Camping with The Mellanders

I have been wanting to get a large family sized tent now that we are taking the kids camping with us. Today I ran into this video about Coleman’s new Instant Tent. Coleman claims you can set it up in less then 60 seconds. To prove it, check out this video of two of the marketing managers setting it up out the box bag in about 30 seconds.

That’s pretty sweet. The best part is it looks just as easy to take down and pack away. You can check out a video of that here. You can learn more this tent at coleman.com.

Will it be the tent for us? Only time will tell…

Taughannock Falls State Park is located outside of Ithaca, NY and on the shores of Cayuga Lake. I have hiked the gorge up to the falls and stopped at the senic overlook several times growing up but did not camp there until the summer of 2006. A truck club I was a member of at the time hosted a wine tasting tour and used the park as our base camp.

Taughannock Falls State Park’s namesake waterfall is one of the outstanding natural attractions of the Northeast. Taughannock Falls plunges 215 feet past rocky cliffs that tower nearly 400 feet above the gorge. It is 33 feet taller then Niagara Falls and is one of the largest single-drop waterfalls east of the Rocky Mountains. The gorge and rim trails offer spectacular views from above the falls and from below at the end of the gorge trail. It is a beautiful park and the campground was wonderful. The campsite was found clean and the restrooms were kept in great condition. The park is also located just minutes from the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail.

Really, the waterfall itself is enough reason to visit this park and campground. The fact that it sits on one of the Finger Lakes and is only minutes from 16 fantastic Finger Lake wineries are all just frosting on the cake.

Taughannock Falls State Park – Official Website

From time to time, we feature campgrounds we have visited in the past. This would be one of those times.

Located on Wellesley Island in the 1,000 Islands, Wellesley Island State Park is one of the nicest parks we have ever camped in. My wife and I traveled to the 1,000 Islands in 2004 and stayed at Wellesley. The island is surrounded by the St. Lawerence River, offering beautiful views of the water from many of the campsites. The park also features a marina, four boat launches, a 9-hole golf course and a sandy beach area.

Not only was the campground and park beautiful, it was extremely well kept and clean. The camp sites were nicely separated and the terrain made for a unique feel to the campground area. Our site sat up on a little bluff, giving us a nice view down to the river.

The park’s location is one of it’s best features, but also one of it’s biggest drawbacks. Located right off I-81 at the US/Canada border, it’s extremely easy to get to. However, you must cross a toll bridge ($2.00 toll) when coming from the US Mainland or coming back from Canada. That got annoying pretty quick. But if you don’t plan on traveling from the park often, then it’s no big deal.

Our favorite activities while staying there included a boat trip to tour Boldt Castle (pictured above) and a day trip we took to Ottawa, Canada. It is a beautiful city and only 2 hours from the border. It is worth the trip.

View from our campsite.

Our campsite

Wellesley Island State Park – Official Site

I stayed at Wilmington Notch for the first time in August of 2010 with three friends. We stayed for 3 nights in my friend’s pop-up camper, which was a nice change from tent camping.

Our trip consisted of fishing the famous Au Sable River and hiking Cascade Mountain, one of the 46 high peaks.

The campground is operated by the NY DEC and is small but very nice. The main draw to the Notch is its location. Besides being in the heart of the Adirondacks High Peaks region, the campground sits on the Au Sable River, is located 1 minute from the Whiteface Mountain Olympic ski area and is only 8 miles from Lake Placid. It also features rest areas with flush toilets and hot showers. There are no electric or water hookups at the sites, but a dumping station is available for campers.

We found all of our fellow visitors at the campground to be extremely kind. It was filled with friendly families and a helpful staff. Due to it’s size, you are a little bit on top of each other with little privacy from each other, but this is really it’s only drawback. I would highly recommend the campground and plan on staying there again with my family when we evenutally take a family trip to the Adirondacks.

Wilmington Notch – Official Website

We made our return to camping here in the summer of 2010 after having not gone as a family for 5 years! Unfortunately it was only a quick overnight stay that was cut short due to one of our little ones getting sick. However, I was not too sad to leave this park so quickly.

While it is a beautiful campground with what looks to be a nice glen you can hike along (didn’t get to see it), the night we stayed the campground was filled with large groups of kids who seem to be wandering around with no attention paid to them by their parents. After night fall, some of these kids were launching water balloons at the restrooms…which were less then 100 feet from my tent! It was also a very loud campground. It was actually hard to fall asleep with all the large groups talking loudly through the night.

When we first arrived, some campground neighbors came over and warned us of the kids and then antics they had experienced the previous night. They informed us that they had reported it to the park police, but nothing was done about it. After spending the night, I saw what they were upset about. This could be a fantastic park if the Park Police would step up their patrolling of it and enforce campground rules. I hate to dismiss something based on one experience, but I for one will not be in any hurry to return.

PS: If you do visit this campground, avoid campsite 46. This is where we camped and it was one of the worst sites I’ve ever had. It was basically out by itself in the middle of a large field. Stick with sites 28-43 or 57-60 if you are tent camping.

Fillmore Glen State Park – Official Website