Boquet River Just East Of Jct. 9 & 73 Campsite [DEC #13934] (Giant Mountain Wilderness)
FREE primitive camping in Giant Mountain Wilderness, part of New York's Adirondack Forest Preserve (DEC Region 5, the Chapel Pond / Roaring Brook Falls country along NY 73 in Essex County, near Keene Valley / St. Huberts). This is a DEC-designated primitive tent site ('Boquet River Just East Of Jct. 9 & 73 Campsite', on Boquet River), and New York provides it at NO CHARGE: the DEC page lists the fee as 'Free' and the unit as open year-round, first-come first-served. HIKE-IN: this is a foot-access site in a motor-vehicle-free Wilderness, about 193 feet from a foot trail; only about 493 feet in from the nearest public road. Note: a Boquet River primitive site near the Route 9/73 junction, about 490 feet (a 0.1-mile walk) in from US 9 and roughly 260 feet from the river. This is Adirondack WILDERNESS backcountry, not a developed campground -- there is no campground office, fee booth, hookups, showers or potable water, and no legal car access onto the site; do not confuse it with the developed fee state campgrounds the DEC page points amenity-seekers to (Lincoln Pond Campground and Sharp Bridge Campground). SEASON / ACCESS: DEC lists Giant Mountain Wilderness as open YEAR-ROUND, but this is a motor-vehicle-free Wilderness reached on foot (three roadside sites are a park-and-step-in off the highway; the rest are a 0.1-2.4 mile walk in). DEC's current advisory asks hikers to postpone the higher trails ABOVE Giant's Washbowl, 'the Cobbles' and Owl Head Lookout during mud season / high-elevation wet conditions -- none of these campsites is in that zone, but several sit at trailheads for it. NY 73 through Chapel Pond is a busy, narrow pass with very limited parking; arrive early and park only in legal pull-offs. Plan for a self-sufficient trip and confirm current road, gate and trail status with the Ray Brook office (518-897-1200) 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 Adirondack 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 5 Ray Brook Office at (518) 897-1200 (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 or pond. 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/giant-mountain-wilderness) or with the Ray Brook office (518-897-1200) before you go; we have not visited.
![USGS topographic map of Boquet River Just East Of Jct. 9 & 73 Campsite [DEC #13934] (Giant Mountain Wilderness)](img/boquet-river-just-east-of-jct-9-73-campsite-dec--ny-44105n73688w-topo.png)
![Aerial image of Boquet River Just East Of Jct. 9 & 73 Campsite [DEC #13934] (Giant Mountain Wilderness)](img/boquet-river-just-east-of-jct-9-73-campsite-dec--ny-44105n73688w-aerial.jpg)
Everything you need — measured from camp
- @Mail6 mi
- GGrocery8 mi
- OOutfitter8 mi
- MMechanic8 mi
- RxPharmacy9 mi
- FFuel9 mi
- +Urgent care9 mi
- HHardware9 mi
- WWater10 mi
- ShShower14 mi
- DDump14 mi
- LLaundry17 mi
- AAir-up56 mi
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 8 mi out.
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). Open in Google Maps ↗
The site
Nearby & resupply (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureCranberry Pond (water) · nearby
- Nearest townUnderwood · ~1.3 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~7.3 mi
- FuelMineville Oil Company · ~9.3 mi
- Propane / LPGAmeriGas · ~23.3 mi
- Dump stationDump station · ~14.1 mi
- GroceriesValley Grocery · ~7.8 mi
- PharmacyMoriah Pharmacy · ~12.0 mi
- Hospital / clinicElizabethtown Community Hospital · ~8.9 mi
- HardwareBryant's Lumber and Hardware · ~10.9 mi
Nearby restrooms — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Highway rest areaHigh Peaks (South) · ~6.1 mi S
- Highway rest areaHigh Peaks (North) · ~6.4 mi S
Open this spot elsewhere
Other camps nearby
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Boquet River Just East Of Jct. 9 & 73 Campsite [DEC #13935] (Giant Mountain Wilderness)~0.1 mi
- East Side Of Boquet River Primitive Area Campsite (Giant Mountain Wilderness)~1.8 mi
- Marie Louise Pond Campsite (Giant Mountain Wilderness)~3.6 mi
- Giant'S Wash Bowl Campsite [DEC #13929] (Giant Mountain Wilderness)~3.6 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