty and they had a decent gluten-free selection.
We traveled on to a brewery next to appeal to the Engineer’s palate. We visited Big Alice Brewing of the Finger Lakes. We had a fantastic time chatting with the bar tender and learned that the Original Big Alice in NYC was named after the Big Allis smokestacks that are visible from their brewery.
In summary, we had a great day-trip getaway and would have loved more time to explore. Maybe next trip.
Trip Video
Our video highlights some of the amenities around the campground, plus our trips to Seneca Lake and Lake Ontario.
Recent Travels
I have categorized each of my posts about campgrounds in order to make them easy to spot. Each time we visit a campground, I provide a review at the end of each post. Huge caveat – my taste may be different than yours and that’s quite okay but make sure you read my Rating Criteria to see what we are seeking when making our final judgement.
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Campground Review
Bass Lake Campground Resort
$0 with TRA Membership
9.6
Pros
- Lots to do near by
- Pet friendly with dog park
- Easy access to campground lake
- Close proximity to Lake Ontario
- Very friendly members
- Phenomenal Wi-Fi
- Fantastic laundry facilities
- Many great sites to choose from
Cons
- Not all sites are full hookup