East Side Of Boquet River Primitive Area Campsite (Giant Mountain Wilderness)

FREE primitive camping in Giant Mountain Wilderness, part of New York's Adirondack Forest Preserve (DEC Region 5, the Chapel Pond / Roaring Brook Falls country along NY 73 in Essex County, near Keene Valley / St. Huberts). This is a DEC-designated primitive tent site ('East Side Of Boquet River Primitive Area Campsite', on Boquet River), and New York provides it at NO CHARGE: the DEC page lists the fee as 'Free' and the unit as open year-round, first-come first-served. ROADSIDE (park-and-step-in): a DEC-designated primitive site right next to a public highway in a motor-vehicle-free Wilderness -- you park at the road/pull-off and walk the last few steps in; you cannot legally drive onto the site itself (about 27 feet from the road). Note: a roadside primitive site immediately off US 9 (about 27 feet from the highway), on the east side of the Boquet River (~320 feet from the water) in the far east of the unit. You park on the highway shoulder and step in; because this is motor-free Wilderness you cannot drive onto the site. No nearby OSM camp_site node, so DEC's coordinate is the sole source. This is Adirondack WILDERNESS backcountry, not a developed campground -- there is no campground office, fee booth, hookups, showers or potable water, and no legal car access onto the site; do not confuse it with the developed fee state campgrounds the DEC page points amenity-seekers to (Lincoln Pond Campground and Sharp Bridge Campground). SEASON / ACCESS: DEC lists Giant Mountain Wilderness as open YEAR-ROUND, but this is a motor-vehicle-free Wilderness reached on foot (three roadside sites are a park-and-step-in off the highway; the rest are a 0.1-2.4 mile walk in). DEC's current advisory asks hikers to postpone the higher trails ABOVE Giant's Washbowl, 'the Cobbles' and Owl Head Lookout during mud season / high-elevation wet conditions -- none of these campsites is in that zone, but several sit at trailheads for it. NY 73 through Chapel Pond is a busy, narrow pass with very limited parking; arrive early and park only in legal pull-offs. Plan for a self-sufficient trip and confirm current road, gate and trail status with the Ray Brook office (518-897-1200) before you go. RULES: this is a designated, first-come first-served free site -- no reservation and no fee. Look for the yellow 'Camp Here' disc that marks each designated site. Standard Adirondack Forest Preserve rules apply: camp only at the designated site, keep 150 feet from water/trails/roads unless the site itself is marked closer, 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 5 Ray Brook Office at (518) 897-1200 (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 backcountry site: expect at most a fire ring -- no privy, no hookups, no showers and no potable water, so carry water or treat what you take from a brook or pond. 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, road/trail status and this site's status on the DEC page (dec.ny.gov/places/giant-mountain-wilderness) or with the Ray Brook office (518-897-1200) before you go; we have not visited.

USGS topo — contours & terrain

Aerial — USGS / NAIP

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

• Highway rest areaHigh Peaks (South) · ~7.6 mi S
• Highway rest areaHigh Peaks (North) · ~7.8 mi S

Open this spot elsewhere

Other camps nearby

If this one is full, gated or washed out.

• Boquet River Just East Of Jct. 9 & 73 Campsite [DEC #13935] (Giant Mountain Wilderness)~1.7 mi
• Boquet River Just East Of Jct. 9 & 73 Campsite [DEC #13934] (Giant Mountain Wilderness)~1.8 mi
• Marie Louise Pond Campsite (Giant Mountain Wilderness)~3.0 mi
• Giant'S Wash Bowl Campsite [DEC #13929] (Giant Mountain Wilderness)~4.1 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