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Bog River Flow Campsite 9 [DEC #3289] (Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area)

Drive-up · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY · 44.10504, -74.67885

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New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation lists this site. Someone from the agency inventoried it, so it is a real camp — not a spot we guessed at. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.

FREE primitive camping: this is DEC-designated tent site 'Bog River Flow Campsite 9' on the Bog River Flow in the Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area of the Bog River Complex (Adirondack Forest Preserve, DEC Region 6, near Lows Lake / the Lows dams). It is a paddle-in / water-access site reached by canoe or kayak on the Bog River Flow (Lows Lake) -- non-motorized boats only; there is a carry at the Lows Lower Dam. New York provides it at NO CHARGE -- the DEC Bog River Complex page lists the unit as 'Fee: Free' and 'Open for recreation: Year-round'. It is a first-come, first-served DESIGNATED tent site (tents only, marked with a yellow 'Camp Here' disc) with a fire ring and a short pit privy; maximum nine persons per site (groups of six or fewer are encouraged). A free Forest-Ranger permit is required only for stays over 3 nights, groups of 10 or more, or use of the Virgin Timber/Boone's/Moose Bay shared landings in June-August -- otherwise just show up. There are no hookups and no potable water: bring or treat all water, pack out all trash, follow Leave No Trace and DEC fire rules, and store food from bears. Bog River Flow (Lows Lake) has 39 numbered designated campsites; this is one of them -- the exact spot is DEC's mapped point, so confirm the site's yellow disc on arrival. The area is prime loon, eagle and osprey habitat, so camp and paddle quietly. The nearby towns hope you will stop in and spend a little locally while you are passing through. Rules and site status can change and we have not visited -- confirm current conditions on the DEC page (dec.ny.gov/places/bog-river-complex) or with the DEC Region 6 Potsdam office / local Forest Ranger at (315) 265-3090 (Mon-Fri 8:00-4:30); Forest Rangers in an emergency via 911 or 1-833-NYS-RANGERS (1-833-697-7264) before you go.

Can I go now? — Bog River Flow Campsite 9 [DEC #3289] (Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY

Open today Year-round per the agency record.

New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation record: “Year-round” Read against the calendar on 2026-09-17; with JavaScript your browser re-checks it against today.

USGS topo — contours & terrain

USGS topographic map of Bog River Flow Campsite 9 [DEC #3289] (Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area)

Aerial — USGS / NAIP

Aerial image of Bog River Flow Campsite 9 [DEC #3289] (Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area)

Weather outlook — at Bog River Flow Campsite 9 [DEC #3289] (Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area)

Loading the latest forecast…

Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,756 ft.

Fire & smoke — around Bog River Flow Campsite 9 [DEC #3289] (Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area)NIFC · AirNow

Checking active fires & air quality…

Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.

Everything you need — measured from Bog River Flow Campsite 9 [DEC #3289] (Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY

Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer

Nearest of each

+Urgent care11 mi
OOutfitter12 mi
GGrocery12 mi
@Mail12 mi
FFuel13 mi
MMechanic13 mi
HHardware14 mi
RxPharmacy14 mi
WWater19 mi
ShShower19 mi
DDump20 mi
LLaundry24 mi
EVEV fast charger30 mi

≤30 mi30–4545+water

The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 12 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 30-mi run (and back).

Not within 60 mi: Propane. Plan those before you head up.

One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗

The site — Bog River Flow Campsite 9 [DEC #3289] (Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area)

Access

Drive-up

Land

New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation

Elevation

1,756 ft

State

Coordinates

44.10504, -74.67885

Cost

Free

Nearby & resupply — around Bog River Flow Campsite 9 [DEC #3289] (Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY (OpenStreetMap)

Water featureLong Pond (water) · nearby
Nearest townSabattis · ~2.0 mi
Drinking waternone within 10 mi
FuelFuel · ~13.3 mi
Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
Dump station~20.2 mi
GroceriesOtto's Abode · ~12.2 mi
PharmacyKinney Drugs · ~13.9 mi
Hospital / clinicCamp Massawepie Health Lodge · ~11.3 mi

EV charging — from Bog River Flow Campsite 9 [DEC #3289] (Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)

Nearest public DC fast charger30.4 mi straight-line SE — 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 reachnone within 25 mi · 16 within 50 · 178 within 100 · 407 within 150
Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)31.3 mi — ChargeSmart EV - Saranac Lake, Saranac Lake
Nearest listing CHAdeMO41.7 mi — EVolve NY Potsdam, Potsdam
Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)12.2 mi — Otto's Abode, Wanakena, NY (at a parking lot) · Non-Networked · J1772 · 1 Level 2 port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2024-03-14 · hours: 24 hours daily
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 Bog River Flow Campsite 9 [DEC #3289] (Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area) · 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 Bog River Flow Campsite 9 [DEC #3289] (Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area) elsewhere

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Other camps near Bog River Flow Campsite 9 [DEC #3289] (Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area)

If this one is full, gated or washed out.

How we know this — Bog River Flow Campsite 9 [DEC #3289] (Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area)

Open season

Year-round

Permit

Free permit needed only for stays over 3 nights or groups of 10 or more

Source

NY Dept. of Environmental Conservation

Confidence

Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.

How it was placed

NY DEC 'Primitive Campsite' GIS layer (https://gisservices.dec.ny.gov/arcgis/rest/services/dil/dil_land_assets_prm_cmp/MapServer/0), ASSET_UID 3289, GIS NAME verbatim 'Bog River Flow Campsite 9', ASSET='PRIMITIVE TENT SITE', PUBLICUSE='Y', ACCESSIBLE='N', FACILITY='Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area'. DESCRIP='Designated Campsite. With Short Privy'; NOTES='Checked 11/2015'. Coordinate is DEC's own point geometry (WGS84), pulled 2026-07-26 via the layer's /query endpoint (outSR=4326, one paced bundled curl -- the DEC GIS host rate-blocks bursts). FREE confirmed on the DEC page dec.ny.gov/places/bog-river-complex (Bog River Complex, read 2026-07-26 via WebFetch): 'Fee: Free', 'Open for recreation: Year-round' (the May 1-Sep 30 window applies only to the Big Tupper/Piercefield Flow conservation easements, not this Forest Preserve Primitive Area). CONFIDENCE (MED): the DEC Bog River Complex page confirms Bog River Flow (Lows Lake) is a system of '39 numbered designated campsites', first-come and free, and this is DEC's own numbered/mapped PUBLICUSE point 'Bog River Flow Campsite 9' within it; the page enumerates the total (39) without confirming this specific number/coordinate, only 4 of the 39 are carried in this GIS layer under this facility, and OSM maps none -> MED. LOCATION CORROBORATION: no OSM camp_site node mapped near this backcountry water-access site (normal for the Adirondack interior); DEC page + DEC GIS point carry existence. ELEVATION ~1756 ft (USGS EPQS, 2026-07-26) -- DEC Region 6 (Western Adirondacks), no high-elevation camping restriction applies. LAND/FEE (guardrail 2): Adirondack Forest Preserve Primitive Area, no entry/access/day-use fee; the only permit is a FREE Forest-Ranger permit for stays over 3 nights, groups of 10+, or use of the Virgin Timber/Boone's/Moose Bay shared landings June-Aug. LEGALITY (guardrail 1): a DEC-DESIGNATED PUBLICUSE primitive tent site (yellow 'Camp Here' disc, tents only), camping explicitly allowed, first come-first served, per DEC State Land Camping Rules. Ingest 2026-07-26.

Season

Read from the agency's own season / closure text in this record (data/conditions.py) and checked against the calendar. The words we read are printed under the verdict at the top of the page.

EV chargers

US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.

Field check

On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.

What we don’t know about Bog River Flow Campsite 9 [DEC #3289] (Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area)

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 — Bog River Flow Campsite 9 [DEC #3289] (Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area)

Camping near a reservoir →Finding water out here →Cold-weather camping →How to read this page →All field notes →

Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →