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Camping Areas in Central Adirondacks ⛺

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.

Camping Areas in Southern Adirondacks

Camping Areas in Southern Adirondacks ⛺

East Branch of Sacanadaga River, NY 8 – Roughly 10 campsites along NY 8. These are easily accessed throughout the year, as the road is plowed except when the snow banks are high during the winter. East Branch is not good for fishing due to wide variance in water levels, however there are some nice pools in sections of river for summer swimming. Lots of road noise. Some of the sites have cell service. Nearby locations include Cod Pond, East Branch Trail and Kibby Pond Trail.

Edick Road – There are a handful of very hidden campsites off of Edick Road. This road may be closed to vehicles due to wash outs autumn 2019, but worth a walk to explore this area.

Fawn Lake – A 1/2 mile hike back to a scenic lake ringed by primitive campsites outside of Lake Pleasant. Two miles beyond it is the scenic Willis Vly, which doesn’t have developed campsites but it’s remote wilderness where you might see a Moose or other wildlife.

Garnet Lake – Tent sites, some with drive-up access along the lake. No cell service, much of the upper road here is not maintained in the winter. Popular in the summer, no cell service.

Good Luck Lake – Scenic lake off of the West Branch Sacanadaga River that is ringed with tent sites that can be walked in from the Good Luck Lake parking area area or paddled in.

Hope Falls Road – Two or three campsites along the end of Hope Falls Road, some are drive-in only tent sites. Near the Tenant Creek Falls Trail. No cell service. Open June to autumn snowfall.

Harrisburg Road – There is a set of very rustic designated campsites along the rough Harrisburg Road past Harrisburg Lake. Somewhat near Crane Mountain, a couple mile hike to and Wilcox Lake. No cell service.

North Lake Reservoir – There are roughly 15 campsites on the east shore of North Lake Reservoir. Popular place in the summer, regularly staffed by conservation students. Noise from motorboats. No cell service. Nice if you want to camp right on water, hear loons at night..

Perkins Clearing – Conservation easement lands. Good to fair cell service here. Great place for hunting and wildlife observation as it’s mixed timber country. Near Mason Lake, Speculator, Pillsbury Mountain and Cedar Lakes.

Piseco-Powley Road – A dozen campsites along a 13 mile road with short hikes including Big Alderbed, House Pond, Sand Lake and the popular Potholers/Brayhouse Brook waterfall for swimming. As of June 2020, road is closed in Stratford/Fulton County portion, road is open north of Potholers/Brayhouse Brook (access via Piseco). Very limited cell service here.

Pumpkin Hollow Road – Three campsites above Willis Lake. Remote country except for the site on Willis Lake, no cell service. On the Willis – Wilcox Lake Trail. Very quiet area. Open June to autumn snowfall. No cell service here.

Rockwood State Forest – Three campsites along the end of Church Road which can be accessed by driving past the cemetery in the hamlet. Scenic lake, good fishing. Cell service available, but bring a trash bucket and gloves as litter can be a problem. Nice trails to stroll around in the old Rockwood Estate.

Stewart Landing – There are four campsites on a rough road that loops off of Stewart Landing Road. Popular area in the summer, Canada Lake is great for paddling and informal swimming. Also consider hiking back to Hilderbrandt Vly and Glassgow Lake from here. Moderate to poor cell service here.

White House, Wells – A grouping of 5 or 6 campsites at the end of White House in West River Road. Scenic area, old camp, with fields and a chimney. Campsites are kind of close together, not a wilderness experience. Near the North Country Placid Trail, lots of blueberries in mid-summer. No cell service. Open June to autumn snowfall.

Adirondack Wild Forests I Camped in 2011

This past year, I got up to nine different Adirondack Wild Forests as part of my explorations of the Adirondack Park. Did a lot of hiking, kayaking, and camping. The map below shows the Adirondack Park’s various units.

I camped in Aldrich Pond (1 night), Black River (4), Debar Mountain (3), Ferris Lake (5), Independence River (2), Moose River Plains (3), Taylor Pond (2), Vandwhacker Mountain (1), and Wilcox Lake (4). My preference for certain Wild Forests over others, is not just based on scenic beauty or activities to do, as much as closeness to Albany and compatability with weekend plans.

I saw quite a bit of Adirondack Park for sure.

Aldrich Pond (1 night)

Camped one night on Streeter Lake Road in Aldrich Pond Wild Forest near the hamlet of Oswagatchie. Paddled part of Little River and Streeter Lake.

Black River (4 nights)

Camped two nights at Wolf Lake Landing Road. Paddled around Woodhull Lake, hiked over to Remsen Falls.

Camped two nights at North Lake. Sat down by the lake, enjoyed the moonlight. Explored Atwell and part of South Lake.

Debar Mountain (3 nights)

I camped for two nights at Mountain Pond near Paul Smiths, NY, while visiting the Saint Regis Canoe Area.

Then coming back from North Country, I decided to spend a night at Jones Pond, which is between Rainbow Lake and Paul Smiths.

Ferris Lake (5 nights)

I did two weekend trips up to Ferris Lake Wild Forest. The first was during Memorial Day Weekend, which was pretty wet and rainy for most of the weekend. The second was during the mid-summer on a super oppressive, hot and humid day out. While I explored Edick Roadside Camping, and also Good Luck Lake, both times I roadside camped on Piseco-Powley Road, three nights at PR 9, one night at PR 4, and one night at 11.

Independence River (2 nights)

Camped two nights at Independence River Wild Forest on Smith Road, at field Campsite 1. There are ten campsites on this road, including one with an outhouse. Several of them are located in old logging load pads, that are now mowed as fields for camping. Nothing particularly fancy here.

Moose River Plains (3 nights)

Planned to spend a week at Moose River Plains, brakes failed on third day up there. Still got three days of fall camping in along Cedar River – Limekiln Lake Road. Camped one night at Campsite 24, and two at Campsite 57 this year.

Taylor Pond (2 nights)

Camped up at Union Falls for two nights in the fall, while hiking and exploring several locations in Clinton County and eastern portion of the North Country.

Vandwhacker Mountain (1 nights)

Camped one night at Cheney Pond at the Vanderwhacker Wild Forest.

Wilcox Lake (4 nights)

Camped three nights up off of NY 8 — one at an old Gravel Pit along the East Sacandaga River in April when the snow was still there, two nights at Fox Lair Campsite, and one night at Hope Falls Road, which is off of NY 30, near Northville.

Camping Log

January – June 2011.

Roadside: 9, Tent: 1, Leanto: 0 nights …

Date	Campsite	Where	Type	Notes
06/19/11	Campsite On Forest Road 70 Near Lye Wilderness	Forest Road 70, Green Mountains NF, Kelley Stand, VT	Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge	Hiked towards Big Alder, but couldn’t cross stream. Rainy day, did a little paddling in Powley Place. Nicer day on Memorial Day
06/04/11	Campsite On Back Side of Stockmans Island	Stockmans Island, Hudson River State Park, NY	Tent camping after paddling in on kayak	Put in at Coxscakie Boat Launch, camped on an island in Hudson River.
05/29/11	Powley Place (Campsite 9)	Piseco-Powley Road, Ferris Lake Wild Forest, Stratford, NY	Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge	Hiked towards Big Alder, but couldn’t cross stream. Rainy day, did a little paddling in Powley Place. Nicer day on Memorial Day.
05/28/11	Powley Place (Campsite 9)	Piseco-Powley Road, Ferris Lake Wild Forest, Stratford, NY	Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge	Rainy day. Hiked around Powley Place.
05/27/11	Powley Place (Campsite 9)	Piseco-Powley Road, Ferris Lake Wild Forest, Stratford, NY	Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge	Left work early, drove up there. Nice evening before the rain.
05/21/11	Cheney Pond	Cheney Pond, Vanderwhacker Wild Forest, Newcomb, NY	Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge	Explored Vanderwhacker Wild Forest. Kayaked around Cheney Pond couple of times, explored Tawandus Ruins.
05/20/11	Fox Lair Campsite	NY Route 8, Wilcox Lake Wild Forest, Bakers Mills, Adirondacks, NY	Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge	Much nicer this time, a little rain, things greened up. Got a little rain, very damp.
04/22/11	Fox Lair Campsite	NY Route 8, Wilcox Lake Wild Forest, Bakers Mills, Adirondacks, NY	Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge	Woke up to 3” of cold wet snow and rain, decided to go home and abandon trip.
04/21/11	Gravel Pit Campsite	NY Route 8, Wilcox Lake Wild Forest, Griffin, Adirondacks, NY	Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge	Cold morning, trees covered with ice. Hike up around part of 13th Lake near North Creek, NY
04/09/11	Moscow Hill Horse Camp	Brookfield State Forest aka Charles Baker State Forest, Brookfield, NY	Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge	One other camper here, no equestrians this time of year. Wanted to camp on Cherry Ridge, however too much snow there.

March – December 2010.

Roadside: 28, Tent: 2, Leanto: 1 nights …

Date	Campsite	Where	Type	Notes
12/4/10	Old NY 8	Wilcox Lake Wild Forest, Griffin, NY	Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge	Very cold. Ice and snow on truck in morning. Kind of close to NY 8, but all the best campsites taken by hunters.
11/12/10	Lower Assembly Area	Sugar Hill State Forest, Watkins Glen, NY	Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge	Woke up surrounded by Horse Trailers and equestrians in morning. Assembly area was closed this time of year, but horse trails still widely used.
11/11/10	Informal campsite on Forest Road 151	Allegheny National Forest, Near Sayre, PA	Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge	Second night at Allegheny National Forest. I liked the site I stayed in the previous day a lot, and the days where too short (sunset at 4:45 PM), so no time to waste searching for a site.
11/10/10	Informal campsite on Forest Road 151	Allegheny National Forest, Near Bradford, PA	Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge	Many sites in Allegheny National Forest. This one I particularly liked, so I decided to stay there.
11/09/10	Aspah Run Camping Area	Aspah, near Wellsboro, PA	Roadside camping (in pickup truck): paid primitive area	Decided due to a lack of a time due to early sunset, would have done roadside/back country camping, but for $10, and being alone, it was fine.
11/08/10	Aspah Run Camping Area	Aspah, near Wellsboro, PA	Roadside camping (in pickup truck): paid primitive area	Camped here, because I didn’t want to camp back country, and didn’t know the area well enough.
11/07/10	Lower Assembly Area	Sugar Hill State Forest, Watkins Glen, NY	Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge	Originally wanted to camp at Birds Eye Lake or something like that, but the map I had got me lost, and I couldn’t find the road campsite up there.
11/06/10	Campsite 7	Stoney Pond State Forest, Madison, NY	Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge	Frost/ice on puddles in morning. Some snow in some places.
09/05/10	Campsite 56	Moose River Plains, Inlet, Adirondacks, NY	Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge	Rain showers, enjoyed staying in a very private and quite campsite up in the sandy plains.
09/04/10	Campsite 56	Moose River Plains, Inlet, Adirondacks, NY	Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge	Hiked to Mitchells Pond. More rain. It was kind of wet and cold.
09/03/10	Campsite 56	Moose River Plains, Inlet, Adirondacks, NY	Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge	Kind of wet and rainy, hung out in camp, did a little exploring of the plains. Also, paddled in Cedar River Flow for a while. Enjoyed the very private drive in site here.
09/02/10	Campsite 2	Moose River Plains, Inlet, Adirondacks, NY	Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge	I left work at 5 PM…. but with traffic, and wanting to get a pizza to eat on the way up, didn’t get to Moose River Plains until after 9 PM. Very dark, very tired, just wanted a place to collapse.
08/28/10	An Designated Campsite	Big Pond, near Margretville, NY	Kayak in Primitive Campsite: no charge	Did a little hiking an exploring around Ashfield Pinnacle, then drove south to Big Pond. Lantern did not work, a very dark night.
08/27/10	Betty Brook Campsite	Burnt-Rossman Hill State Forest, Schoharie, NY	Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge	Nice night after work…. drove around Mallet Pond State Forest, looking for campsites and interesting places to explore.
08/14/10	Mountain Pond Campsite 4	Mountain Pond, Paul Smiths, NY	Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge	Last day of NY 30 Kayak vacation. Mountain Pon was nice, very remote, just off of NY 30.
08/13/10	Floodwood Road Campsite 3	Floodwood Road, Fish Creek Ponds, NY	Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge	Crowded, stayed down by Poliwog Pond… wouldn’t go there again.
08/12/10	Horseshoe Lake Campsite 8 (about a ½ mile from lake)	NY 421, Horseshoe Lake, NY	Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge	Couldn’t get a site right on Horseshoe Lake. Discovered Lows Lake – amazing.
08/11/10	Wakely Pond Campsite 7	Moose River Plains, Inlet, Adirondacks, NY	Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge	Wanted to paddle Cedar River Flow and enjoy camping up near water …
08/10/10	Undesigned Campsite, west side of road	Mason Lake, Spectulator, NY	Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge	First day of kayak vacation, as I drove up from work, decided to go somewheres not too far away …
07/31/10	Undesigned Campsite, west side of road	Mason Lake, Spectulator, NY	Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge	Hiked to Pillsbury Mountain Firetower, then camped down at Mason Lake.
07/18/10	Otter Brook Campsite (MRP Number 110)	Moose River Plains, Inlet, Adirondacks, NY	Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge	Camped by the Otter Brook Bridge, at a rather large campsite. Not my favorite campsite, and it poured out.
07/17/10	Wakely Pond Campsite 8	Moose River Plains, Inlet, Adirondacks, NY	Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge	Camped down by Cedar River Flow, in a drive in site, a short way from the Flow, but also pretty private.
07/16/10	Wakely Pond Campsite 8	Moose River Plains, Inlet, Adirondacks, NY	Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge	Camped down by Cedar River Flow, in a drive in site, a short way from the Flow, but also pretty private.
07/15/10	Wakely Pond Campsite 8	Moose River Plains, Inlet, Adirondacks, NY	Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge	Camped down by Cedar River Flow, in a drive in site, a short way from the Flow, but also pretty private.
06/27/10	Balsam Swamp Camping Area Site 3	Balsam Pond, East East Pharsalia, NY	Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge	Came back to here, after exploring Labrador Hollow.
06/26/10	Balsam Swamp Camping Area Site 3	Balsam Pond, East East Pharsalia, NY	Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge	Stop over between Burnt-Rossman and Labrador Hollow. Liked camping here in the past.
06/25/10	Duck Pond Campsite	Burnt-Rossman Hill State Forest, Summit, NY	Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge	Camped up a Duck Pond for a change, after driving out here after work.
06/05/10	Leonard Hill Informal Overlook and Campsite	Leonard Hill, Broome Center, NY	Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge	Camped up by the Firetower at an informal campsite, watched sun set, weather turned to rain by morning …
06/04/10	Betty Brook Campsite	Burnt-Rossman Hill State Forest, Schoharie, NY	Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge	Camped at Betty Brook, very humid, drove down to Utsaythana Firetower.
05/15/10	Alder Pond Campsite 2	Alder Pond, Balsam Lake Wild Forest, Margretville, NY	Tent campsite…. short backpack in: no charge	Camped at one of the campsites around Alder Pond.
04/03/10	Betty Brook Campsite	Burnt-Rossman Hill State Forest, Schoharie, NY	Roadside camping, in a tent	Didn’t have the cap on my truck yet, but wanted to roadside camp.
03/21/10	Cotton Hill Lean To	Cotton Hill, Middleburgh	Short backpack into a leanto	There was about a foot of snow up by Cotton Hill Leanto on first day of spring, but due to abnormally warm weather, wasn’t all that cold until late into the night.

August – October 2009.

Roadside: 3, Tent: 0, Leanto: 0 (thru August 2009) …

Date	Campsite	Where	Type	Notes
10/11/09	Betty Brook Campsite	Burnt-Rossman Hill State Forest, Schoharie, NY	Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge	First really cold evening of the year, very much fall like. I didn’t bring my warm coat with me.
10/10/09	Betty Brook Campsite	Burnt-Rossman Hill State Forest, Schoharie, NY	Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge	Fairly cold night, but not as bad as one might have thought. On way out, stopped at Leonard Hill to take some pictures.
08/08/09	Betty Brook – informal campsite along road	Burnt-Rossman Hill State Forest, Schoharie, NY	Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge	After hiking Slide Mountain and Balsam Lake Firetower. Dead tired …

Cheney Pond

Cheney Pond Road is a dirt road off of Boreas Road, about 15 miles east of Newcomb. It is a rough road, with the pass year’s washouts, don’t try it without a truck. It will take you a rather pretty lake and damed up river you can paddle around.

Here is a printable map you can click to see full size then download.

And now down as Cheney Pond…

If you want to spend the night, you can roadside camp at a site with a picnic table and outhouse, tent camp at an “informal” campsite with a fire pit near the lean-to or camp in the lean-to. None of the campsites at Vanderwhacker Wild Forest have “Camp Here Disks”.