Oneida Shores County Park
Reviewed Aug. 28, 2023

Campground Nazis

We recently booked a weekend stay at Oneida Shores campground. This wasn't our first stay here but will most likely be our last. Upon arrival, we pulled in front of the office and decided to turn around knowing we would be going in the other direction towards the lake. As we were turning around, another car was pulling in but stopped to let us turn around. We were immediately met by the irate campground owner screaming at us telling us it was a one way and we couldn't go that way. So we tried to back up and he screamed at us to stay off the grass. My husband asked where do you want me to go and the owner just threw his hands in the air and went to the other car. I got out of the car to get our reservation as my husband was too upset. Side note, there are no signs marking the road as a one way. I told the owner my son would be camping with us and would be arriving later. He said he would have to park in the parking lot which is quite a walk from our site. The campsite allows two tents per site but apparently only one car although there was plenty of room for him to park there. My son arrived late as he had been attending the NYS Fair that night. He went to the parking lot as instructed and was met with a flashlight in his face and was questioned by police. He then had to carry all of his camping gear from the parking lot to the campsite. My sister and brother in law also had a run in with the police patrolling the campground. While we were camping in tents on the lakefront, they brought their camper and were in the RV side of the campground. They drove down to our site for dinner and a campfire. They left to return to their camper around 10pm. They were met at their site with flashlights in the face. Two cops questioned them separately asking if they were lost and said that they were observed driving in circles. My sister and brother in law explained that they were yelled at earlier by the owner for driving the wrong way so they were just making their way back. The police response was that they don't like strangers here. We have had a couple issues with the owners of this campground in previous years. One year they yelled at us for putting a tent on the border between two sites even though we purchased both sites. Another year they sold us green wood that would not burn and last year, our site was infested with bees. We keep returning because we love attending the NYS Fair and staying at the lakeside campground is a beautiful and inexpensive way to make a weekend out of it but between the irate owners and the police harassment, it no longer seems worth it.

Month of VisitAugust