Campsite 18 (Valcour Island Primitive Area)

FREE primitive camping on Valcour Island, a state-owned island in Lake Champlain and part of New York's Adirondack Forest Preserve -- Town of Peru, Clinton County (DEC Region 5), off Plattsburgh. DEC-designated primitive tent site ('Campsite 18'), one of 29 on the island's shores, each with a pit privy and a fire ring. New York provides these sites at NO CHARGE -- the DEC page lists the fee as 'Free'. WATER ACCESS ONLY: Valcour is an island, so you get here by boat, canoe or kayak -- there is no bridge and no drive-up. The nearest and free launch is Peru Dock (a free DEC boat launch on Route 9, parking for 50 cars and trailers), about 1.8 miles across the water from this site in a straight line (your real paddle is longer). Launch from free Peru Dock, NOT from the Ausable Point launch a few miles south -- DEC charges a "day use fee in season" at Ausable Point, while Peru Dock is free. This particular site sits about 66 feet from the shoreline, right on the water. Take Lake Champlain seriously: it is big, cold, open water used by motor boats of all sizes, and wind can build a real chop fast -- check the marine forecast, wear a life jacket, and do not attempt the crossing in a small paddle craft in rough weather. PERMIT (and it is FREE): between Memorial Day and Labor Day DEC restricts all Valcour sites to camping by permit only, first-come and NOT reservable. You cannot get the permit in advance -- you land, set up at any vacant designated site, and the DEC Valcour Island caretaker comes around to issue the free permit. Outside that summer window the standard Adirondack Forest Preserve rules apply (free, first-come, and a free Forest Ranger permit only if you stay more than 3 nights or camp with 10 or more people). DEC's page prints no other night limit for Valcour, so plan around that statewide 3-night default and confirm on site. Questions: leave a voicemail for the Valcour Island caretaker (voicemail 518-897-1298). These are primitive sites: a fire ring and a pit privy, no hookups, no showers and no potable water, so bring water or treat what you take from the lake. Camp only at a designated site, pack out all trash, follow Leave No Trace and the DEC fire rules, and store food from wildlife. The island has about 12 miles of hiking trails (the only marked trails on any of the complex's islands) and the historic Bluff Point Lighthouse on its western shore. Confirm current rules, the permit/caretaker schedule and this site's status on the DEC page (dec.ny.gov/places/lake-champlain-islands-complex) or with the Ray Brook office (518-897-1200) before you go; we have not visited.

USGS topo — contours & terrain

Aerial — USGS / NAIP

EV charging — from Campsite 18 (Valcour Island Primitive Area) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)

• Nearest public DC fast charger5.3 mi straight-line N — Della Chevrolet Plattsburgh (at a car dealership) · QUICKCHARGE · J1772, CCS · 2 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-07-15 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
• Public DC fast stations within reach42 within 25 mi · 73 within 50 · 149 within 100 · 313 within 150
• Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)6.2 mi — Peru, NY - Tesla Supercharger, Peru
• Nearest listing CHAdeMO5.6 mi — South Hero Jolley, South Hero
• Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)3.8 mi — TDC Building 22, Plattsburgh, NY · VIALYNK · J1772 · 4 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 462013 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center

Nearby restrooms — around Campsite 18 (Valcour Island Primitive Area) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)

• Highway rest areaValcour · ~4.1 mi W
• Highway rest areaColchester North Weight Station · ~11.8 mi E
• Highway rest areaPoint Au Roche · ~13.5 mi N
• Highway rest areaBeekmantown · ~13.6 mi N

Open Campsite 18 (Valcour Island Primitive Area) elsewhere

Other camps near Campsite 18 (Valcour Island Primitive Area)

If this one is full, gated or washed out.

• Campsite 17 (Valcour Island Primitive Area)~0.5 mi
• Campsite 15 (Valcour Island Primitive Area)~0.6 mi
• Campsite 16 (Valcour Island Primitive Area)~0.6 mi
• Campsite 1 (Valcour Island Primitive Area)~0.6 mi

How we know this — Campsite 18 (Valcour Island Primitive Area)

What we don’t know about Campsite 18 (Valcour Island 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 — Campsite 18 (Valcour Island Primitive Area)