Camp Barton, BSA
Frontenac Point on Cayuga Lake

Camp Barton was founded 100 years ago in 1922 at Taughannock Point. Two years later, New York State designated the site as a State Park. After the 1926 camp season, the Louis Agassiz Fuertes Council purchased the old Frontenac Hotel property at Frontenac Point, and Camp Barton moved to its present location for the 1927 camp season. It has been there ever since, used over the years by literally thousands of Boy Scouts (now "Scouts BSA", since girls were allowed to join a few years ago) for one- or two-week summer camp sessions, weekend council and district camporees, Order of the Arrow weekends, and troop camping when the camp is not otherwise in use. Cub Scouts use the property for Cub Adventure Weekends in May and October and Resident Camp in August. Many outside groups have used the camp property during the off-season as well. Camp buildings include a large dining hall built in 1930, a nature lodge built in 1952, an administration building, boat house, ranger cabin and shop and health lodge built in 1969, a shower house built in the 1990's and a bouldering wall built around 2000. There are open shelters around the sports field in front of the dining lodge and at the rifle and archery ranges, as well as smaller cabins used for summer camp staff housing and off-season camping. 

Camp Barton occupies a unique and beautiful site, running from the shore of Cayuga Lake inland to Route 89, covering most of the land between South Frontenac Road and Frontenac Road (approximately). A 40-acre parcel along Route 89 is currently under contract of sale as of this writing in late February 2022, but the majority of the camp remains in the ownership of the Baden-Powell Council. These photographs should give an idea of the wonderful resource which is Camp Barton.

The Dining Hall was originally built in 1930 and was extended several times since then.
Aerial photo of Camp Barton showing the full extent of the camp property after the 1969 camp expansion. The open green area nearest the lake is the Parade Field, and the Sports Field is across Frontenac Road, with the Dining Hall on the edge of the field below the trees. The uppermost 40 acres (approximately) along Route 89 is under contract of sale as of February 2022.	One of the campsites at Camp Barton. Most sites have open shelters and outhouses as well as tent platforms.
Frontenac Road in Fall, passing through the camp between the sports field and the lake.	Central Camp Barton. Frontenac Road runs southerly through the left-hand third of the picture, dividing the Parade Field from the Sports Field. The Nature Lodge is at top left, the Admin Building at top right, Dining Hall on the far right at the edge of the Sports Field.
	The Waterfront, with two of the three docks. The shorter dock is used for rowboats, the "L" shaped dock is the swimming area.
Cayuga Lake at sunset from, North Point at Frontenac
Frontenac Creek at sunset	Camp Barton shoreline at sunrise
Looking westward from the Parade Field toward the Dining Hall. The Nature Lodge is to the left of the camp road leading to the Dining Hall, across Frontenac Road from the Parade Field.	Reverse view of central camp during a Cub Adventure Weekend. The octagonal structure near Frontenac Road is a "GaGa Ball" pit. The Admin Building is on the lower right side.
Retreat ceremony on the Parade Field	Winter aerial view of Camp Barton - without the tree cover, the buildings and facilities are easier to see.
Looking up Frontenac Creek from the suspension bridge at right.
Cub Scouts on the Parade Field	Looking across the Parade Field toward Cayuga Lake
Full Moon over Camp Barton	Cayuga Lakeshore at Barton - a chilly bench in Winter.
Frontenac Falls in winter	Frontenac Falls
Map of Camp Barton	Frontenac Falls
YouTube promotional video for Camp Barton in 2020 - camp was canceled due to Covid, obviously, but the video has many shots of camp in action with some drone footage.	Drone Footage of Frontenac Falls at Camp Barton Taken by Dave Carlson

Still photographs © Copyright 2010-2022 Mike Brown
Drone footage © Copyright 2015 Dave Carlson