Camp Helen State Park

About Camp Helen State Park

Dune lakes on the coast are extremely rare worldwide, but in the United States they are only found along the Gulf Coast. Dune lagoons off the coast are very rare and are found only in a few places in North America.

The prehistoric highland layers of the hills suggest that humans lived in the area more than 4000 years ago. The natural areas range from dunes, salt marshes and bays to freshwater wetlands, pine forests and lakes. From 1945 to 1987, Camp Helen was the first tent camp of the US Army Corps of Engineers, but all buildings have since been restored.

People have been drawn to the Camp Helen area for over 400 years, as evidenced by the prehistoric middle-hill graves in the park. The area around Phillips Inlet, known to early European settlers as "Inlet Beach," was originally developed by early European settlers for recreational purposes in the early 1920s for the US Army Corps of Engineers and the New York State Department of Natural Resources (NYDNR).

In the 1940s, a lodge and the associated buildings were added, some of which still exist today. From 1945 to 1987, Camp Helen served as a holiday resort for staff. These buildings offer a glimpse of what once was here on the Gulf Coast, as well as the history of New York's State Park system.

Lake Powell Park, managed by Bay County, has a public boat dock and Camp Helen has its own boat parking. Boat trips are also available at the Lake Powell State Park boat ramp, located at Phillips Inlet and connecting Lakeowell with the Gulf of Mexico. The land, which includes CampHelen, was acquired by the state of Florida in the 1950s as part of the Florida Department of Natural Resources (DNR) land acquisition program.

The lake is a dune lake on the coast, not a bay, so boaters who are not familiar with the water should be careful. Lake Powell is only accessible via a small clearing and bridge that crosses the lake, but not by boat.

The bay, which connects the Gulf with the lake, is not maintained for shipping, and winds can cause serious damage to boats and other vehicles every day.

It is recommended that boaters who are not familiar with the water do not attempt to cross the bay. Any boat built on land is the responsibility of the craft company and we do not recommend the use of boats or other vehicles in the Camp Helen State Park area.

Large ships may be a poor choice for boaters, but recommended boaters are limited to a maximum speed of 20 miles per hour (25 km / h) and a minimum depth of 10 feet (3 m).

Camp Helen is located on the west side of Camp Helen State Park, north of the city of Helen, New York. The entrance is located at the intersection of Route 1 and Route 2, about half a mile from the main entrance to the park.