FAQ

Your arrival time will be decided on between you and the director prior to you filling out your online registration form. Arrival time must be no later than one hour prior to your first meal. For groups using Camp Huntington, it will take at least 30 minutes for transport across the lake.

Parking for all of the Raquette Lake facilities is at Antlers. Find a staff member for assistance. If you cannot find a staff member, park your vehicle at the Main Lodge and walk to the bottom of the hill. The office is in the building on the left.

Yes, each group will participate in a scheduled orientation. A question-and-answer session will follow the orientation.

Breakfast is at 8 a.m., lunch at noon and dinner at 6 p.m.

For special food requests, the cooks should be contacted a minimum of 21 days prior to your arrival. Planning ahead helps immensely due to our location and delivery schedules. The cooks will know best how they can serve you. In some instances, a participant may need to bring some of their own food to round out their diet. 

Yes, each group is responsible for helping to bring food to the tables, washing dishes and helping to clean up. For each meal there should be a KP (kitchen patrol) person for each table set. Example: You have five tables of people, there should be five KPs for each meal. A list of KP duties can be found on our planning a visit webpage

Typically what happens is the birthday person will receive dessert first with a candle in it and get sung to by the program participants.

Consult with the cook no later than three weeks prior to your visit. Cost will be dependent upon your requests and availability, if feasible.

Students attending classes, coursework, club or organizational outings at Raquette Lake are prohibited from bringing, consuming or distributing alcohol and/or drugs. Group leaders, professors or directors of the facilities at Raquette Lake may be contacted for further clarification.

The alcohol and drug policy may be found in Chapter 360 of the SUNY Cortland Handbook.

Yes, both sites on Raquette Lake have running potable (drinkable) water.

Yes, all of the running water on both sides of the lake is potable (drinkable).

Most — not all — bathrooms are inside the building in which you will be sleeping. There are showers or baths located in each of the bathrooms. Depending on the building you are occupying, you may have to share with other folks.

There is no janitorial or maid staff at any of the locations. All participants are expected to clean their accommodations, including sweeping, mopping and/or vacuuming, where applicable, as well as cleaning bathrooms and common spaces before leaving. Each guest is responsible for leaving the facilities in as good or better condition than they found them. Cleaning supplies minus elbow grease are supplied.

The center provides a wool blanket and a pillow for each bed. You are encouraged to bring a pillowcase and either linens or a lightweight sleeping bag. All beds are twin-size. Check with your group leader for further recommendations.

The Challenge Course is available for both Antlers and Camp Huntington guests, as well as day-use groups. All groups must have a lead facilitator, who has successfully completed a safety orientation on the Camp Huntington course within the past two years, present on the course during the entire program. If your group does not have an approved lead facilitator, the center can provide you with available options. Each facilitator works as an independent contractor. As such, the facilitators determine their own fees, which are not included in Camp Huntington's challenge course use fee. Many of the facilitators have other employment and commitments, it is recommended that groups contract with facilitator(s) well in advance of their scheduled program.

Yes, groups staying at Antlers may use the ropes course at Camp Huntington.

No, facilitators must have complete a safety orientation every other year.

SUNY Cortland has canoes, kayaks, paddleboats, sailboat, and stand-up paddleboards. Any group may use the small crafts with proper training and/or supervision. Participants will be taught proper handling and use by qualified staff prior to their use. Your group will need to have a lead instructor or hire a small craft facilitator (we can supply options). Life jackets must be worn at all times while in a canoe. The canoes should be cleaned after each use and stored in the designated areas.

Yes, SUNY Cortland rents canoes at the Antlers depending on availability. The cost to rent canoes is $15 per day per canoe. To make reservations you may call Antlers, 315-354-4631, or email rhonda.pitoniak@cortland.edu. Please remember that availability depends upon the size of the groups using the facility during your requested time. Life jackets and paddles are included in the rental. Life jackets must be worn at all times while in the canoe. 

Please note that we do not rent any other kind of small craft. 

Camp Huntington has cross-country skis, boots, poles and snowshoes available.

The center is not responsible for providing first aid kits for your programs. You should supply a first aid kit to be housed in a central location and carried with your medical director while on outings. We have a small kit for use in camp. One automatic external defibrillator (AED) can be found at Antlers just inside the kitchen door to the right. Camp Huntington has two AEDs, one inside the ramp entrance to the kitchen on the right and one at the Maintenance Shop.

The closest hospitals are in Utica and Glens Falls, approximately 80 miles away in each direction. If an ambulance is called, it will take the injured participant to a Utica hospital.

No, you are responsible for your own individual and group water safety.

Yes, quiet hours are observed from 10 p.m.-7 a.m.

Please make checks payable to SUNY Cortland Auxiliary Services. Payment should be made upon arrival unless prior arrangements have been made.

Yes, Camp Huntington has a commemorative plate, designed by Theta Phi and produced by Syracuse China. We also have postcards, travel mugs, ceramic mugs, T-shirts, hats, fleeces and the like. 

Tents are not to be used at the center's main facilities. Check with your group leader before packing equipment.

Contact the center director before bringing boats of any kind.

Jet Skis may not be used at any of our Raquette Lake facilities. 

No guests are allowed to bring pets or animals to the Parks Family Outdoor Education Center.

Check with your group leader before packing technological devices. We do not recommend bringing electronic equipment; you most likely will not have time to use it.

Cell phone service at the center is sporadic at best. Check with your group leader before packing technological devices.

There are no computers for use other than instructional.

Raquette Lake boasts a variety of fish, including brook trout, lake trout, small mouth bass, large mouth bass, perch and bullhead. This lake is stocked annually with lake trout and brook trout.

The William H. Parks Family Center for Environmental and Outdoor Education abides by and follows the New York State Department of Conservation's Fishing Regulations Guide. To obtain a license you can contact the DEC by mail or by visiting your local sporting goods store in New York state. The Ace Hardware store in Inlet, N.Y., has fishing licenses available. To get a license, you will need your complete name and address information along with proof of residency — driver's license or non-drivers license identification.

The cost for a New York state resident weekly license is $12 and a residential yearly license is $25. Non-resident licenses are $50 annually and $28 weekly. The last weekend in June is considered a "free" fishing weekend. Children 16 and under do not need a fishing license according to the NYS DEC. For more information go to the New York State DEC website.

The full facility will be open from approximately May 15 through Oct. 10. The Main Lodge, complete with heat, water and a full kitchen, is available for use in the spring and fall. The Main Lodge capacity is 19.

Antlers maximum capacity is 45 people when the full facility is open.

Most sleeping accommodations are bedrooms with two or three beds in each room (one bunk bed and one regular twin-size bed). Each bedroom at Antlers has its own bathroom and shower or tub. The Main Lodge can sleep 19 people, the Cedars sleeps nine folks and the Terrace Cottages collectively can accommodate 15 people.

Camp Huntington is open most of the year. Guests use the facility from Jan. 5 through March 15 and from May 1 through Oct. 25.

Huntington has sleeping arrangements for 74 people. During the winter session, due to non-winterized buildings, Camp Huntington can accommodate 65 people.

There are several different size rooms at Camp Huntington. Generally, most rooms sleep four people. A few of the accommodations sleep six to eight in a room. All rooms have twin-size bunk beds and dressers.

The Kirby Camp is a cabin built in the late 1880s, currently used for guests. The cabin consists of four rooms and two walk-through closets. It sleeps eight and has a modern kitchen. The cabin is located on the Camp Huntington side of the lake and is only accessible by water.

The Kirby Camp is only available for rent to SUNY Cortland alumni, faculty and staff.

The Kirby Camp is open from mid-June through mid-September.

No, the Kirby Camp has no electricity. The lights, oven/stove and refrigerator are all powered by propane.

No, the Kirby Camp is rented out by the week. The week starts on Monday at 2 p.m. and ends the following Sunday morning.

The Kirby Camp has running water in the kitchen and the master bedroom. Separate water containers from Camp Huntington are provided for drinking.

An outhouse, on the back deck, is outfitted with a composting toilet. The shower facilities consist of a solar shower.

For further information on the camp, see the Kirby Camp webpage. For availability, contact outdoor.edinfo@cortland.edu or 607-753-5488.