Cary Lake Campsite (Fulton Chain Wild Forest)
FREE primitive camping in the Fulton Chain Wild Forest, part of New York's Adirondack Forest Preserve -- Herkimer County (DEC Region 6), in the Old Forge / Inlet lakes country. This is a DEC-designated primitive tent site ('Cary Lake Campsite') on Cary Lake, and New York provides it at NO CHARGE: the DEC page lists the fee as 'Free' and the unit is open year-round. NEAR-DRIVE-UP: DEC lists parking off Cary Lake Road and this site is about 134 feet from that road, right on Cary Lake (~70 ft from the water). DEC's own note on this site: "Parking off Cary Lake Road". Do NOT confuse this free site with the nearby DEVELOPED, FEE state campgrounds -- Nicks Lake, Alger Island (a paid island-tent campground on Fourth Lake) and Limekiln Lake -- which charge a nightly fee and are separate facilities; this Wild Forest site is free. RULES: this is a designated, first-come, free site -- no reservation and no fee. Standard Adirondack Forest Preserve rules apply: camp only at the designated site, 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 6 Herkimer Office at 315-866-6330). DEC's page prints no other night limit for this unit, so plan around that statewide 3-night default and confirm on site. This is a primitive site: expect a fire ring and, at most of the Moss Lake sites, a nearby pit privy -- no hookups, no showers and no potable water, so bring water or treat what you take from the lake. 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 and this site's status on the DEC page (dec.ny.gov/places/fulton-chain-wild-forest) or with the Herkimer office (315-866-6330) before you go; we have not visited.
Everything you need — measured from Cary Lake Campsite (Fulton Chain Wild Forest) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY
- LLaundry4 mi
- @Mail4 mi
- HHardware5 mi
- WWater5 mi
- GGrocery5 mi
- FFuel5 mi
- RxPharmacy5 mi
- OOutfitter12 mi
- DDump21 mi
- ShShower26 mi
- MMechanic26 mi
- +Urgent care28 mi
- EVEV fast charger32 mi
- AAir-up46 mi
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 5 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 32-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 — Cary Lake Campsite (Fulton Chain Wild Forest)
Nearby & resupply — around Cary Lake Campsite (Fulton Chain Wild Forest) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureCary Lake (water) · nearby
- Nearest townMountain Lodge · ~3.9 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~4.9 mi
- FuelFuel · ~5.3 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~20.9 mi
- GroceriesKalil's Market · ~5.0 mi
- PharmacyKinney Drugs · ~5.3 mi
- Hospital / clinicClifton Fine Hospital · ~29.6 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware - Old Forge Department Store · ~4.8 mi
EV charging — from Cary Lake Campsite (Fulton Chain Wild Forest) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger31.5 mi straight-line E — Indian Lake - Welcome Center · VIALYNK · CCS · 4 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reachnone within 25 mi · 16 within 50 · 242 within 100 · 504 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)39.4 mi — Aldi Carthage TUL 27, West Carthage
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO48.2 mi — IONIQ L3 #1, Yorkville
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)4.1 mi — Eagle Bay Visitor Center (at a rest stop) · SWTCH · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2023-05-03 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Also listed, not counted aboveNACS-only Level 2 — Great Pines - Tesla Destination, Old Forge, 1.8 mi · NACS (Tesla) · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · AFDC lists it “Free”
- 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 405740 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Cary Lake Campsite (Fulton Chain Wild Forest) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- No mapped restroom within 30 miles — plan to pack it out.
Open Cary Lake Campsite (Fulton Chain Wild Forest) elsewhere
Other camps near Cary Lake Campsite (Fulton Chain Wild Forest)
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Mountain Pond Campsite (Fulton Chain Wild Forest)~0.6 mi
- Sis-Bubb Lakes Campsite (Fulton Chain Wild Forest)~2.2 mi
- Bubb Lake Designated Tent Site 1 (Fulton Chain Wild Forest)~2.4 mi
- Bubb Lake Designated Tent Site 2 (Fulton Chain Wild Forest)~2.8 mi
How we know this — Cary Lake Campsite (Fulton Chain Wild Forest)
What we don’t know about Cary Lake Campsite (Fulton Chain 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
- 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