Veterans Memorial Park at Gillie Lake — Attraction in Town of Camillus

Swimming at Gillie was a part of growing up in the JE area. It's still a great, family friendly place to spend those summer days.

The water isn't as cool as most natural bodies so if a warmer dip is your thing Gillie is the spot. They usually have many life guards on duty until 1830 hrs so you can feel more secure bringing Littles. After that the beach closes so that can be a little disappointing if you like to swim into the evening.

Beach is usually pretty clean and has sand with few small rocks. Water is a little murkey with questionable water quality and can get a little slimey and gritty the further out you go. It is roped off after a certain point.

Bugs are horrible here bring all the bug repellent in your arsenal.

Out houses available for the public. Not the cleanest. Bring some hand sanitizer.

Old fashioned water pumps, not sure the water quality though so I recommend a filtered water bottle or just bringing your own.

Several patios/ gazebos that can be rented out for birthday parties or other gatherings. A nice option but I wish the tables werent so run down and warped, makes it difficult and maybe a little hazerdous to sit too many people at a table.

Signage to Gillie and for parking is sparce. It can be somewhat inconvenient to navigate if you're not familiar with the area or if parking fills up.

Beach has been packed the few times I've gone. A popular...

This is a small lake in Camillus NY. At the time of my visit swimming was not allowed as the life guard stations were unoccupied, I believe the closure also may have had something to do with an alleged algae bloom. Neither did anything to deter the swimmers from enjoying the water. The beach was large and sandy and many children had been busy making sand sculptures. There is a very large Gazebo standing on a concrete floor with loads of picnic tables and two large hibachi style charcoal grills. There also is a fairly small parking area on one side of the park ( the beach front entrance ) and there is parking allowed on the grass on the opposite side of the lake and there are several picnic tables here and there. As for the gazebo, I believe if you want to make arrangements for a family gathering you may contact the Gilly lake officials to reserve it. I would recommend this sorta secret getaway. Look it up, go there and enjoy your day away from the ratrace. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ This is a place with no trash cans so,... It is a take out what you carry in park. (A good rule in my humble opinion). I think it might be a park you may have to pay to enter, I'm not sure if and what that fee is as I went in on an odd day and no one in any official capacity was anywhere...

We frequent here often in the summer and it's a wonderful little Gem ticked away that not too many people are aware is there. The beach is lovely with lots of sand, and the scenery here is beautiful. I LOVE that you can bring a cooler for a picnic lunch, folding chairs, beach blankets, and even sand/beach toys without issue. So many other public places I have been to this year do not allow food or drink on the beaches, nor do they allow any kind of toys. However having these luxuries here at Gillie Lake makes for a genuinely fun and well used portion of the day for the family. There is a fee, $3 for adults, $2 kids but it's well worth it, given you can come in and out all day between 11am & 6pm. The ONLY downfall is that the bathhouse, which houses restrooms & showers is quite a distance from the beach, and it is not easily accessible for people with mobility issues as the path is very small and hilly. They really should have 1 or 2 handicapped accessible blue bowls closer...