deer river state forest

Deer River State Forest Campsites

Untitled [Expires November 15 2024]

In south-western Franklin County there is a state forest with approximently 12,00 acres of land, and almost 12 miles of truck trail. Most of it is wooded and moderately hilly, with acres of swamps and rivers, with substainal access via truck trail.

Truck Trail

There are three campsites along Conservation Road, with one at Iron Bridge on the Deer River. This is a popular site, one with limited nearby firewood. You probably could drive to another portion of the forest, chop up some wood, and drive back so you have enough for camping.

Packing Up

NameLatitudeLongitude
Avery Lot Site44.7352235914112-74.4550802614741
Conservation Road Primitive Campsite44.7265204084443-74.4838001692901
Foot Bridge Site44.731452233788-74.5090540850248
Horse Assembly Area (Two Sites)44.7507488855137-74.5131752114971
Iron Bridge Site44.7190820582264-74.4799989894277
Larch Site44.730415232034-74.5048391659423
Number 744.7335461250466-74.5028504711799
Site 1044.7315799764063-74.5021705324054
Site 644.7271320391316-74.4853763854447
Site 844.7297640340073-74.4938030505511

The site is number 5, although I was only able to find sites one and two nearby. The other ones must be on other roads. I didn’t drive all over Deer River State Forest, due to the noise the hubs where making on the truck, worrying me about a potential breakdown/failure with the bad hubs.

Site Name

Parts of Conservation Road where relatively rough and potholed, but compared to some of the other roads it wasn’t all that bad.

Conservation Road

At Iron Bridge, there is a popular swimming hole. I went in both in them evening to cool off and in the morning to bathe.

Swimming Hole

Here is an an interactive map: