Selkirk Shores State Park in Pulaski, Oswego County, NY will soon be one of New York State’s most modern parks. Selkirk Shores State Park is on a bluff overlooking Lake Ontario. The park is known for its camping, fishing, a beach and trail network. Located near the Salmon River and on a major bird flyway makes it popular with boaters and birders. More than 100,000 visitors come to the park annually.
As part of a $9 million investment, work will begin to upgrade critical park infrastructure this fall. Some of the renovations include a new park office, accessible restrooms, enhanced campsites, and an improved park entrance to ease the check-in process.
The park office will be replaced and the entrance and exit pattern redesigned for improved traffic flow and easier check-in and check-out. The two existing camping restrooms will be replaced with larger, more accessible facilities located more centrally on the loops.
The new facilities will include accessible showers, baby changing stations, and dish-washing stations. The new buildings are expected to be substantially more energy efficient than those they are replacing.
Enhancements to the campground at Selkirk Shores will be at the core of the project, including installing crushed stone or pavement at each of the 130 campsites, improving storm water drainage, adding more water hydrants to the campground loops, and installing new security features.
The park’s 24 cabins will receive accessibility upgrades and improvements to their electrical wiring, masonry and roofs.
Other improvements include replacing the park sign and constructing a new playground. Structures built during the Great Depression by the Civilian Conservation Corps are expected to be repaired and preserved.
The two day-use restroom buildings will be renovated and made more accessible, with deteriorated logs replaced and the roof repaired. The large lakeside pavilion, used for picnics, weddings, nature programs and events, will receive a total restoration and preservation. This involves replacement of sections of deteriorated logs, staining the exterior, reglazing all doors and windows, and roof shingle replacement with flashing and chimney repointing.
Crews will also improve the kitchen and install an ADA-compliant all-season restroom and walkways. Much of the work will be done by State Parks’ trades crews.
While work on these updates is ongoing, the park will remain day-use only following Labor Day 2024, through 2025. Campers are invited to vacation at nearby state parks such as Southwick Beach, Fair Haven Beach, Westcott Beach, Whetstone Golf, Burnham Point, and Cedar Point State Park.
Illustration: Selkirk Shores State Park modernization rendering provided by State Parks.
