Campsite 38 (Independence River Wild Forest)
FREE backcountry primitive camping. DEC-designated primitive tent site ('Campsite 38') in the Independence River Wild Forest, part of New York's Adirondack Forest Preserve, in the western Adirondacks -- the Towns of Greig and Watson in Lewis County and the Town of Webb in Herkimer County -- around the 6,200-acre Stillwater Reservoir. New York's Forest Preserve allows backcountry camping at these designated sites at NO CHARGE (the DEC unit page lists the fee as 'Free'), first-come/first-served -- these backcountry sites cannot be reserved. NOTE ON ACCESS: this is a MIXED unit -- some sites are drive-up roadside sites, MOST Stillwater Reservoir sites can only be reached from the water (boat/canoe), and others are backcountry pond sites. THIS particular site is one of the Stillwater Reservoir sites; the DEC page notes most reservoir sites can only be reached from the water (boat/canoe/kayak across the 6,200-acre reservoir) and only a couple are accessible near a parking area -- confirm THIS site's access and the nearest launch on the DEC unit page / DECinfo Locator. Camping for more than 3 nights in one spot requires a FREE New York State Forest Ranger permit; a free New York State Forest Ranger permit is the statewide rule for groups of 10 or more; the DEC page also caps a specific list of numbered Stillwater Reservoir sites at a maximum of 6 people. This numbered reservoir site (#38) has a stricter maximum group size of 6 people per the DEC page. Arrange any permit in advance through DEC Ray Brook Dispatch at (518) 897-1300 (they name the local Forest Ranger for the permit). Camp only at the marked site (look for the yellow 'Camp Here' disc). This is a primitive site: no hookups, no potable water, pack out all trash, follow Leave No Trace and the DEC fire rules. Rules and site status change -- confirm with the DEC unit page (dec.ny.gov/places/independence-river-wild-forest) or a regional DEC office before you go; we have not visited.
Everything you need — measured from Campsite 38 (Independence River Wild Forest) · Independence River Wild Forest · NY
- FFuel1 mi
- OOutfitter1 mi
- LLaundry13 mi
- HHardware13 mi
- @Mail13 mi
- RxPharmacy13 mi
- GGrocery13 mi
- WWater14 mi
- DDump18 mi
- MMechanic19 mi
- +Urgent care30 mi
- EVEV fast charger31 mi
- ShShower31 mi
- AAir-up55 mi
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 1 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 31-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 — Campsite 38 (Independence River Wild Forest)
Nearby & resupply — around Campsite 38 (Independence River Wild Forest) · Independence River Wild Forest · NY (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureStillwater Reservoir · under 0.1 mi · USGS: perennial lake or pond
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelFuel · ~1.4 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~18.3 mi
- GroceriesFastrac Cafe · ~13.1 mi
- PharmacyKinney Drugs · ~13.0 mi
- Hospital / clinicHospital · ~29.9 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware - Old Forge Department Store · ~12.8 mi
- Nearest rail line~3.9 mi · main line
- Nearest highwayno interstate or US route within 10 mi
EV charging — from Campsite 38 (Independence River Wild Forest) · Independence River Wild Forest · NY — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger31.1 mi straight-line W — Aldi Carthage TUL 27, West Carthage, NY (at a public site) · RED_E · CCS, NACS (Tesla) · 8 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reachnone within 25 mi · 8 within 50 · 203 within 100 · 471 within 150
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO53.4 mi — EVolve NY Potsdam, Potsdam
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)9.3 mi — Covewood Lodge - Tesla Destination, Eagle Bay, NY · Tesla Destination · J1772, NACS (Tesla) · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-08-27 · hours: 9:00am-5:00pm daily. Open to all vehicles.
- 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 434178 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Campsite 38 (Independence River Wild Forest) · Independence River Wild Forest · NY — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- No mapped restroom within 30 miles — plan to pack it out.
Coming out here — Campsite 38 (Independence River Wild Forest) · Independence River Wild Forest · NY
- Surface water mapped nearby: USGS maps Stillwater Reservoir as a perennial lake or pond, under 0.1 mi from the pin (National Hydrography Dataset, data refreshed October 2022). Mapped as perennial is not the same as flowing today. Nobody has checked it for you. Filter or boil anything you drink.
- Ground slope around the pin: about 4% — gentle. Measured on USGS's 3DEP elevation model (1 m data here), sampled every 10 metres around the point. That is the hillside, not the ground under your wheels — a graded pullout or a bench a few metres across is too small to show up at that spacing, and nobody has checked this one for you.
- Rail line mapped ~3.9 mi from the pin — the national rail atlas classes it as a main line. The atlas also records tourist, museum or scenic passenger service on it. That is the FRA/BTS North American Rail Network (data updated Jul 21, 2026), which records that a line is there and what class of track it is. Whether anything runs on it, how often, and at what hour, it does not say, and nobody has checked this one for you.
- No interstate or US route is mapped within 10 mi of the pin in the Census's TIGER/Line primary roads (TIGER/Line 2025, released Oct 2025). That file holds the divided, limited-access highways only — a state expressway or a two-lane US route near this camp would not be in it.
- Power: Dave carries his own — batteries or solar. A generator will run your rig and it is also the thing everybody camped near you can hear.
- Getting online: Dave recommends Starlink. He has had it since SpaceX introduced it, used it for four years living on the road, and it delivers as promised — several hundred nights out, and he can count on one hand the places he could not connect. The cable on his unit runs 150 feet, which is usually all it takes to find enough sky. Starlink → Referral link — Starlink pays Dave $100 in cash if you sign up through it, and that money funds this site and the next trip. It costs you nothing and does not change the recommendation.
Open Campsite 38 (Independence River Wild Forest) elsewhere
Other camps near Campsite 38 (Independence River Wild Forest)
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Campsite 37 (Independence River Wild Forest)~0.3 mi
- Campsite 36 (Independence River Wild Forest)~0.6 mi
- Site 35 - Accessible Campsite (Independence River Wild Forest)~0.9 mi
- Campsite 5 (Independence River Wild Forest)~0.9 mi
The unit that manages Campsite 38 (Independence River Wild Forest)
Campsite 38 is in Independence River Wild Forest, a wild forest managed by NY DEC. Stay limits, permits, road closures and fire restrictions are set there, not at the campsite — check before you go. Its page maps every camp in it.
How we know this — Campsite 38 (Independence River Wild Forest)
What we don’t know about Campsite 38 (Independence River Wild Forest)
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