Moose River Plains
Moose River Plains is the largest roadside camping area in the Adirondacks. It has also been called the largest roadside camping area in the United States, at least with entire road system, considered as a single consolidated unit of 175 campsites. In recent years, a number of sites have been abandoned or closed to protect environmental resources, however the supply of campsites usually exceeds even peak usage on holidays, so finding a good spot is never hard.
In Fall 2010, a new Unit Management Plan was adopted in Moose River Plains. It made the following major changes to the area:
- Reduced Drive-in Campsites At Wakley Dam to 5. A couple additional tent sites will remain. The Wakely Dam will prohibit motor vehicles crossing it except snowmobiles.
- New “Intensive Use” Area Was Created to Allow for Up to 150 drive-in campsites (tent or RV or truck camper) to remain along Moose River Plains Road, Helldiver Road, Lost Ponds Foad, Loop Road, Red Dam Road, and other Camping Spurs with spacing less then 1/4 mile. There is no charge to use these sites, you just need a permit if you stay more then 3 days.
- Campsites Along Otter Brook and Indian Lake Roads will be spaced a 1/4 mile apart, and avoid sensetive areas, such as closing the sites right along the Moose River. These sites will be primarily tent sites during the summer, but during Big Game Season, RVs and truck campers will be allowed.
The recently adopted Moose River Plains Unit Management Plan discusses some of the chnages to Roadside Camping in the area…
“The creation of the MRPCA will create some challenges in educating the public as to what to expect within the area. As the area will not charge fees, nor will reservations be taken, users will be arriving at the area without the benefit of knowing what site they may be camping at. Users will need to drive through the area and locate a site that is suitable for their needs. In the unlikely case that no sites are available, users will need to be educated as to what alternatives exist in the general area. Providing information at the two entrance points, Cedar River Flow and Limekiln Lake, will be an important part of informing users of the type of opportunity available in the MRPCA. It will also provide an opportunity to provide information on alternative locations should the MRPCA not meet their expectations.”
“Unlike other intensive use area campgrounds in the Park, amenities such as bath houses, playgrounds, and paved drives are not ever going to be considered for the MRPCA. Pursuant to APSLMP guidelines for newly created intensive use areas, the MRPCA will only contain up to 150 roadside campsites along approximately 20 miles of roads. These sites will have fire rings, pit privies and picnic tables as their only amenities. Some of these sites will remain relatively close to the road, while others will remain several hundred feet back, accessed by short driveways. A majority of these sites will be comprised of existing sites, some fairly well separated from other sites and some clustered in small groups. This will provide for a variety of camping opportunities depending on what users are seeking. Existing sites that are very close to the road may be relocated to a location that provides better screening or may be converted to parking areas with a walk‐in site located a short distance from the parking area. Any newly constructed sites will be located in a manner to provide vegetative screening between the site and the road.”
— NYSDEC Moose River Plains UMP.
Map of Moose River Plains.
There are no campsites shown on the map, and as listed below both the Intensive Use Area and other portions of Moose River Plains will continue to allow camping as listed below.
Roadside Campsites, Post UMP Changes.
These are based on the UMP proposal not implemented yet. This is considered the minimum number of sites under the new plan, the Moose River Plains Camping Area, may increase form 112 to 150 sites in the future, depending on the demand. The DEC plans to limit Otter Brook/Indian Lake Roads to tent only sites during summer season has not be finalized.
| Road | Number of Sites | Site Types |
|---|---|---|
| At Wakley Dam: Cedar River Road |
5 | Tent (plus others) or Vehicle |
| Moose River Plains Camping Area Roads: Moose River Plain Road Campsite Loop Helldiver Pond Road Lost Ponds Road Loop Road Rock Dam Road |
112 | Tent or Vehicle |
| Otter Brook Road | 14 | Tent, Vehicles Allowed During Big Game Season |
| Indian Lake Road | 5 | Tent, Vehicles Allowed During Big Game Season |
More Resources…
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4 Comments
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When I look at your blog site in Safari, it looks fine but when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some
overlapping. I just wanted to give you a quick heads up!
Other then that, very good blog!
I will look into it. The new blog kind got put up in a hurry, with not everything working properly, but so be it. I will probably do a lot more fixes come this winter, so in the mean time, I recommend Google Chrome or Firefox (firefox does have issues on the Twitter pages — but I will be fixing that shortly.)
I have spent several weeks on the Plain this summer. it isn’t just that the new plan will make the Plain more of a NYS Camp site which everyone on the Moose Plain is avoiding like the plague, by placing a concentration of sites on the road get ready to be covered by sand and dirt. The moose are also likely to be the big losers in access and I foresee unfortunate road incidents. like the funeral I attended in Maine, closed casket, beer bottle through the forehead. What is with the state 20 new sites from the T to Lost Ponds?
I guess I am too much into the wilderness thing and too old to lug 50 pounds of gear to where i can get lost.
What I am witnessing is more and more people coming into the plain with absolutely no idea of what they are in. They come in groups of 4-8 and are over camping any camp site near water. And the permits allow up to ten as they read now. One group on the Red river had 5 vehicles at least three dogs and 8 people. There is no outhouse on the site, and I have seen people coming up from Sumner Brook, with soap, razors and tooth brush. Closing the river sites is unfortunate and something I did not wish to see happen but now I feel it is necessary.
The outhouse bathrooms, and some brand new are already full to the top because they dump their garbage in them or empty their RV’s and the likes septic into them.
I heard one person in a group of 6 people and 2 dogs exclaim they were so glad they went on the net and found the Moose Plains the North Lake sites were getting too noisy, they never stopped to consider they are a big part of that.
I have been back in the bogs studying the moose and observing how their patterns have changed since the advent of these huge groups in some areas,they find more quiet places and so will I.
If I recall correctly, the final version of the DEC’s Moose River Plains plan did not contain a campsite plan. I think they removed it, because the argument was raised that there lacked a full study of campsite use, and of conditions of individual campsites.
They are supposed to do this over the next 3 years. Labor Day 2012, the DEC Assistant Rangers did a survey of vehicle entrance count, and then in Memorial Day 2013, they surveyed what campsites were in use (although the later numbers are screwed up due to the inclement weather).
I am less sure of the relocation of campsites, where are necessary. Constitutionally, they can not cut any material number of timber-grade, 3″ or larger trees, but they can remove hazard trees. There is a lot of land, along the first 5 miles of road, that are the former International Paper Cellar Mountain track, that could be developed into campsites, possibly with minimal removal of “hazard trees”.
It should be noted, that enviros claimed that quite a bit of “hazard trees” where removed for the new snowmobile trails — with the DEC’s actions presumed legal. It’s quite possible, that significant number of hazard trees could be removed for new campsites — but I’m sure the exact number would be quite contentious, but unlikely to end up in court.