We drove the car past the check point and immediately found a park ranger sitting in a newly constructed air conditioned checkpoint. There apparently was a fee for parking. The ranger told us that we were the first people in several days to come into the park. We paid the $6 for the parking and we were given the ticket shown at left (click the images for a larger view).
Immediately upon entering the base we found many buildings that were in disrepair and for some reason there were full size signs over all the doors and windows that told you to keep out. Not only were you not allowed to enter any of the buildings, but even looking inside was impossible. It was quite a disappointment to say the least.
Additionally, there was increased police presence at the base. Not only was there a maintenance building with a park police officer, but there was an actual patrol being done by the New York State Police.
There was also a sign that warned about unexploded ordinance that had been left over since the war. You were warned not to walk off roads or trails or use metal detectors or any electronic devices. Further, if you did disturb any ordinance, even by accident, it would automatically be your fault. Thankfully, however, photographs were allowed.
This is the “free view” the view of the radar tower you get if you do not pay for parking, which is $6 per day, although it is well worth it. Also, it is ill advised to go walking through just to avoid the fee. There are reports of unexploded ordinance scattered all over the place.
Unfortunately there was a 7 foot fence around the entire perimeter of the radar building. Although there was a 2 foot break in the fence at the top of the cement walkway, I did not explore closer due simply to the police presence and the fact that I believed that the radar building was under surveillance.
Unfortunately, this is the only picture that was taken past the restrictive barrier, the 7 foot fence, and it is as close as I came to the radar building. The state, in their infinite wisdom, put up a huge fence around the radar building and at the top of a cement walkway going up towards the building, is a large gap in the fence. The gap is so large that it is very easy for someone to walk right through. It should be noted, however, that police coverage was very heavy when I took this picture.
This is a strange building. It has been called the water supply building. much like any modern day municipal water supply system, this building reportedly supplied water to the entire base during the war.
To sum it all up, Camp Hero is basically an abandoned military base. When one visits, one gets an eerie feeling about the place, and to Angie or myself, it is a place that is quite disturbing. Not to mention the police coverage and risk of being seriously injured or killed by stepping on unexploded ordinance.
Further, all the buildings are completely off limits and are boarded up such that one cannot even see into the inside. I personally feel as if it is some sort of government cover up, or there are still things still at the base that the government does not want us to see or know about.
As much as I would like to answer the questions as to what exactly took place there and what exactly lies within the buildings themselves, I would almost certainly be arrested once I set foot inside one of the buildings.
And with all this said, why would anybody want to travel to Camp Hero anyway?
