Camping on the beach at Lake Erie.
Helpful Tips
- What to Bring
Take quarters so you can use the showers. The water is warm and for .25 cents you get a lot of water. The lake water settles on everything overnight so cover your stuff up and don't leave anything out that you plan on having dry for the next morning.
- Notes
The campsite owner tells me that the beach is blanketed with tents during the summer, but that in September just before the season ends you don't even need a reservation. I would still call to make sure they're not booked before you make a long drive.
GPS-Friendly Address: 50 Peninsula Dr Erie, PA 16505 United States
- Location
- Sarah's Campground, Erie, Pennsylvania
- Address/Coordinates
- {42.1119454085203,-80.15517975396733}: 42.1119454085203, -80.15517975396733
- Website
- http://sarascampground.com/
- camp@sarascampground.com
- Phone
- (814) 833-4560
One of my favorite trips is camping on the beach at Lake Erie. I've been working on some features for Uncharted about Presque Isle State Park which has one of the longest freshwater beaches in the world. While the park doesn’t offer camping, there are plenty of privately owned sites nearby that have an excellent view of the lake and easy access to Presque Isle.
I have a good one too. Sarah's Campground is so close to the park that it might as well be annexed by the state. My tent is just 50 feet from the water and for 75 cents you can cheat and get a hot shower. It was still warm in mid-September. I had driven over six hours from my home near Philadelphia and was looking forward to enjoying the lake. My plan was to camp for two or three days and explore the park.
Once I finished setting up camp, I went snorkeling. It was fun to cool off and see Lake Erie from a different perspective, but there really wasn't much to see underwater. I've stayed in Erie a number of times, usually in a hotel. Camping on the beach is a much more enjoyable experience. The site is closer to the park and the beach than any hotel and because I packed to camp I saved a lot of money by not eating out. There is also free wireless internet.
It's a safe place too. The site on both sides of Peninsula Drive is gated. You can camp on the beach side like I did or go across Peninsula Drive to other locations in more wooded areas close to where campers and motor homes are set up. There are people who live on the site in motor homes all season long and then leave for the winter.
On my trips I usually spend a lot of time photographing at sunset or sunrise, twilight, and much later in the evening. Being located in a place where I only have to open the tent door to start shooting made it so I could capture some great moments, ones I would've missed while commuting from a hotel. I stayed for three days and nights, but in just a few hours I felt at home. Soon a few other tents popped up around me and I made some new friends. My only regret is not scheduling a few more days
.
Helpful Tips
- What to Bring
Take quarters so you can use the showers. The water is warm and for .25 cents you get a lot of water. The lake water settles on everything overnight so cover your stuff up and don't leave anything out that you plan on having dry for the next morning.
- Notes
The campsite owner tells me that the beach is blanketed with tents during the summer, but that in September just before the season ends you don't even need a reservation. I would still call to make sure they're not booked before you make a long drive.
GPS-Friendly Address: 50 Peninsula Dr Erie, PA 16505 United States