region

Roadside Campsites I’ve Camped in Northern Adirondacks

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North West

Streeter Lake Road

  • Campsites are nice
  • Many campsites are close to road
  • Road is an old railroad bed
  • Streeter Lake and Mud Pond are nice paddling, but a little small and with beaver dams

All Packed Up

North Central

Floodwood Road

  • Often crowded, hard to get a roadside campsite some nights
  • Campsites are clustered close together
  • High enforcement precence

Camping at Poliwog Pond

Jones Pond

  • Campsites are quite nice, but only 5 campsites and 3 tent sites
  • Road noise from nearby roads
  • Lake is larger then Mountain Pond
  • Nearby is the drive-in campsites along north-western portion of Rainbow Lake (not to be confused with Bucks Pond State Campground)

All Packed Up at Union Falls Campsite

Mountain Pond

  • Close to St Regis Canoe Area (10 miles south)
  • Quieter compared to busy canoe area
  • Located on an Old Routing of NY 30
  • Conviently located to Paul Smiths and NY 30 corridor

Getting Out and Stretch

North East

Union Falls Pond

  • A group of undesigned drive-in campsites along northeastern section of Union Falls Pond, shown on DEC maps
  • Across the way from a private campground
  • Union Falls Pond is large, can be choppy from the wind
  • Great views of Whiteface and other high peaks from the campsite.

Getting Out and Stretch

North-Central Central

Horsehoe Lake

  • Horsehoe Lake has several campsites along, as does the dirt road beyond it for a ways.
  • The best roadside campsites go fast on the lake, but you can always camp on the less desirable campsites, then check out Bog River Flow, and tent camp up there.

Campsite No 9

Campsites and Lean-Tos in DEC Region 7 (Central NY)

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Today we look at Campsites and Lean-tos and other “developed” camping opporunties in DEC Region 7, which consists of lands in Central NY Counties of Broome, Cayuga, Chenango, Cortland, Madison, Onondaga, Oswego, Tompkins and Tioga, and is based on data in Region 7 Recreation Master Plan.

Rhododendrons

Current 85 Designated Campsites/Lean-Tos.

  • Balsam Pond State Forest (Chenango 17) – 1 campsite at Baker’s pond
  • Balsam Pond State Forest (Chenango 34) – 9 campsites 3
  • Beaver Creek State Forest (Madison 12) – 2 campsites at the assembly area 4
  • Charles E. Baker State Forest (Madison 1) – 14 campsites at Moscow Hill 4
  • Charles E. Baker State Forest (Madison 1) – 2 lean-tos
  • Charles E. Baker State Forest (Madison 1) – 8 campsites at Cherry Ridge 3
  • Danby State Forest (Tompkins 1) – 2 lean-tos (Finger Lakes Trail)
  • Gee Brook State Forest (Cortland 17) – 6 campsites at Calico Pond
  • Long Pond State Forest (Chenango 35) – 8 campsites
  • Ludlow Creek State Forest (Chenango 6) – 1 lean-to (Finger Lakes Trail)
  • Mariposa State Forest (Chenango-Madison 1) – 1 lean-to (Finger Lakes Trail)
  • McDonough State Forest (Chenango 1) – 3 campsites at Whaley Pond
  • Morgan Hill State Forest (Cortland 4) – 1 lean-to
  • Morgan Hill State Forest (Onondaga 1) – 9 campsites at Spruce Pond 1
  • New Michigan State Forest (Chenango 5) – 1 lean-to (Finger Lakes Trail)
  • Robinson Hollow State Forest (Tioga 3) – 1 lean-to
  • Shindagin Hollow State Forest (Tompkins 3) – 1 lean-to (Finger Lakes Trail)
  • Stoney Pond State Forest (Madison 13) – 12 campsites 2
  • Taylor Valley State Forest (Cortland 2) – 12 campsites 5
  • Tuller Hill State Forest (Cortland 9) – 1 lean-to
  • Whaupaunaucau State Forest (Chenango 31) – 1 lean-to
  • Wiley Brook State Forest (Chenango 7) – 1 campsite

1 DEC Camping permit required. Call (607) 674-4036 to have a permit mailed to you.

2DEC Camping permit required from April 15-October 15th. Call (607) 674-4036 to have a permit mailed to you.

3 Vehicle accessible.

4Horse Assembly and Camping-area.

5 Currently undesignated sites (lacks “Camp Here Markers”) on an old loop road that was part of CCC Camp in Taylor Valley.

Related Maps.

Reed Hill

Pavilion

Morning shadows

Waterfall on the Long Path

Shoreline

DEC’s Future Plans for Region 7

1. Develop 31 additional campsites in Region 7. Twenty-eight of these will be open campsites and three will be lean-tos. A portion of the new campsite development will occur on Hall Island State Forest (Oswego 10), as noted in items b and c. The Department will consider the option of permanently closing any or all of the Island campsites if patrol or enforcement problems become an issue. Fiscal constraints and public demand will determine if any additional campsites are to be developed within the Region.

a. Development of the new campsites will be in compliance with the guidelines for access by people with disabilities.

b. Develop 12 to 15 open campsites on Hall Island State Forest (Oswego10). These campsites will be located on the south side of the Salmon River Reservoir and will only be accessible by water. A permit will be required to occupy these sites. Three of these sites will be developed for people with disabilities . c. On Hall Island State Forest (Oswego 10), upgrade two designated campsites on Burdick Island and two campsites on Huckleberry Island in the Salmon River Reservoir. A permit will be required to occupy these sites. Two of these sites will be developed for people with disabilities.

Households That Make Less then $30k

d. Develop one lean-to campsite along the Finger Lakes Trail on Perkins Pond State Forest (Chenango 22) in the Town of Otselic.

e. Develop two open campsites on the Marsh Pond State Forest (Broome 4) near the pond. One of these sites will be developed for people with disabilities.

f. Develop three campsites on Robinson Hill State Forest (Tioga 3) near Tricounty Pond. The exact number of sites will be determined from local demand. One or two of these sites will be developed for people with disabilities. Install kiosk and develop area brochure.

g. Develop one lean-to on the Genegantslet State Forest with access from Creek Road. The access trail to the lean-to will be approximately 0.7 miles of hiking trail.

h. Develop an open campsite in stand C-7 on Long Pond State Forest (Chenango 35) designed for access by canoe or boat.

i. Develop three open campsites on Oakley Corners State Forest (Tioga 2). One of these sites will be developed for people with disabilities. Use of these sites will be by permit only.

j. Upgrade and designate three formal sites on the Salmon River State Forest (Oswego 8). A permit will be required to occupy these sites.

k. Rebuild the lean-to along the trail on Chateaugay State Forest (Oswego 4 & 5).

Cherry Ridge Camping Area Sign

l. Build one lean-to on Cuyler Hill State Forest (Cortland 6).

m. Inspect and, if necessary, repair or replace lean-tos on the Finger Lakes Trail.

2. Propose a change to the current regulations to address the conflicts encountered with camping within 150 feet of a road.

a. Propose a change to the current regulation that prohibits camping within 150′ of any road. The intent of this proposal is to accommodate the style of camping that is common during hunting season.

Number 1

3. Provide camping opportunities on State Forests for people with disabilities. These ADA compliant facilities will be distributed throughout the Region. Most of the designated campsites will have fire rings and several of the sites will have picnic tables. Fire rings, picnic tables and benches will be of Universal Design. Accessible latrines will be located at areas with several campsites, such as Long Pond, Stoney Pond and Charles E. Baker State Forests. All camping areas that can be driven to will have at least one accessible parking space. a. Make alterations to the Moscow Hill campsites on the Charles E. Baker State Forest (Madison 1 & 4) so that at least four of the sites are accessible by people with disabilities.

Hunting Camps Along Reservoir

4. Designate 14 campsites at Moscow Hill, Madison 1, camping area.

5. Maintain 85 existing campsites.

6. Propose a regulation to prohibit camping at Nanticoke Lake Multiple-Use Area and Redfield Island Day-Use Area

Campsite 8

7. Remove the lean-to on New Michigan State Forest (Chenango 5) This lean-to is structurally poor and is no longer located on an active trail. The lean-to proposed in 1. d will replace this lean-to.

Private Forestland Not Farms

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When I was younger I used to think of the Tug Hill Plateau as a vast agricultural region. It really isn’t. There are farms in Black River Valley, but not so much up on the Plateau, especially as you gain elevation.

Major Land Resource Regions

The signs going into Lewis County say “Adirondacks-Black River-Tug Hill”, and except for that relatively narrow band running along the Black River, Lewis County doesn’t have a lot of farming — much likes the rest of Tug Hill Plateau.

Lewis County: Tug Hill. Black River. Adirondacks.

An elevation map of NY shows that most of the Tug Hill Plateau is between 1,000-2,000 feet elevation, but that’s high enough in NY to make agriculture unprofitable in most of state due to short growing season.

Hot evening walking along the Catharine Creek Marsh

The Black River Valley, with it’s fertile soils notched between the Adirondack Foothills and Tug Hill Plateau make Lewis County a major agricultural producer, with 262 dairy farms, including some of the largest in state. The area around Lowville is excellent agriculturally, until you start back up in to the hills on both sides with their short growing seasons. Dairy farming makes up 20% of the land use in Lewis County (per 2010 USDA NASS), but almost all of that occurs in Black River Valley or slightly up the slopes of Tug Hill Plateau.

Farming In Black River Valley: Narrow Band of Farms Between Tug Hill and Adirondack Foothills

In many ways the Tug Hill Plateau is a fascinating region of the state. Unlike the Adirondack Park, only a relatively small portion of it is publically owned. About 2/3rds of it is private timber lands, with rest being public lands. It lacks any major cities or population centers, much of it is roadless, or where roads exist, they primarily service hunting camps or timberlands.

Rainy Afternoon at Lower Tenant Falls

The remoteness of the Tug Hill Plateau remains a real fascination for me.

Maple Ridge Windfarm