Boys Club of New York, Tuxedo, NY

Introduction / Overview: A Legacy of Outdoor Development

The Boys' Club of New York (BCNY) Harriman Basecamp in Southfields, NY, is not a traditional public campground, but rather a vital, long-standing youth development facility that provides an essential outdoor experience for the boys and young men of New York City. Building on a tradition of over 120 years of offering summer camp, this sleep-away program is an extension of BCNY's comprehensive, year-round commitment to empowering youth. The Basecamp is designed to offer New York City's boys and young men, particularly those from historically marginalized communities, crucial access to nature, physical wellness, and emotional growth in a supportive, structured environment.

Membership in The Boys' Club of New York, which grants access to the Harriman Basecamp and its other clubhouses, is free of charge, regardless of a family’s income, zip code, or immigration status. This commitment ensures that the transformative experience of summer camp and outdoor adventure is available to all eligible New York boys and young men aged 7 to 21. The Basecamp is rooted in BCNY's core mission to foster the 'Four Cs': Competence, Confidence, Connection to Community, and Character-Richness. It serves as a true 'campground' for growth, a place where young New Yorkers connect with the natural world and develop critical life skills away from the urban environment. As one dedicated community member noted, the facility embodies the spirit of giving back: "As an alumni and a volunteer for the boys clubs of New York I take a great honor in providing my services at the boys club camp, as I too was served by those who came before me! Thank you boys clubs of New York! 🇺🇸"

Location and Accessibility

The Harriman Basecamp’s strategic location ensures both a profound connection to nature and a manageable journey from New York City's boroughs.

The camp's mailing address is Southfields, NY 10975, USA, and the facility is nestled within the sprawling Harriman State Park.

Harriman State Park, the second-largest state park in New York, offers a beautiful natural setting of forests, lakes, and extensive trail networks. This location is purposely isolated from commercial and private land use, situated between two private lakes with only other camps as neighbors. This seclusion provides a genuine "upstate New York" wilderness feel, allowing BCNY members to truly disconnect and focus on their development.

For BCNY members and staff traveling from the organization’s clubhouses in the city (such as locations in the Bronx, Queens, and Manhattan), the camp's positioning in Rockland County provides relatively easy bus access. The journey to the Basecamp represents a key element of the program, transitioning members from the density of urban life to the expansiveness of the outdoors. This accessibility to a full sleep-away camp, set in a massive New York State Park, is invaluable for city families and makes the Basecamp a unique and essential fixture in the state’s youth development landscape.

Services Offered

The Harriman Basecamp is a residential facility that provides a full array of services focused on youth safety, well-being, and structured programming.

Lodging and Accommodations: Campers stay in rustic wooden cabins in shared bunk rooms, supervised by camp counselors. Each cabin features cubbies for belongings and provides an authentic sleep-away experience.
Essential Facilities: Shared bathrooms and showers are located in a separate building just outside the cabin area. Meals are provided in a communal dining setting.
Safety and Staffing: The camp maintains a highly professional staff, including youth development professionals, mental health specialists, and activity experts. The staff-to-camper ratio is designed to be low (1:6) to ensure focused attention and support.
Wellness Support: The program includes mental health protocols, such as a dedicated homesickness protocol, to support campers’ emotional well-being and a structured parent check-in schedule to ease the transition.
Career and Leadership Development: The Basecamp experience is integrated with BCNY's broader career initiatives, often providing summer youth employment opportunities for older participants and alumni, such as through Counselors-in-Training programs.
Water Safety: A core program focus is water safety, utilizing the camp’s private lake and swimming pool crib for swimming lessons and aquatics activities.

Features / Highlights

Harriman Basecamp leverages its location to offer a dynamic mix of classic camp fun and targeted life-skill development.

Outdoor Adventure Programming: Members are encouraged to explore the wilderness through activities like canoeing on adjacent lakes, catch-and-release fishing, pitch-a-tent camping, and utilizing the extensive network of hiking trails within Harriman State Park.
Ropes/Challenge Course: The camp features a low-ropes challenge course designed for teamwork, problem-solving, and confidence-building.
Skills and Arts Facilities: Facilities include a professional woodshop for hands-on project building, an arts and crafts pavilion, an archery range, and a game pavilion with ping-pong and chess, extending the BCNY clubhouse offerings to the outdoors.
Traditional Camp Activities: A basketball court, ball field, and a dedicated swimming pool crib complement the nature-based activities. Evenings include campfires, marshmallow roasting, and camp-wide shows.
Alumni and Mentorship Network: A significant highlight is the involvement of BCNY alumni among the camp staff, creating a powerful mentorship 'brotherhood' that reinforces the organization's century-old legacy of positive influence and service to others.

Contact Information

For New York residents interested in The Boys' Club of New York and its Harriman Basecamp program, inquiries should be directed to the organization’s main contact points, which manage enrollment and administrative details for all clubhouses and the camp.

Camp Location (Physical Site in Park): Southfields, NY 10975, USA

General Phone Inquiries (BCNY): (845) 915-3638 or +1 845-915-3638 (Note: This number connects to the larger BCNY administration, which oversees the camp.)

For specific inquiries regarding the sleep-away camp, BCNY typically directs communication through a dedicated Basecamp email for optimal service. Prospective members must first be enrolled in The Boys' Club of New York to be eligible for the summer camp experience.

Conclusion: Why This Place is Suitable for Locals

The Boys' Club of New York Harriman Basecamp is critically suitable for New York locals, particularly those in the five boroughs, because it addresses a fundamental need: providing safe, enriching, and free access to the vital benefits of the outdoors and structured youth development. For many urban families, a traditional sleep-away camp is financially out of reach. BCNY eliminates this barrier, offering a truly transformative experience for boys and young men who might otherwise never pitch a tent, navigate a trail, or paddle a canoe.

This camp is more than a recreational 'campground'; it is an integral part of a year-round mentorship pipeline that has been shaping New York’s youth since 1876. The Basecamp instills life-skills, promotes emotional and physical health, and broadens horizons by connecting members to the profound natural beauty of New York State’s Harriman State Park. By providing a safe space with a low camper-to-staff ratio, a strong focus on character development, and access to career training, the Harriman Basecamp ensures that its members return to their city communities with greater confidence, competence, and a deeper appreciation for their own potential. For New York City residents, supporting or utilizing this facility means investing directly in the future of the next generation of young New Yorkers.