Campsite 9 (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 9'), 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 1.9 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 54 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

Nearby restrooms — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)

• Highway rest areaValcour · ~4.4 mi SW
• Highway rest areaPoint Au Roche · ~11.8 mi N
• Highway rest areaBeekmantown · ~11.9 mi N
• Highway rest areaColchester North Weight Station · ~12.7 mi SE

Open this spot elsewhere

Other camps nearby

If this one is full, gated or washed out.

• Campsite 8 (Valcour Island Primitive Area)~0.0 mi
• Campsite 7 (Valcour Island Primitive Area)~0.1 mi
• Campsite 6 (Valcour Island Primitive Area)~0.1 mi
• Campsite 11 (Valcour Island Primitive Area)~0.2 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

Before you go