Chase Lake Tent Site [DEC #11356] (Shaker Mountain Wild Forest)

FREE backcountry primitive camping at Chase Lake in the Shaker Mountain Wild Forest of New York's southern ADIRONDACK Forest Preserve (DEC Region 5, in the Caroga / Bleecker / Arietta area of Fulton and Hamilton Counties). This is a DEC-designated primitive tent site ('Chase Lake Tent Site [DEC #11356]'), and New York provides it at NO CHARGE: the DEC Shaker Mountain Wild Forest page lists the fee as 'Free' and the unit as open year-round, first-come first-served (no reservations). It is on the shore of Chase Lake -- reach it on foot via the Chase Lake Trail; this is a wild-forest hike-in site. COUNT DISCLOSURE: the DEC unit page enumerates six designated primitive tent sites on this wild forest -- two at Pine Lake and one each at Indian, Stewart, Holmes and Chase Lakes -- plus a Holmes Lake and a Chase Lake lean-to (a separate structure not listed here). DEC's mapping data returns seven 'Primitive Tent Site' points: those six lake sites plus a Mud Lake Outlet site on the Northville-Placid Trail that the unit page does not separately enumerate. This batch ships six (the three lake sites verified on their OpenStreetMap shorelines at high confidence, plus Stewart Lake, the first Pine Lake site, and the Mud Lake Outlet site at medium confidence) and HOLDS the second Pine Lake point, whose coordinate sits about half a mile from Pine Lake with no water body at the pin, pending a shoreline coordinate. No pins were invented. This is free, first-come Adirondack Forest Preserve backcountry camping in the Shaker Mountain Wild Forest -- do NOT confuse it with a reservable fee campground; the nearest fee campgrounds are the SEPARATE Caroga Lake Campground and Northampton Beach Campground, both miles away, and neither charges to reach these sites. SEASON / ACCESS: DEC lists Shaker Mountain Wild Forest as open YEAR-ROUND and free, but every site here is reached on foot along a hiking trail -- trails can be wet, muddy, snow-covered or blowdown-blocked, so confirm current trail and site conditions with the DEC Region 5 Northville office (518-863-4545) 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' disc) or, elsewhere in the wild forest, 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 5 Office in Northville at (518) 863-4545 (Forest Rangers via 911 or DEC dispatch 1-833-NYS-RANGERS)). This site is around 1449 feet elevation, 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/shaker-mountain-wild-forest) or with the Northville office (518-863-4545) before you go; we have not visited.

USGS topo — contours & terrain

Aerial — USGS / NAIP

EV charging — from Chase Lake Tent Site [DEC #11356] (Shaker Mountain Wild Forest) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)

• Nearest public DC fast charger13.5 mi straight-line S — Aldi Johnstown TUL 110 (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 reach6 within 25 mi · 107 within 50 · 282 within 100 · 808 within 150
• Nearest listing CHAdeMO26.1 mi — Iroquois Travel Plaza, Little Falls
• Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)8.7 mi — SFO PARKING EMPLOYEE, Mayfield, NY · ChargePoint Network · J1772 · 2 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 451463 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center

Nearby restrooms — around Chase Lake Tent Site [DEC #11356] (Shaker Mountain Wild Forest) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)

• Highway rest areaParking/Rest Area · ~18.7 mi S
• Highway rest areaParking/Rest Area · ~18.8 mi S
• Highway rest areaMohawk Travel Plaza · ~22.9 mi SE
• Highway rest areaPattersonville Travel Plaza · ~25.6 mi SE

Open Chase Lake Tent Site [DEC #11356] (Shaker Mountain Wild Forest) elsewhere

Other camps near Chase Lake Tent Site [DEC #11356] (Shaker Mountain Wild Forest)

If this one is full, gated or washed out.

• Woods Lake Campsite #1 (Silver Lake Wilderness)~3.5 mi
• Woods Lake Campsite #2 (Silver Lake Wilderness)~3.7 mi
• Woods Lake Campsite #3 (Silver Lake Wilderness)~3.7 mi
• Woods Lake Campsite #4 (Silver Lake Wilderness)~3.7 mi

How we know this — Chase Lake Tent Site [DEC #11356] (Shaker Mountain Wild Forest)

What we don’t know about Chase Lake Tent Site [DEC #11356] (Shaker Mountain 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

Before you go — Chase Lake Tent Site [DEC #11356] (Shaker Mountain Wild Forest)