Cascade Lake Designated Campsite #1 [DEC #18674] (Pigeon Lake Wilderness)

FREE backcountry primitive camping on the shore of Cascade Lake in the Pigeon Lake Wilderness of New York's ADIRONDACK Forest Preserve (DEC Region 6, between Big Moose and Raquette Lake). This is a DEC-mapped designated primitive tent site ('Cascade Lake Designated Campsite #1 [DEC #18674]'), and New York provides it at NO CHARGE: the DEC Pigeon Lake page lists the fee as 'Free' and the unit as open year-round, first-come first-served. It sits about 37 feet from Cascade Lake (measured against OpenStreetMap). This is a hike-in: reach it on foot via the Cascade Lake Trail (the popular loop off Big Moose Road past the old Cascade Lake outlet) -- no motor vehicles or bicycles are allowed, so you carry in. COUNT DISCLOSURE: the DEC unit page lists 22 designated primitive tent sites across this wilderness (Big Moose 3, Cascade 3, Chub 1, Constable Pond 1, Mays Pond 1, Queer 3, Raquette 3, Razorback Pond 1, Shallow Lake 3, Windfall Pond 2, Windfall Pond Trail 1) and states the sites 'do not currently appear on the map [but] will be added in the near future.' DEC's GIS has mapped only 6 of the 22 as points so far; this is one of those 6 mapped sites, shipped with a real DEC coordinate. The other 16 sites are real per the DEC page but are not yet mapped, so no pins were invented for them. This is free, first-come Adirondack Forest Preserve backcountry camping in the Pigeon Lake Wilderness -- do NOT confuse it with a reservable fee campground; the nearest paid DEC campgrounds (Brown Tract Pond, Eighth Lake, Golden Beach) are a separate, paid system to the south, and the ONLY fee mentioned on the DEC unit page is a day-use fee for the boat launch inside Brown Tract Pond Campground -- that fee does not apply to these free wilderness sites. SEASON / ACCESS: DEC lists Pigeon Lake Wilderness as open YEAR-ROUND and free, but every site here is reached on foot or by paddle (Wilderness = no motor vehicles and no bicycles) -- trails can be wet, snow-covered or blowdown-blocked and water crossings vary, so confirm current trail, water and site conditions with the DEC Region 6 Herkimer office (315-866-6330) or the unit page before you go, especially in winter or mud season. RULES: no reservation and no fee; camp only at a designated site (look for the round yellow DEC 'Camp Here' marker) or, elsewhere in the wilderness, more than 150 feet from any road, trail or water; 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 (Forest Rangers via 911 or DEC dispatch 1-833-NYS-RANGERS)). This site is around 1817 feet, well below any Adirondack high-elevation camping restriction. These are primitive sites: expect at most a fire ring -- 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, trail status and this site's status on the DEC page (dec.ny.gov/places/pigeon-lake-wilderness) or with the Herkimer office (315-866-6330) before you go; we have not visited.

USGS topo — contours & terrain

Aerial — USGS / NAIP

EV charging — from Cascade Lake Designated Campsite #1 [DEC #18674] (Pigeon Lake Wilderness) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)

• Nearest public DC fast charger27.3 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 · 5 within 50 · 251 within 100 · 490 within 150
• Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)42.3 mi — Aldi Carthage TUL 27, West Carthage
• Nearest listing CHAdeMO52.2 mi — IONIQ L3 #1, Yorkville
• Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)1.3 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
• 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 Cascade Lake Designated Campsite #1 [DEC #18674] (Pigeon Lake Wilderness) · 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 Cascade Lake Designated Campsite #1 [DEC #18674] (Pigeon Lake Wilderness) elsewhere

Other camps near Cascade Lake Designated Campsite #1 [DEC #18674] (Pigeon Lake Wilderness)

If this one is full, gated or washed out.

• Cascade Lake Designated Campsite #2 [DEC #19083] (Pigeon Lake Wilderness)~0.5 mi
• Moss Lake Campsite #2 (Fulton Chain Wild Forest)~1.6 mi
• Moss Lake Campsite #3 (Fulton Chain Wild Forest)~1.6 mi
• Moss Lake Campsite #1 (Fulton Chain Wild Forest)~1.7 mi

How we know this — Cascade Lake Designated Campsite #1 [DEC #18674] (Pigeon Lake Wilderness)

What we don’t know about Cascade Lake Designated Campsite #1 [DEC #18674] (Pigeon Lake Wilderness)

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 — Cascade Lake Designated Campsite #1 [DEC #18674] (Pigeon Lake Wilderness)