Agency-listedVermont Dept. of Forests, Parks and Recreation · dispersedFree
C.C. Putnam State Forest primitive camping area 1
Dispersed · public land · VT · 44.27197, -72.61182
Ask an AI about this campsiteOpens Grok already loaded with this site. It reads the same records this page is built from, and links whatever it tells you.
Ask about this camp →The land manager 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.
USGS topo — contours & terrain

Aerial — USGS / NAIP

Weather outlook — at C.C. Putnam State Forest primitive camping area 1
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 889 ft.
Fire & smoke — around C.C. Putnam State Forest primitive camping area 1NIFC · 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 C.C. Putnam State Forest primitive camping area 1 · public land · VT
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- MMechanic1 mi
- FFuel1 mi
- GGrocery2 mi
- EVEV fast charger2 mi
- LLaundry2 mi
- RxPharmacy2 mi
- HHardware2 mi
- OOutfitter2 mi
- +Urgent care2 mi
- @Mail6 mi
- WWater8 mi
- DDump11 mi
- ShShower11 mi
- AAir-up35 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 1 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); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — C.C. Putnam State Forest primitive camping area 1
Access
Dispersed
Land
public land · dispersed
Elevation
889 ft
State
VT
Coordinates
44.27197, -72.61182
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around C.C. Putnam State Forest primitive camping area 1 · public land · VT (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureWinooski River (river) · nearby
- Nearest townMontpelier Junction · ~1.0 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~8.1 mi
- FuelCitgo · ~1.4 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~10.8 mi
- GroceriesState Street Seafood & Meat · ~1.5 mi
- PharmacyKinney Drug · ~2.0 mi
- Hospital / clinicVermont Psychiatric Care Hospital · ~4.1 mi
- HardwareAubuchon Hardware · ~2.0 mi
EV charging — from C.C. Putnam State Forest primitive camping area 1 · public land · VT — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger1.6 mi straight-line SE — EastRise Credit Union, Montpelier, VT · VIALYNK · CHAdeMO, CCS · 2 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach17 within 25 mi · 87 within 50 · 187 within 100 · 657 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)4.5 mi — Berlin, VT - Tesla Supercharger, Berlin
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)1.5 mi — VSECU Montpelier · Blink Network · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · 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 334498 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around C.C. Putnam State Forest primitive camping area 1 · public land · VT — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Highway rest areaWaterbury North Parking Area · ~10.4 mi NW
- Highway rest areaWaterbury South Parking Area · ~11.5 mi NW
- Portable toiletBlueberry Lake · ~17.3 mi SW · USFS
- Highway rest areaRandolph South Rest Area · ~20.0 mi S
Open C.C. Putnam State Forest primitive camping area 1 elsewhere
Other camps near C.C. Putnam State Forest primitive camping area 1
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- C.C. Putnam State Forest primitive camping area 3~9.6 mi
- C.C. Putnam State Forest primitive camping area 4~9.7 mi
- C.C. Putnam State Forest primitive camping area 2~12.3 mi
- L.R. Jones State Forest primitive camping area~12.4 mi
How we know this — C.C. Putnam State Forest primitive camping area 1
Stay limit
3 nights (up to three consecutive nights)
Source
public land records
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
Designated primitive camping area mapped by the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources. Polygon OBJECTID 14 in the FPR atlas layer "Primitive Camping Areas" (https://anrmaps.vermont.gov/arcgis/rest/services/map_services/MAP_ANR_ANRATLASFPR_WM_NOCACHE/MapServer/22, read 2026-08-16), on C.C. Putnam State Forest. The state maps this area in 1 separate part(s); this pin is inside the largest, about 97 acres, and sits about 201 m (659 ft) from that part's nearest boundary. The coordinate was round-tripped against the state's own server: an intersects query at this exact point returns OBJECTID 14 and nothing else. THIS PIN IS AN AREA, NOT A SITE. Vermont publishes a polygon inside which dispersed camping is legal, not a tent pad. The coordinate here is the interior point of that polygon that is farthest from its own boundary, computed from the state's published geometry -- it is a 'somewhere in here' pin. Because Vermont's rule is a setback rule, you still have to walk 1,000 ft off any road and 200 ft off any trail once you are inside. Re-pin before shipping. ELEVATION AT THIS PIN: 889 ft, from the USGS Elevation Point Query Service (https://epqs.nationalmap.gov/v1/json, read 2026-08-16). That is below the 2,500 ft line above which Vermont prohibits primitive camping, so the pin itself clears that rule -- but the area extends uphill in places and you do not. The FPR primitive camping page lists a "C.C. Putnam State Forest" guide for this unit under the Central Vermont district office, (802) 476-0171. VERMONT PRIMITIVE CAMPING RULES (Dept. of Forests, Parks and Recreation, quoted from https://fpr.vermont.gov/recreation/activities/camping/primitive-camping, read 2026-08-16): "Primitive camping is available in state forests, at some undeveloped state parks as well as some Wildlife Management Areas. This is not car camping. You must backpack in at least 1,000 feet from any road. There is no public drinking water or toilet facilities, no reservations or assigned sites. Vermont does not offer free, dispersed car camping on its state lands." Guidelines, same page: camping must be at least 100 ft from any stream or body of water; at least 200 ft from any trail or property line and 1,000 ft from any traveled road; "Camping is allowed up to three consecutive nights in the same area"; "Groups of eleven or more individuals must obtain a permit from the District Office"; "Only dead and down trees or branches may be used for firewood"; "Camping above 2500 feet in elevation is prohibited unless otherwise designated." Permits are not required for small parties. NO FEE. WATER: the state says there is no public drinking water at primitive camping areas. Carry your own. Do not treat any stream, pond or spring here as potable. Cross-checked against the FPR primitive camping page, which lists a downloadable camping guide for this unit. NEAREST TOWN: the point falls inside the town of Middlesex, Vermont (VCGI town boundary layer, read 2026-08-16). Vermont towns cover the whole state, so this is the municipality, not necessarily the nearest place with a store. SOURCE PAGES: https://fpr.vermont.gov/recreation/activities/camping/primitive-camping ; https://vtfishandwildlife.com/hunt/find-a-place-to-hunt/find-a-wildlife-management-area/authorized-and-prohibited-activities-on-fw-lands/primitive-camping-on-wmas ; https://fpr.vermont.gov/sites/fpr/files/documents/camels_hump_trails.pdf | auto:agency-trust 2026-08-18: state agency GIS record with a source URL and coordinates, confidence not low. Fee value is the agency's own, not field-checked. Not field-verified -- confirm access, road conditions and fire rules before you go.
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 C.C. Putnam State Forest primitive camping area 1
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
- Seasonal & winter access
- 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 — C.C. Putnam State Forest primitive camping area 1
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 →