Cranberry Lake Campsite 18 (Five Ponds Wilderness)

FREE primitive camping in Five Ponds Wilderness, part of New York's Adirondack Forest Preserve, in the western Adirondacks northwest of Stillwater Reservoir and southwest of Cranberry Lake -- St. Lawrence, Herkimer, Lewis and Hamilton Counties (DEC Region 6), reached from Wanakena / Cranberry Lake off NY Route 3 and from Inlet / Stillwater off the south. DEC-designated primitive tent site ('Cranberry Lake Campsite 18'). New York provides these designated primitive tent sites at NO CHARGE (the DEC unit page lists the fee as 'Free'); sites are first-come and cannot be reserved. This is a WATER-ACCESS (paddle-in) site -- reach it by canoe or kayak (the Oswegatchie River canoe route and the Cranberry Lake / Dead Creek Flow backwaters), sometimes with a short carry; a few of these sites also have foot access, so confirm the route on the DEC unit page before you go. (DEC's mapping tags this Cranberry Lake shore site to the Five Ponds Wilderness facility; the place page groups Cranberry Lake shore sites with the Cranberry Lake Wild Forest -- either way it is a free, first-come primitive tent site.) Camping for more than 3 nights in one spot requires a FREE New York State Forest Ranger permit; a free New York State Forest Ranger permit is required for any stay of more than three nights at one spot, or for a group of ten or more (the DEC page sets no stricter local threshold, so the statewide rule governs). Arrange any permit in advance through the DEC Region 6 Potsdam Office at (315) 265-3090. Camp only at the marked site (look for the yellow 'Camp Here' disc), keep camp 150 feet from water and trails unless the site is otherwise designated, and follow the posted wilderness rules. These are primitive sites -- typically only a fire ring, no hookups and no potable water; pack out all trash and follow Leave No Trace and the DEC fire rules. Both wilderness areas are open year-round, but winter access is on ski/snowshoe -- confirm current conditions, and this site's access, with the DEC unit page (dec.ny.gov/places/five-ponds-and-pepperbox-wildernesses) or the Region 6 Potsdam office before you go; we have not visited.

USGS topo — contours & terrain

Aerial — USGS / NAIP

EV charging — from Cranberry Lake Campsite 18 (Five Ponds Wilderness) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)

• Nearest public DC fast charger36.5 mi straight-line E — Upstate Auto, Saranac Lake, NY · VIALYNK · J1772, CCS · 2 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 · 14 within 50 · 178 within 100 · 398 within 150
• Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)37.1 mi — ChargeSmart EV - Saranac Lake, Saranac Lake
• Nearest listing CHAdeMO37.3 mi — EVolve NY Potsdam, Potsdam
• Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)4.8 mi — Otto's Abode, Wanakena, NY (at a parking lot) · Non-Networked · J1772 · 1 Level 2 port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2024-03-14 · hours: 24 hours daily
• Also listed, not counted aboveLevel 2, restricted access — Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Canton, Canton, 35.5 mi · J1772 · hours: 24 hours daily; guest use 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 351665 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center

Nearby restrooms — around Cranberry Lake Campsite 18 (Five Ponds 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 Cranberry Lake Campsite 18 (Five Ponds Wilderness) elsewhere

Other camps near Cranberry Lake Campsite 18 (Five Ponds Wilderness)

If this one is full, gated or washed out.

• Olmstead Pond Campsite (Five Ponds Wilderness)~1.4 mi
• Cranberry Lake Campsite 17 (Five Ponds Wilderness)~1.5 mi
• Campsite 31 (Five Ponds Wilderness)~1.5 mi
• Shanty Rock Flow Primitive Campsite 26 (Five Ponds Wilderness)~1.6 mi

How we know this — Cranberry Lake Campsite 18 (Five Ponds Wilderness)

What we don’t know about Cranberry Lake Campsite 18 (Five Ponds 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 — Cranberry Lake Campsite 18 (Five Ponds Wilderness)