Camp Rushford
Camp Rushford
RD 1, Box 166
Rush Creek Road
Caneadea, NY 14717
The Rushford Environmental Education Camp, for youth who are 12 to 14 years old, is located on the Hanging Bog Wildlife Management Area in Allegany County about two miles southwest of Rushford Lake.
The 4,500 acre Hanging Bog Wildlife Management Area provides unlimited space for outdoor learning amid natural hardwood forests, conifer plantations, fields, streams and marshes. Campers also have the opportunity to explore the bog for which the area is named.
Camp Rushford is the only DEC Camp specifically designed and built as a conservation education camp. The two main buildings are constructed of logs salvaged from the Adirondacks after the blow down of 1950. Rushford opened as a boys' camp in 1952 and began co-educational operation in 1983.
Camp Rushford dining hall
A week at Camp Rushford promises hands-on learning and fun. Campers participate in a discovery group while at camp, completing six lessons ranging from group dynamics to field, forest, and pond explorations, to a study of human impact. Group members learn science, solve challenges, play games, keep a journal, catch salamanders, net butterflies and discover the interconnectedness of life on earth. College-educated counselor staff guides all activities, encouraging participation and respect among group members while interpreting the natural world for campers.
Additionally, campers choose from a variety of optional activities throughout the week that introduce them to outdoor pursuits and pastimes. Experiences include early-morning polar bear swims, learning to fly fish and canoe trips to the Hanging Bog.
Directions
From the East:
Take I-90 NYS Thruway to Exit 46 (I-390 Rochester/Corning). Take I-390 South until Exit 8 (US 20A Geneseo). Turn right onto US 20A and go straight onto NY 39. Turn left onto NY 19A, which eventually becomes NY 19. NY 19 will lead you into Caneadea, NY. Take a right onto Rt. 49 and continue straight until you see a public beach on the right. Turn left onto Rush Creek Road. You will pass a large barn and then see the entrance to Camp Rushford on the left. Look for the yellow and brown NYSDEC signs.
From Jamestown (West):
Travel east on Interstate 86 to Cuba Exit 28. Take a left onto State Route 305. Proceed north on Route 305 to Belfast. Turn left onto State Route 19 and proceed north. Turn left onto County Route 49 (just south of Caneadea) and continue until you see a public beach and the Rushford Lake inlet. Turn left onto Rush Creek Road and proceed approximately 2 miles. Turn left into the entrance to Camp Rushford. Look for the yellow and brown NYSDEC signs.
From Buffalo:
Travel West on NYS Thruway I-90 to exit 54-RT 400. Merge onto RT 400 South towards East Aurora Divided highway ends and becomes RT 16 South In the town of Yorkshire turn LEFT onto RT 39 East In the village of Arcade turn RIGHT onto RT 98 South Continue straight on 98 and it will become RT 243 East After passing a few commercial buildings on your left, look for Hillcrest Rd/County RT 49 (blue and gold sign). Turn RIGHT onto Hillcrest Rd/Co. RT 49. Look for Rushford Lake public beach on your left and Rush Creek Rd. on your right. Turn RIGHT onto Rush Creek Rd. Travel about 2 miles and look for a large barn and Camp Rushford entrance on your LEFT.
Travel time from major cities
Buffalo: 1 hour 15 minutes
Rochester: 2 hours
Syracuse: 3 hours
Albany: 5 hours
New York City: 6 hours
