Camp Seneca Lake has provided children entering grades 3-11 with over 80 summers of fun, friends and cherished memories. Our 200 beautiful wooded acres in the Finger Lakes region of New York State provide the ideal backdrop for camp. Campers participate in a variety of exciting areas, including waterfront (skiing, sailing, wakeboarding and more!), high and low ropes courses, most land sports, overnight hiking, nature, drama, and arts and crafts. CSL offers these activities in a wholesome Jewish camp community full of ruach to promote the physical, social, and emotional development of each of our campers.
Being the only JCC overnight camp in upstate NY, it is natural that many of our campers hail from communities such as Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse and Binghamton. What may come as more surprising is the fact that nearly 40% of our campers are from more distant areas. In 2010 these included…Maryland, North Carolina, Florida, California, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Tennessee, Virginia…even from Paris, France! Some of these are children of alumni, but many discovered CSL right here on the internet.
That’s a simple question… with the staff! Our varied activities are led by a well-trained, mature, energetic college-age staff of over 100 individuals. Most of our counselors were former CSL campers themselves, now anxious to provide the fun and memories they once received to a new generation of campers. Unit Heads are college graduates who supervise each “village” of campers and staff. Each area of the Camp Seneca Lake program is led by a talented Head Specialist with considerable experience and knowledge in their program area.
Finally, as a camp accredited by the American Camp Association for decades, CSL upholds the highest standards of the camping industry. Unlike many camps whose directors enter and leave every couple of summers, CSL Director John Golden has over 30 years of experience as a camp director, 18 of these at Camp Seneca Lake. John and his Leadership Team check the backgrounds of all staff carefully to provide a safe and healthy camp environment at CSL. They are also readily available to camp families!
