Clarks Landing Campsite (Debar Mountain Wild Forest)

FREE primitive camping on Adirondack Forest Preserve land associated with the 72,000-acre Santa Clara Conservation Easement Tract, in the northwestern Adirondacks (Franklin and St. Lawrence Counties, DEC Region 5). DEC-designated primitive tent site ('Clarks Landing Campsite'). New York provides these designated primitive tent sites at NO CHARGE -- the DEC page lists the fee as 'Free' -- and they are first-come, first-served and cannot be reserved. This one is EASY: DEC places this campsite "near the Clarks Landing Hand Launch on the Deer River Flow", and the Clark's Landing Hand Launch parking area -- off Cold Brook Road immediately off State Route 30 -- is about 0.13 mile away in a straight line, so it is a short carry from the car rather than a backcountry hike, on a big quiet flow with a boat put-in right there. WHICH DEC PAGE COVERS THIS ONE: DEC's mapping files this site under the Debar Mountain Wild Forest, but it lies WEST of State Route 30, and the Debar Mountain Wild Forest page explicitly excludes that ground -- it is described instead on DEC's Santa Clara Conservation Easement Tract page, which is where the 'Free' fee and this site's description come from. Practical consequences: the surrounding easement land is PRIVATELY OWNED AND ACTIVELY LOGGED (expect logging trucks and skidders, and some access roads are closed during operations), more than 100 privately-leased camps are scattered through the tract and the public is barred from the camps and the posted one acre around each, and many roads there are not open to public motor vehicles -- stay on designated roads. PERMITS: a free New York State Forest Ranger permit is required for any stay of more than three nights in one spot, or for a group of ten or more (neither DEC page sets a stricter local threshold, so the statewide rule governs). Arrange any permit in advance through the DEC Region 5 Ray Brook Office at 518-897-1200 (Mon-Fri, 8:30 AM to 4:45 PM). Camp only at the marked site -- look for the yellow 'Camp Here' disc -- because elsewhere on the Forest Preserve camping is prohibited within 150 feet of any road, trail, spring, stream, pond or other water. These are primitive sites: typically just a fire ring, no hookups, no toilets and no potable water, and designated TENT sites are for tents. Pack out all trash, follow Leave No Trace and the DEC fire rules, and store food away from black bears. Do not confuse this with the nearby Meacham Lake and Buck Pond Campgrounds, which are DEC's developed PAID campgrounds. The area is open year-round, but many of the access roads here are seasonal and winter travel is on ski or snowshoe. One more thing worth knowing: DEC has a Unit Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement underway for this area whose stated scope includes changes to "trails and tent sites", so this inventory can shift. Confirm current rules, road and trail conditions and this site's status on the DEC page (dec.ny.gov/places/santa-clara-conservation-easement-tract) or with the Ray Brook office before you go; we have not visited.

USGS topo — contours & terrain

Aerial — USGS / NAIP

EV charging — from Clarks Landing Campsite (Debar 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 charger14.9 mi straight-line N — Aldi TUL 3 Malone (at a public site) · RED_E · CCS · 4 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed · directions
• Public DC fast stations within reach5 within 25 mi · 31 within 50 · 111 within 100 · 326 within 150
• Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)23.7 mi — Aldi TUL 46 Saranac Lake, Saranac Lake
• Nearest listing CHAdeMO14.9 mi — ELLIS CHEVY ELLISDCFC, Malone
• Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)12.8 mi — VIC AND CAMPUS SUGAR SHACK 1.2, Paul Smiths, 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 451464 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center

Nearby restrooms — around Clarks Landing Campsite (Debar Mountain 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 Clarks Landing Campsite (Debar Mountain Wild Forest) elsewhere

Other camps near Clarks Landing Campsite (Debar Mountain Wild Forest)

If this one is full, gated or washed out.

• Clear Pond Campsite (Debar Mountain Wild Forest)~3.1 mi
• Debar Meadows Campsite (Debar Mountain Wild Forest)~5.8 mi
• Skiff Pond Campsite (Debar Mountain Wild Forest)~6.1 mi
• Long Pond Designated Campsite (Debar Mountain Wild Forest)~10.5 mi

How we know this — Clarks Landing Campsite (Debar Mountain Wild Forest)

What we don’t know about Clarks Landing Campsite (Debar 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 — Clarks Landing Campsite (Debar Mountain Wild Forest)