Alder Lake Site #13 (Balsam Lake Mountain Wild Forest)

FREE primitive camping at ALDER LAKE, in the Balsam Lake Mountain Wild Forest, part of New York's CATSKILL Forest Preserve (DEC Region 3, Ulster County). This is a DEC-designated primitive tent site ('Alder Lake Site #13') on the old Coykendall estate lake, and New York provides it at NO CHARGE: the DEC Balsam Lake Mountain Wild Forest page lists the fee as 'Free' and the unit as open year-round, first-come first-served (14 numbered designated sites ring the lake; the page prose rounds to 'five', but DEC's site inventory tags 14). HIKE-IN / WALK-IN (backpack only): you cannot drive to the site -- park at the DEC Alder Lake parking area at the lake's west end and walk in on the Alder Lake Loop trail, roughly a 0.13-mile walk from the lot. Note: the site nearest the parking area, about 0.13 mile in on the west side (also the farthest back from the water of the group). This is free, first-come Catskill Forest Preserve backcountry at Alder Lake -- do NOT confuse it with a reservable fee campground; the nearest paid DEC campgrounds (Little Pond, Mongaup Pond) are several miles away and are a separate, paid system. SEASON / ACCESS: DEC lists Balsam Lake Mountain Wild Forest as open YEAR-ROUND and free, but Alder Lake is reached by a short backpack/walk in from the parking area, and the access road and trailhead lots are minor Catskill mountain infrastructure that may not be plowed or maintained in winter -- confirm current road, gate and trail status with the New Paltz office (845-256-3076) before you go. RULES: this is a designated, first-come first-served free site -- no reservation and no fee. Look for the round yellow DEC 'Camp Here' marker at each designated site. Standard Catskill Forest Preserve rules apply: camp only at the designated site, keep 150 feet from water/trails/roads unless the site itself is marked closer, and a free Forest Ranger permit is required only if you stay more than 3 nights or camp with a group of 10 or more (arrange it through the DEC Region 3 New Paltz Office at (845) 256-3076 (Forest Rangers via 911 or DEC dispatch)). Alder Lake sits near 2,200 feet, well below the 3,500-foot line, so the seasonal high-elevation camping ban does not apply and campfires with dead-and-down wood are allowed; still confirm current fire rules on site. This is a primitive backcountry site: expect at most a fire ring -- no privy, no hookups, no showers and no potable water, so carry water or treat what you take from the lake. Pack out all trash, follow Leave No Trace and the DEC fire rules, and store food from bears (this is black-bear country). Confirm current rules, road/trail status and this site's status on the DEC page (dec.ny.gov/places/balsam-lake-mountain-wild-forest) or with the New Paltz office (845-256-3076) before you go; we have not visited.

USGS topo — contours & terrain

Aerial — USGS / NAIP

Nearby restrooms — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)

• Highway rest areaRoscoe · ~12.6 mi SW
• Highway rest areaEast Branch · ~24.8 mi W
• RestroomCallicoon PA Access Seasonal Toilet · ~27.9 mi SW · NPS

Open this spot elsewhere

Other camps nearby

If this one is full, gated or washed out.

• Alder Lake Site #12 (Balsam Lake Mountain Wild Forest)~0.1 mi
• Alder Lake Site #14 (Balsam Lake Mountain Wild Forest)~0.1 mi
• Alder Lake Site #10 (Balsam Lake Mountain Wild Forest)~0.1 mi
• Alder Lake Site #11 (Balsam Lake Mountain Wild Forest)~0.1 mi

How we know this

What we don’t know

A land record can put you within a few metres of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.

• Road surface & last-mile access
• How many rigs actually fit
• Cell coverage by carrier
• Seasonal & winter access
• Current fire restrictions
• Whether any water here is drinkable
• Shade & wind exposure
• Noise and who else shows up

Before you go