Ashokan High Point Trail Primitive Campsite #1 (Sundown Wild Forest)

FREE primitive camping in Sundown Wild Forest, part of New York's CATSKILL Forest Preserve (DEC Region 3, Ulster County -- the Ashokan High Point / Vernooy Kill Falls country). This is a DEC-designated primitive tent site ('Ashokan High Point Trail Primitive Campsite #1', on Kanape Brook), and New York provides it at NO CHARGE: the DEC Sundown Wild Forest page lists the fee as 'Free' and the unit as open year-round, first-come first-served. HIKE-IN: this is a foot-access Catskill Forest Preserve site, about 86 feet from the Ashokan High Point Trail (red); plan on roughly a 0.2-mile walk in from the nearest public road/trailhead. Note: a brookside site about 40 feet from Kanape Brook, roughly 0.2 mile in from the Kanape Brook trailhead on Watson Hollow Road (County Route 42). No nearby OSM camp_site node, so DEC's coordinate is the sole source. This is free Catskill Forest Preserve backcountry -- do NOT confuse it with the Peekamoose Valley 'Lower Field' sites a few miles west along County Route 42, which are on the paid Reserve America system and require a $10 permit (all visitors, including campers) from May 15 to September 15; this site is well outside that permit corridor. SEASON / ACCESS: DEC lists Sundown Wild Forest as open YEAR-ROUND and free, but these are foot-access (or road-end) Catskill backcountry sites; the trailhead roads (Watson Hollow Road, Trails End Road) are minor mountain roads that may not be plowed or maintained in winter and can wash out -- 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 yellow 'Camp Here' disc that marks 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)). DEC prints no other night limit for these sites, so plan around that statewide 3-night default and confirm 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 a brook. 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/sundown-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

EV charging — from Ashokan High Point Trail Primitive Campsite #1 (Sundown Wild Forest) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)

• Nearest public DC fast charger11.6 mi straight-line SE — SUNY Ulster - Hasbrouck Hall, Stone Ridge, NY · VIALYNK · J1772, CCS · 6 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
• Public DC fast stations within reach30 within 25 mi · 80 within 50 · 870 within 100 · 1503 within 150
• Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)15.3 mi — Kingston, NY - Tesla Supercharger, Kingston
• Nearest listing CHAdeMO17.3 mi — PRESHYUN PKG 1, Kingston
• Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)9.4 mi — Full Moon Resort - Tesla Destination, Big Indian, NY · Tesla Destination · J1772, NACS (Tesla) · 6 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-08-27 · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to all vehicles.
• Also listed, not counted aboveNACS-only Level 2 — Emerson Resort and Spa - Tesla Destination, Mt. Tremper, 8.4 mi · NACS (Tesla) · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · AFDC lists it “Free”
• Pricing at the fast chargernot listed
• Power (kW)not listed by AFDC — “DC fast” spans roughly 24 to 350 kW, so ask the network.
• Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
  Snapshot 2026-09-16 · AFDC record 450089 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center

Nearby restrooms — around Ashokan High Point Trail Primitive Campsite #1 (Sundown Wild Forest) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)

• Highway rest areaUlster Travel Plaza · ~17.6 mi E
• Highway rest areaParking/Rest Area · ~19.5 mi NE
• RestroomFederal restroom · ~21.4 mi S · FWS
• RestroomPavilion · ~21.8 mi SE · NPS

Open Ashokan High Point Trail Primitive Campsite #1 (Sundown Wild Forest) elsewhere

Other camps near Ashokan High Point Trail Primitive Campsite #1 (Sundown Wild Forest)

If this one is full, gated or washed out.

• Ashokan High Point Trail Primitive Campsite #2 (Sundown Wild Forest)~1.2 mi
• Trails End Campsite (Sundown Wild Forest)~3.8 mi
• Vernooy Falls primitive tent site [DEC #228991] (Sundown Wild Forest)~4.8 mi
• Vernooy Falls primitive tent site [DEC #228992] (Sundown Wild Forest)~4.8 mi

How we know this — Ashokan High Point Trail Primitive Campsite #1 (Sundown Wild Forest)

What we don’t know about Ashokan High Point Trail Primitive Campsite #1 (Sundown Wild Forest)

A land record can put you within a few meters 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
• Current fire restrictions
• Whether any water here is drinkable
• Shade & wind exposure
• Noise and who else shows up
• Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it

Before you go — Ashokan High Point Trail Primitive Campsite #1 (Sundown Wild Forest)