Chub Lake Designated Campsite [DEC #18583] (Pigeon Lake Wilderness)

FREE backcountry primitive camping on the shore of Chub 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 ('Chub Lake Designated Campsite [DEC #18583]'), 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 43 feet from Chub Lake (measured against OpenStreetMap). This is a hike-in: reach it on foot on the trails northeast of Big Moose Lake -- the Pigeon Lake Wilderness is closed to motor vehicles and bicycles, 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 1986 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

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

• No mapped restroom within 30 miles — plan to pack it out.

Open this spot elsewhere

Other camps nearby

If this one is full, gated or washed out.

• Queer Lake Designated Campsite [DEC #19404] (Pigeon Lake Wilderness)~1.5 mi
• Cascade Lake Designated Campsite #2 [DEC #19083] (Pigeon Lake Wilderness)~2.8 mi
• Big Moose Lake Designated Campsite 1 [DEC #18913] (Pigeon Lake Wilderness)~2.9 mi
• Cascade Lake Designated Campsite #1 [DEC #18674] (Pigeon Lake Wilderness)~3.2 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