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.

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This mild winter has been good for my serenity

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This mild winter has been good for my serenity. 😊

As this winter has been so mild, I have been able to get out of town every few weeks for a couple of nights in the wilderness, hiking skiing camping and spending nights by the fire.

I hate living in the city. I’m so much happier out in the mountains, the woods, the countryside. Now I do wish I had my off grid property in a free state where I could have any guns I want, heat with wood, power by solar and have burn barrels for the trash, I make do with the world I currently live in and that means weekends in the wilderness by the fire. I pretty much do my own thing, rarely see that many people in the remote country I’m in.

It’s not a bad thing to accept what you have and be grateful for you are. It doesn’t mean taking one’s eye off the future and working to get there step by step. Good isn’t the enemy of perfection, you can be happy even if it’s not everything you want right now.

Sunny Morning Outside Brookfield

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Sunny morning on the Skaneateles Turnpike outside of Brookfield with Hoar Frost glittering on the trees along this rural section of county highway.

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The Cherry Valley Turnpike by Richard Palmer

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The Cherry Valley Turnpike by Richard Palmer

The pioneers poured in from New England in droves after 1800 to settle this new land in upstate New York then known as the "Western Country," and one of the primary paths they followed was the Cherry Valley Turnpike.

This road, which is more than 200 years old, is today's Route 20 from Albany to Cazenovia, and Route 92 from there to Manlius. Here it connected with the south branch of the Seneca Turnpike.

Building such a lengthy road more than 70 miles long through the wilderness was a tremendous undertaking, requiring large sums of capital and manpower. Eventually, the promoters were able to secure both, but not without considerable effort and more than $100,000 in capital. The initial goal was to construct a highway from the old Revolutionary War frontier settlement of Cherry Valley, westward.

The Third Great Western Turnpike Company was chartered by the State of New York Legislature in 1803, and was organized on Nov. 16th of that year. The name was derived from the fact that the First Great Western Turnpike was from Albany to Duanesburg and the Second Great Western was from there to Cherry Valley. Eventually, this system of roads was nicknamed the Cherry Valley Turnpike.
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