Madison County, NY

Madison County, situated in central New York State, is home to a population of 73,442 as per the 2010 census. This county is a pivotal part of the Syracuse, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area. Positioned east of Syracuse, slightly north of Binghamton, and west of Albany, Madison County holds the honor of housing the state’s geographic center in Pratts Hollow, within the Town of Eaton. With Oneida Lake and Oneida Creek framing part of its northern border and Chittenango Creek defining the western boundary, Madison County boasts picturesque landscapes.

This page focuses on free camping opportunities on state land within Madison County, extending an invitation for outdoor enthusiasts to explore the region’s diverse offerings, including hiking, biking, kayaking, and various outdoor pursuits.

Nelson Swamp

Nelson Swamp

Large wetlands outside of Cazenovia in Central New York. 

I really enjoy the drive through South Hamilton

🐮 🐃🏚️🏠🌲 🐴🐖🏚️🌲🌿

South Hamilton is a small little hamlet in Brookfield near the Moscow Hill Assembly hill at the Brookfield Horse Trail system. It’s fairly hilly country, but still has good enough dirt for some homesteading and dairying.

Honestly, it’s probably no different than a million small hamlets but I still really like it with the rundown, often very old farm houses, the ram shackle barns, the feeder caves and goats in people’s yards, gutted deer hung in backyards, the wood smoke, the piles of junk and old cars and the big jacked up trucks.

South Hamilton

South Hamilton Neighborhood

It’s real, it’s not plastic and so fake like so much of suburbia…