Madison County, NY

Maps - Photos - Videos

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.

December 23, 2021 – Looking Ahead This Week

Andy | December 23, 2021

Cold but clear morning. 🌅

I am going to take camp down in a bit then I think explore Glimmerglass before heading home. I could stay one more night but I think I’d rather head home while the sun is shining as I think the snow may stick around for a while on the roads tomorrow morning. It’s been a nice three nights in the woods and I want to see family on Christmas Eve.

Today. Cold !	A slight chance of snow showers before 9am. Partly sunny. Northwest wind 5 to 7 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 20%. and	26 degrees	, 6 max wind chill,	4:31 sunset.
Tonight. Feels like … December 17th.	Snow likely, mainly between 8pm and 5am. Cloudy. South wind 3 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of around 2 inches. and	22 degrees	,	7:30 sunrise.
Friday. Feels like … December 22nd.	A chance of snow, mainly before 7am. Mostly cloudy. South wind 3 to 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. and	36 degrees	,	4:32 sunset.
Friday Night. Feels like … November 23rd.	Freezing rain, possibly mixed with snow and sleet before 5am, then rain and freezing rain likely, possibly mixed with snow and sleet. Low around 29. Southeast wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Little or no ice accumulation expected. New snow and sleet accumulation of less than a half inch possible. and	29 degrees	,	7:30 sunrise.
Christmas Day. Feels like … December 18th.	Rain likely, mainly after 1pm. Cloudy. South wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. and	37 degrees	,	4:33 sunset.
Saturday Night. Feels like … November 17th.	A chance of rain before 10pm, then a chance of rain and snow. Cloudy. Chance of precipitation is 50%. and	31 degrees	,	7:31 sunrise.
Sunday. Feels like … January 5th.	A chance of freezing rain before 9am, then a chance of snow between 9am and 1pm. Mostly cloudy. Chance of precipitation is 30%. and	33 degrees	,	4:33 sunset.
Sunday Night. Feels like … December 17th.	A chance of snow after 1am. Mostly cloudy. Chance of precipitation is 30%. and	22 degrees	,	7:31 sunrise.
Monday. Feels like … January 5th.	A chance of snow. Mostly cloudy. Chance of precipitation is 50%. and	33 degrees	,	4:34 sunset.
Monday Night. Feels like … December 14th.	Mostly cloudy. and	23 degrees	,	7:31 sunrise.
Tuesday. Feels like … December 18th.	A chance of rain and snow. Mostly cloudy. Chance of precipitation is 40%. and	37 degrees	,	4:35 sunset.
Tuesday Night. Feels like … November 30th.	A chance of snow. Mostly cloudy. Chance of precipitation is 40%. and	27 degrees	,	7:31 sunrise.
Wednesday. Feels like … December 6th.	A chance of rain and snow. Mostly cloudy. Chance of precipitation is 30%. and	41 degrees	,	4:35 sunset.

Good Morning – December 23, 2021

Andy | December 23, 2021

Good morning! Happy Festivus 🍖 ! The holiday for the rest of us.

Celebrating it out in the wilds of Madison County. One last day, I plan to head home before the snow later today. 🌨.

Mostly clear, a moon lit morning 16 degrees at the Moscow Hill Camping Area. 🌕 There is a west-northwest breeze at 10 mph. 🍃. The current wind chill is 4. Things will start to thaw out at tomorrow around noontime. 🌡️

I got away for three days, so I can’t complain. ☺ Last night was a bit cold with the wind but it was a pretty moon lit morning, though I think it’s going to snow shortly before sunrise. 🌅 So I’ll probably hang out at camp for a while, maybe go back to bed or maybe a hike.

Eggs 🥚 and sausage for breakfast today. 🍳 I first had a few cups of coffee ☕ and have been listening to the news. 📰 Since having unlimited data, I’ve been using my phone a lot more for streaming radio 📻. It’s kind of nice.

Years come to an end so quickly

| December 22, 2021

Taken on Monday December 31, 2018 at Cherry Ridge Camping Area.

Weather Update – December 22, 2021

Andy | December 22, 2021

Definitely looks like it will be cold later ❄

I think I want to camp one more night. I haven’t decided if I will stay here or head back east to Brookfield for the horse 🐴 camp that is more protected from the wind tough I won’t have cell reception there which is nice for passing the time in the cold. Supposed to be real windy later.

Today I plan to hike 🚶 around Stoney Pond and some of the Chenango Canal. 🦆 Should be interesting to see how it looks in the winter compared to the summer.

Then tomorrow I want to go to Glimmerglass ☃️ and explore the lake and the park. Then head home, before dark. The weekend looks rather stormy and I want to join the folks for Christmas 🤶🏻 dinner.

Today. Feels like … January 5th.	A slight chance of snow showers before noon, then a chance of snow showers after 2pm. Cloudy. Breezy, with a west wind 9 to 14 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 41 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than one inch possible. and	33 degrees	, 12 max wind chill,	4:32 sunset.
Tonight. Feels like … December 29th.	Snow showers likely, mainly before 10pm. Mostly cloudy. Breezy, with a northwest wind 13 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 36 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of around an inch possible. and	19 degrees	, 7 max wind chill,	7:31 sunrise.
Thursday. Cold !	A slight chance of snow showers before 9am. Mostly cloudy. West wind 7 to 9 mph becoming south in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 20%. and	29 degrees	, 7 max wind chill,	4:33 sunset.
Thursday Night. Feels like … December 17th.	Snow showers likely, mainly before 1am. Cloudy. South wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of around 2 inches. and	22 degrees	, 13 max wind chill,	7:31 sunrise.
Friday. Feels like … December 26th.	Scattered flurries with a slight chance of snow showers before 10am, then scattered flurries between 10am and noon. Mostly cloudy. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 20%. and	35 degrees	,	4:33 sunset.
Friday Night. Feels like … November 26th.	A chance of snow before 1am, then snow, possibly mixed with freezing rain. Low around 28. Chance of precipitation is 80%. and	28 degrees	,	7:32 sunrise.
Christmas Day. Feels like … December 18th.	A chance of snow and freezing rain before 9am, then a chance of rain. Cloudy. Chance of precipitation is 50%. and	37 degrees	,	4:34 sunset.
Saturday Night. Feels like … November 30th.	A chance of snow. Mostly cloudy. Chance of precipitation is 50%. and	27 degrees	,	7:32 sunrise.
Sunday. Feels like … December 26th.	A chance of snow, mixing with rain after 9am, then gradually ending. Mostly cloudy. Chance of precipitation is 30%. and	35 degrees	,	4:34 sunset.
Sunday Night. Feels like … December 25th.	A chance of snow after 1am. Mostly cloudy. Chance of precipitation is 30%. and	20 degrees	, 11 max wind chill,	7:32 sunrise.
Monday. Feels like … January 15th.	A chance of snow. Mostly cloudy. Chance of precipitation is 40%. and	32 degrees	, 13 max wind chill,	4:35 sunset.
Monday Night. Feels like … December 14th.	A chance of snow. Mostly cloudy. Chance of precipitation is 30%. and	23 degrees	,	7:33 sunrise.
Tuesday. Feels like … January 15th.	A chance of snow. Mostly cloudy. Chance of precipitation is 30%. and	32 degrees	,	4:36 sunset.

Good Morning – December 22, 2021

Andy | December 22, 2021

Good morning! Happy Days are Getting Longer ☀️ !

I mean we add about 8 seconds of daylight today although maybe it will be fairly cloudy do it will not be super noticeable.

Cloudy and 29 degrees at the Stoney Pond State Forest. ☁ There is a southwest breeze at 9 mph. 🍃. Things will start to thaw out at Friday around 11 am. 🌡️

So far the wind hasn’t picked up yet, 🌅 but as the sun rises it seems like the breeze is picking up. I could stay at this campsite another night although it sounds like it might be quite windy 🌬️ and maybe snowy ☃ later on so I’m thinking of heading back east where I could camp a little more protected from the breeze. Red skies this morning.

After cleaning the pilot light, camp stove and just running things hard 🔥 all my propane appliances are working perfectly again. The stove and heater are full output, the pilot light is burning cleanly and strong. The key 🗝 was to just run things a lot and using a Q tip with rubbing alcohol in the pilot light. I’ll have to remember to keep some q tips and rubbing alcohol in my truck. Good for cleaning cuts too.

Exploring the Burlingtongame Preserve

Andy | December 21, 2021

A little disappointed, not as many scenic views as I would have hoped.

Weather Update – December 21, 2021

Andy | December 21, 2021

Today. Feels like … January 5th.	Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny. Northwest wind 5 to 8 mph becoming calm in the afternoon. and	33 degrees	,	4:31 sunset.
Tonight. Feels like … December 10th.	Mostly clear. South wind 7 to 11 mph. and	24 degrees	, 14 max wind chill,	7:31 sunrise.
Wednesday. Cold !	A slight chance of snow showers before 9am, then a chance of snow showers after 3pm. Partly sunny. Breezy, with a southwest wind 9 to 14 mph becoming west 16 to 21 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 34 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. and	31 degrees	, 13 max wind chill,	4:32 sunset.
Wednesday Night. Feels like … December 29th.	Snow showers likely, mainly between 7pm and 1am. Mostly cloudy. Breezy, with a northwest wind 18 to 23 mph decreasing to 11 to 16 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 39 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of around an inch possible. and	19 degrees	, 7 max wind chill,	7:31 sunrise.
Thursday. Cold !	Partly sunny. West wind 6 to 10 mph becoming south in the afternoon. and	30 degrees	, 7 max wind chill,	4:33 sunset.
Thursday Night. Feels like … December 7th.	A chance of snow showers, mainly before 1am. Mostly cloudy. Chance of precipitation is 30%. and	25 degrees	,	7:31 sunrise.
Friday. Feels like … December 26th.	Mostly cloudy. and	35 degrees	,	4:33 sunset.
Friday Night. Feels like … November 20th.	Snow, mainly after 1am. Low around 30. Chance of precipitation is 80%. and	30 degrees	,	7:32 sunrise.
Christmas Day. Feels like … December 26th.	Rain, possibly mixed with snow. High near 35. Chance of precipitation is 80%. and	35 degrees	,	4:34 sunset.
Saturday Night. Feels like … December 7th.	A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 50%. and	25 degrees	, 11 max wind chill,	7:32 sunrise.
Sunday. Cold !	A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy. Blustery. Chance of precipitation is 30%. and	29 degrees	, 10 max wind chill,	4:34 sunset.
Sunday Night. Feels like … December 21st.	Mostly cloudy. and	21 degrees	, 13 max wind chill,	7:32 sunrise.
Monday. Feels like … January 15th.	Partly sunny. and	32 degrees	, 13 max wind chill,	4:35 sunset.