Moose Club Way – Vanderwhacker Road Campsites
Roadside campsites along the Moose Club Way aka Vanderwhacker Road.
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Roadside campsites along the Moose Club Way aka Vanderwhacker Road.
Here is a Leaflet/KML/Google Maps overview of Lean-tos and Primitive Campsites in an interactive map for NYS DEC Lands and Finger Lakes National Forest Lean-To data and many of campsites come from the NYS DEC, while additional data has been heads-up digitized based on my own exploration.
Google Sheets with Coordinates: Campsites and Lean-Tos
Helpful Hints: In the upper right corner, use the layer button to switch to US Forest Service Maps for more detail on forest service lands, or use the US Topographic Map DRGs to get traditional topographic maps from the USGS.
Updated on 5/13/2021 Moved Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Vermont campsites to a separate maps.
Updated on 3/14/2021 Incorporated additional data found on DEC ARC Map Server at gisservices.dec.ny.gov, adding 81 additional NY State campsites not found on this map.
Updated on 1/31/2021 Fixed overlaps between NYS DEC data and heads up-digitized campsites by myself. Also, re-created all the points in Speculator Tree Farm/Perkins Clearing by geo-referencing and plotting the official map to add campsites to correct locations.
Note: This was not available for a number of years due to the limitations of Google Maps, however since switching to Leaflet, it has made it possible to load in a larger number of points.
Catskills, Central NY, Western NY - generally campsites South of the Mohawk River / Erie / Barge Canal, extended east by an imaginary line to the Vermont - Massachusetts border.
Southern Adirondacks and Tug Hill - generally campsites North of the Mohawk River / Erie / Barge Canal but South of NY 177 (Tug Hill) to NY 26 to Moose River Road to NY 28 to NY 28N to Blue Ridge Road to Johnson Pond Road to NY 74 to Ticonderoga. Includes Tug Hill, Black River WF, Moose River Plains, Wilcox Lake WF, Hammond Pond WF, Vanderwhacker, Cheney Pond, and Pharaoh Lake WF.
North Adirondacks and Tug Hill - generally campsites North of NY 177 (Tug Hill) to NY 26 to Moose River Road to NY 28 to NY 28N to Blue Ridge Road to Johnson Pond Road to NY 74 to Ticonderoga. Includes White Hill SF, Grass River, Pigeon Lake, Ha-De-Ron-Dah, Sargent Ponds, Blue Lake, High Peaks, Five Ponds, Watsons Triangle, St. Regis Canoe, McKenzie, Debar Mnt, Taylor Pond, Valcour Island, Deer River, Brasher Falls, Hammond Pond WF (North of NY 78)
Lean-Tos - DEC lean-tos are in a separate file.
Catskills, Central NY, Western NY – generally campsites South of the Mohawk River / Erie / Barge Canal, extended east by an imaginary line to the Vermont – Massachusetts border.
Southern Adirondacks and Tug Hill – generally campsites North of the Mohawk River / Erie / Barge Canal but South of NY 177 (Tug Hill) to NY 26 to Moose River Road to NY 28 to NY 28N to Blue Ridge Road to Johnson Pond Road to NY 74 to Ticonderoga. Includes Tug Hill, Black River WF, Moose River Plains, Wilcox Lake WF, Hammond Pond WF, Vanderwhacker, Cheney Pond, and Pharaoh Lake WF.
North Adirondacks and Tug Hill – generally campsites North of NY 177 (Tug Hill) to NY 26 to Moose River Road to NY 28 to NY 28N to Blue Ridge Road to Johnson Pond Road to NY 74 to Ticonderoga. Includes White Hill SF, Grass River, Pigeon Lake, Ha-De-Ron-Dah, Sargent Ponds, Blue Lake, High Peaks, Five Ponds, Watsons Triangle, St. Regis Canoe, McKenzie, Debar Mnt, Taylor Pond, Valcour Island, Deer River, Brasher Falls, Hammond Pond WF (North of NY 78)
Lean-Tos – DEC lean-tos are in a separate file.
Discover a wealth of information on this page about fire towers situated on state lands, accessible through invigorating hikes that lead to panoramic vistas. Interactive maps guide your exploration, offering insights into the locations and trails leading to these towering viewpoints. Additionally, find convenient links to other pages that delve deeper into fire towers across the entirety of New York State. Embark on a journey that combines outdoor adventure with breathtaking scenery, as you navigate the trails and pathways leading to these historic landmarks that have stood as guardians of the landscape. This resource opens doors to captivating experiences that allow you to savor the beauty of nature from elevated perspectives while providing avenues for further exploration of New York’s fire tower heritage.
Here is a list of Fire Towers on NYS DEC lands. You can get this also on Google Sheets. Does not include the Dickinson Hill Fire Tower in Grafton, which is part of the Grafton Lakes State Park. You might also be interested in nearby camping opportunities.
Tower | State Land | Notes | Coordinates |
Azure Mtn. Fire Tower | Debar Mountain Wild Forest | Relatively short hike. | 44.5412601955876, -74.5007131438668 |
Balsam Lake Mountain | Balsam Lake Mountain Wild Forest | Longer hike along old road. | 42.0453530369935, -74.5943882522534 |
Belfry Mountain Fire Tower | Hammond Pond Wild Forest | Very short hike up dirt road. | 44.0977783227959, -73.5480575565177 |
Berry Hill Firetower | Mcdonough State Forest | Only up to second level is open, no upper level access. | 42.5498033738312, -75.6903147862666 |
Black Mountain Fire Tower | Lake George Wild Forest | Longer hike up a snowmobile trail. | 43.6068253423597, -73.5315598873687 |
Blue Mountain Fire Tower | Blue Mountain Wild Forest | Very popular, worn-down trail. | 43.8722986188442, -74.4007350580445 |
Lowville Demostration Area Fire Tower | Lowville Demonstration Area | No access to tower, part of demonstration forest. | 43.8093267984132, -75.4730800808841 |
Goodnow Mountain Fire Tower | Suny Esf Lands | Open to public, SUNY ESF Lands | 43.9598725064095, -74.2096091339017 |
Hadley Mountain Fire Tower | Wilcox Lake Wild Forest | Popular hike in Southern Adirondacks. | 43.3769100935034, -73.9709647959219 |
Hunter Mountain Fire Tower | Hunter-West Kill Wilderness | Multiple approaches to this fire tower offer different hikes with different amounts of work. | 42.1779299997605, -74.2297619994181 |
Hurricane Mountain Firetower | Hurricane Mountain Primitive Area | The only fire tower remaining in the Adirondack High Peaks. | 44.2352949729449, -73.7101070215222 |
Kane Mountain | Shaker Mountain Wild Forest | Short hike near Caroga Lake. | 43.1810788942093, -74.5151618559196 |
Beebe Hill Fire Tower | Beebe Hill State Forest | Shorter hike near Austerlitz and Massachussetts border. | 42.3361525194561, -73.4862760091067 |
Leonard Hill Fire Tower | Leonard Hill State Forest | You can drive to this tower. Bottom floors removed, no access to tower. | 42.4510039574136, -74.3529141572996 |
Lyon Mountain Fire Tower | Chazy Highlands Wild Forest | Longer hike, new trail avoids severely erroded old trail | 44.7048354583899, -73.8627762019644 |
Mount Adam Fire Tower | High Peaks Wilderness | Just south of main high peaks area. | 44.0874829962416, -74.0228637207712 |
Mount Nimham Fire Tower | Nimham Mountain Mua | Near Beacon | 41.4611546516545, -73.72510657899 |
Mount Tremper | Phoenicia – Mt. Tobias Wild Forest | Follow an old woods road to summit. | 42.0739476727477, -74.2781528438603 |
Mt Arab Fire Tower | Horseshoe Lake Wild Forest | Relatively short hike outside of Tupper Lake. | 44.2046152316571, -74.5879293129745 |
Overlook Mountain | Overlook Mountain Wild Forest | Popular hike outside of Woodstock, follows a gated road. | 42.085023587202, -74.0933592964641 |
Owls Head Firetower | Sargent Ponds Wild Forest | Moderate hike outside of Long Lake. | 43.9542904615568, -74.4984616500416 |
Pillsbury Mountain Fire Tower | Jessup River Wild Forest | Mile long hike to a firetower with views over Perkins Clearing and areas around Spectulator | 43.5807556043109, -74.5118079500206 |
Poke-O-Moonshine Fire Tower | Taylor Pond Wild Forest | New trail is less steep and follows old woods road. | 44.4019104158425, -73.5130620065356 |
Red Hill Fire Tower | Sundown Wild Forest | 1 mile hike to a fairly remote firetower. | 41.9238122519417, -74.5170620256067 |
Rondaxe Fire Tower | Fulton Chain Wild Forest | Quick hike outside of Old Forge that is very popular. | 43.7385880495938, -74.9129188420394 |
Roosa Gap Firetower | Roosa Gap State Forest | Firetower on the Long Path in the Shawgunks. | 41.6176280752519, -74.4267422878805 |
Snowy Mt | Jessup River Wild Forest | Popular hike, one of the more difficult towers to access. | 43.7003213769888, -74.3866001142199 |
Spruce Mountain Fire Tower | Wilcox Lake Wild Forest | Trail crosses private land, closed during hunting season. | 43.2163188109202, -73.9061192265182 |
St. Regis Mtn. Fire Tower | Saint Regis Canoe Area | Currently closed to public use. | 44.4085838385311, -74.3296128971506 |
Stillwater Mountain Fire Tower | Independence River Wild Forest | Near the Stillwater Reservior. | 43.8618343053993, -75.033327606033 |
Sugar Hill Fire Tower | Sugar Hill State Forest | Observation tower in Finger Lakes, during summer months you can drive to it, part of Six Nations Horse Cap. | 42.3871467022238, -77.0025364212371 |
Vanderwhacker Mountain Fire Tower | Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest | Rough seasonal road then 2 Β½ mile hike. | 43.8982271055416, -74.0959123515681 |
Wakely Mountain Fire Tower | Wakely Mountain Primitive Area | Near Cedar River Flow at Moose River Plains. Seasonal use road to access. | 43.7358887903725, -74.515229327937 |
Woodhull Mountain Fire Tower | Black River Wild Forest | One of the longer hikes, part of the trail is an old railroad grade until you climb the peak. | 43.6230161401271, -74.9615452951445 |
The Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest Unit Management Plan mentions the following about Roadside Camping in the area…
“The area has a diverse mix of camping options available to visitors. There are designated interior camping facilities at Stony Pond, Cheney Pond, 29th Pond, and Newcomb Lake. There are also many Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest roadside locations used seasonally by hunters and during the summer by others along the Northwoods Club Road, the Moose Pond Road, State Route 28N and at other locations. There is generally an increasing in camping in VMWF during the regular big game season.”
— NYSDEC Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest UMP.
Road | Number of Campsites |
---|---|
Boreas Road | 1 |
Moose Pond Road | 3 |
North Woods Road | 3 |
NY 28N at Boreas River | 1 |
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The most popular area in Ferris Lake Wild Forest is to camp along the 20-mile long Piseco-Powley, a spectacular seasonally-gated, state truck trail. Other roads in area provide more remote roadside camping opporunities and are listed below.
The Ferris Lake Wild Forest Unit Management Plan mentions the following about Roadside Camping in the area…
“The FLWF provides a variety of different camping opportunities. The interior portion of the unit contains numerous primitive tent sites that are located along the shores of the more popular lakes. These sites are designated with a yellow camping disk and often contain a fire ring. There are also a number of car accessible sites located along secondary access roads, such as the Powley-Piseco Road, G Lake Road, Mountain Home Road Extension and Edick Road. Most of these sites can accommodate small camper trailers. There are no lean-tos within the unit.”
— NYSDEC Ferris Lake Wild Forest UMP.
Road | Number of Campsites |
---|---|
Edick Road | 2 |
G-Lake Road | 3 |
Jerseyfield Road | 2 |
Mountain Home Road Extension (Rough Truck Trail Past the Floe) | 6 |
Powley-Piesco Road (Open Late Spring-December) Northern Hardwoods Section Near Mud Pond Central Section Near Marshlands of Powley Place Southern Section Near Potholers |
Total: 22 5 10 7 |
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This map is from the Ferris Lake Wild Forest UMP.
Please note that the roadside campsites are noted by “GLR”. The “GL” sites are traditional primative tent sites, beyond the gated end of G Lake Road, that you have to backpack into. This map is from the Ferris Lake Wild Forest UMP.
These maps are from the Ferris Lake Wild Forest UMP.
This map is from the Ferris Lake Wild Forest UMP.
Cascade Lake – Scenic lake known for Cascade Falls, about a 1/4 mile north of the lake outside of Big Moose and Inlet. Tent campsites that are about a mile back from the road.
Eatonville Road and Otter Creek Area – Otter Creek State Forest and the portion of Independence River Wild Forest that is home to Confusion Flats, is a popular place for equestrians, but the Eatonville Road area is set aside for those who don’t have horses but want to explore the mix of sandy hills that make up the Western Adirondacks.
Francis Lake – If your looking for a campsite you can paddle to on a lake that isn’t so choppy or large near Stillwater Reservoir, consider camping at Francis Lake. Parking is on the shoulder of Number 4 Road outside of Lowville, there also is two designated handicap sites here.
Lester Flow and Cheney Pond – Scenic lake that is popular for paddling. The 1/2 mile road down from Boreas Road as of June 2020 is closed due to washouts. Tent sites exist along the lake, along with one drive-to site on the road down there. No cell service.
Independence River Wild Forest – Not only is there dozens of boat-only sites along Stillwater Reservoir, consider camping on Smith Road or Basket Factory Road which have numerous sites. Cell services is limited, good at certain sites, especially Smith Road Number 1 (Old Firetower Site).
Mason Lake – Small lake located about 10 miles north of Speculator and 5 miles south of Lewey Lake that has several tent and drive-in campsites along it’s shore. Good to fair cell service here. Nice to hear loons, one of the best bass ponds in the area.
Moss Lake – Scenic sandy lake outside of Big Moose/Inlet in the Western Adirondacks. The lake is ringed by an old carriageway and is a popular place to camp and paddle. There is a sign in / peg board when you get to the lake’s parking area to know which sites are available.
Moose River Plains – The state’s largest wilderness drive-to camping area, with over 150 campsites spread out over 35 miles of dirt road.
Northwood Club Road – In Minerva, this road crosses the Boreas River and has several roadside campsites, and passes by Huntley Pond, the NL Tahawus Railroad (which can be hiked to the Boreas River at Hudson River), and the Blue Ledges on the Hudson trailhead. No cell service.
Vanderwhacker Road -Five or six campsites exist along Vanderwhacker Road, which can be muddy in the spring and icy in late autumn. Additional designates campsites exist near where NY 28N crosses the Vanderwhacker River. Near the trail to the Vanderwhacker Firetower, No cell service.
Woodhull Lake Reservoir – Off of NY 28 in McKeevers, about 10 miles south of Old Forge. Not only is this beautiful reservoir to paddle, there are some campsites along the shore, with drive-to campsites along Wolf Lake Landing Road which leads to it. Part of Wolf Lake Landing Road is erroded, but other parts are fresh stone-dust. It’s remote wilderness but there good cell service in mcuh of the area.