The camping park that beckoned, 'Come hither'

Once upon a time, for 17 consecutive summers, we launched our 1985 Class C Jayco motorhome to Hither Hills State Park in Montauk for a week of sun, sand and saltwater-infused camping.

We welcomed our children’s friends to join us and set them up in a basic tent alongside our camper, so not to deprive them of a true camping experience. Not to mention that sleeping space inside the camper was a limited commodity, reserved for us older campers who were less enthusiastic about sleeping on the unpredictable ground.

The park, a far cry from glamping, has little to offer in the way of creature comforts, yet abounds with surf, seagulls, and simplicity, reminding us that we can get by with so much less than we do. The park is not a s’mores-friendly campground. It boasts no electricity hookups or water connections and prohibits fires at the individual campsites. Every day is a bad hair day. With no TV and limited Wi-Fi, a week there lures you back to a simpler time highlighted by the thunderous crash of waves lulling you to sleep each night.

So, what did we and our caravan of privileged Long Island-bred children do to keep busy for a week in this stark oceanfront environment? The answer is as simple as the location.

Besides offering one of the most pristine beaches on Long Island, the park offers nightly movies outside its rickety general store, and all ages welcome morning softball games, a weekly sandcastle contest, and a child-friendly clubhouse equipped with games, puzzles and books. As our daughter morphed into her teen years, there were even a couple of celebrity sightings to entertain her and her still-best friends in the Montauk IGA grocery store and John’s Drive-In, where burgers and ice cream could be had.

We enjoyed welcoming my husband’s cousin and fun family each year and looked forward to them staking a large tent on our designated campground. Each year they shared with us their love of the ocean and basic camping recipes, such as French press coffee and complete pancake mix whose sole additional ingredient is water. Our children have continued their friendships, and our son was honored to be a groomsman at their older son’s wedding in San Diego last summer.

Some years back, when our Jayco was no longer “sparking joy,” we vended it to four Freeport fishermen who did not take issue with the broken refrigerator, leaky roof, or faded exterior, casualties of an aging camper. These salty guys made it conveniently clear that they were merely seeking shelter from the storm. Sold!

In recent years, we have returned as day visitors, with our seaside gear reduced to two webbed folding chairs, a smaller cooler and sunblock, a far cry from who we once were. As “outliers,” we observe the hustle and bustle of young families preparing for a week of off-grid living, and we smile.

Camping at Hither Hills State Park offers family interactions and fun overload at its best and continues to charm and delight. These days, our children’s friends, now young adults, visit us and reminisce with nostalgic details about their adventures at the park. They linger and muse about taking their kids there to camp someday, and they thank us.

Understandably, camping is not for everyone, but the annual opportunity to expose children to a week of rustic tenting in an oceanfront paradise is certainly worthwhile.

Reader Mary Roulette lives in West Islip.