Designated South Lake Campsite 1 (Black River Wild Forest)
FREE primitive camping in Black River Wild Forest, part of New York's Adirondack Forest Preserve (DEC Region 6, the North Lake / South Lake / Old Forge country of Herkimer County in the southwestern Adirondacks). This is a DEC-designated primitive tent site ('Designated South Lake Campsite 1', on South Lake), and New York provides it at NO CHARGE: the DEC page lists the fee as 'Free' and the unit is open year-round. NEAR-DRIVE-UP: this site is about 7 feet from a short service spur off South Lake Road, right on South Lake (~1 ft from the water). Note: right at the South Lake shoreline. This is interior Adirondack Forest Preserve, not a developed campground -- there is no campground office, fee booth or hookups; do not confuse it with the nearby PAID Nicks Lake Campground (which charges a fee and offers amenities) or any other developed campground. SEASON: DEC lists the unit as open year-round, but the interior gates (Loop Road / North Lake Road, Mill Creek Road, Wolf Lake Landing Road) CLOSE for the winter season -- as of the DEC backcountry report read 2026-07-24 they were open for the season -- so DRIVE-UP access is NOT year-round; confirm road/gate status with the Herkimer office before a late-fall, winter or early-spring trip. RULES: this is a designated, first-come first-served free site -- no reservation and no fee. Standard Adirondack Forest Preserve rules apply: camp only at the designated site, and 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)). DEC prints no other night limit for these sites, so plan around that statewide 3-night default and confirm on site. This is a primitive site: 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 or river. 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 and this site's status on the DEC page (dec.ny.gov/places/black-river-wild-forest) or with the Herkimer office (315-866-6330) before you go; we have not visited.
Everything you need — measured from Designated South Lake Campsite 1 (Black River Wild Forest) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY
- FFuel12 mi
- @Mail12 mi
- GGrocery14 mi
- RxPharmacy14 mi
- HHardware14 mi
- WWater17 mi
- LLaundry18 mi
- MMechanic21 mi
- ShShower24 mi
- DDump26 mi
- OOutfitter27 mi
- +Urgent care28 mi
- EVEV fast charger30 mi
- AAir-up31 mi
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 12 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 30-mi run (and back).
Not within 60 mi: Propane. Plan those before you head up.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — Designated South Lake Campsite 1 (Black River Wild Forest)
Nearby & resupply — around Designated South Lake Campsite 1 (Black River Wild Forest) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureSouth Branch Black River (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townAtwell · ~1.8 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelOtter Lake Gas Station and Grocery · ~11.5 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~25.6 mi
- GroceriesKalil's Market · ~17.2 mi
- PharmacyKinney Drugs · ~13.6 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware - Old Forge Department Store · ~13.8 mi
EV charging — from Designated South Lake Campsite 1 (Black River Wild Forest) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger30.4 mi straight-line SW — L742 PL1, Utica, NY · ChargePoint Network · 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 · 29 within 50 · 239 within 100 · 581 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)31.6 mi — Utica, NY - Tesla Supercharger, Utica
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO33.6 mi — IONIQ L3 #1, Yorkville
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)12.8 mi — SWTCH Energy Inc., Old Forge, NY (at a parking lot) · SWTCH · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, no confirmation date on the record · 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 395820 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Designated South Lake Campsite 1 (Black River 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 Designated South Lake Campsite 1 (Black River Wild Forest) elsewhere
Other camps near Designated South Lake Campsite 1 (Black River Wild Forest)
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Designated South Lake Campsite 2 (Black River Wild Forest)~0.3 mi
- North Lake Designated Campsite #10 (Black River Wild Forest)~1.8 mi
- North Lake Designated Campsite #9 (Black River Wild Forest)~1.9 mi
- North Lake Designated Campsite #8 (Black River Wild Forest)~1.9 mi
How we know this — Designated South Lake Campsite 1 (Black River Wild Forest)
What we don’t know about Designated South Lake Campsite 1 (Black River 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
- Seasonal & winter access
- 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