Auger Falls Campsite (Siamese Ponds Wilderness)

FREE primitive camping in the 114,010-acre Siamese Ponds Wilderness, part of New York's Adirondack Forest Preserve, in the east-central Adirondacks between Indian Lake and North Creek -- Towns of Johnsburg and Thurman in Warren County and Towns of Indian Lake, Lake Pleasant and Wells in Hamilton County (DEC Region 5), reached from NY 8, NY 30 and the Thirteenth Lake / Old Farm Clearing roads off NY 28. DEC-designated primitive tent site ('Auger Falls Campsite'). New York provides these designated primitive tent sites at NO CHARGE (the DEC unit page lists the fee as 'Free'); sites are first-come and cannot be reserved. This one is EASY TO REACH by wilderness standards -- it sits about 0.14 mile (758 feet) in a straight line from the Auger Falls trailhead parking area off NY 30/8, a DEC-published parking area, so it is a short walk in rather than a long backcountry hike; you still park at the lot and walk, and Forest Preserve rules bar camping within 150 feet of the road. NOTE ON WHICH UNIT THIS IS IN: DEC's page warns that numerous designated tent sites along both sides of NY 8 between the NY 30 junction and Bakers Mills are "technically in the Wilcox Lake Wild Forest" rather than the Wilderness. DEC's own mapping files this site under Siamese Ponds Wilderness. Either way it is free New York Forest Preserve land with the same camping rules, but confirm the unit and the site's current designation with DEC. PERMITS: a free New York State Forest Ranger permit is required for any stay of more than three nights at one spot, or for a group of ten or more (the DEC unit page sets no stricter local threshold, so the statewide rule governs). Arrange any permit in advance through the DEC Region 5 Warrensburg Office at 518-623-1200 (Mon-Fri, 8:30 to 4:45). Camp only at the marked site (look for the yellow 'Camp Here' disc) -- elsewhere on the Forest Preserve, camping is prohibited within 150 feet of any road, trail, spring, stream, pond or other water. These are primitive sites: typically just a fire ring, no hookups and no potable water, and designated TENT sites are for tents only. Pack out all trash, follow Leave No Trace and the DEC fire rules, and store food away from black bears. The unit is open year-round, but winter access is on ski or snowshoe and several stream crossings here have no bridge -- confirm current conditions, closures and this site's access with the DEC unit page (dec.ny.gov/places/siamese-ponds-wilderness) or the Warrensburg office before you go; we have not visited.

USGS topo — contours & terrain

Aerial — USGS / NAIP

EV charging — from Auger Falls Campsite (Siamese Ponds Wilderness) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)

• Nearest public DC fast charger21.5 mi straight-line N — Indian Lake - Welcome Center · VIALYNK · CCS · 4 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
• Public DC fast stations within reach2 within 25 mi · 47 within 50 · 297 within 100 · 704 within 150
• Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)26.9 mi — Chestertown, NY - Tesla Supercharger, Chestertown
• Nearest listing CHAdeMO32.9 mi — GMG DCFC FORT EDWARD #1, Fort Edward
• Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)5.9 mi — Lemon Tree Brewery - Tesla Destination, Speculator, 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 aboveLevel 2, restricted access — North Creek Heads in Beds, North Creek, 20.4 mi · J1772, NEMA 5-20 · hours: 10am-10pm daily; for guest use only; Drivers must bring their own J1772 cordset for Level 1 charging · 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 405740 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center

Nearby restrooms — around Auger Falls Campsite (Siamese Ponds Wilderness) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)

• No mapped restroom within 30 miles — plan to pack it out.

Open Auger Falls Campsite (Siamese Ponds Wilderness) elsewhere

Other camps near Auger Falls Campsite (Siamese Ponds Wilderness)

If this one is full, gated or washed out.

• Auger Falls Campsite (Siamese Ponds Wilderness)~0.1 mi
• Campsite 010 (Wilcox Lake Wild Forest)~2.6 mi
• Old Route 8 Campsite (Jessup River Wild Forest)~3.2 mi
• County Line Campsite (Siamese Ponds Wilderness)~4.0 mi

How we know this — Auger Falls Campsite (Siamese Ponds Wilderness)

What we don’t know about Auger Falls Campsite (Siamese Ponds Wilderness)

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 — Auger Falls Campsite (Siamese Ponds Wilderness)