Agency-listedUSFSFree
Finger Lakes Trail Shelter
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · NY · 42.44060, -76.81118
Ask an AI about this campsiteOpens Grok already loaded with this site. It reads the same records this page is built from, and links whatever it tells you.
Ask about this camp →U.S. Forest Service lists this site. On most of their ground you can camp away from developed sites pretty much anywhere — so treat this as a known-good spot, not the only one allowed. The unit sets stay limits and how far off road and water you must be. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at Finger Lakes Trail Shelter
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,590 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Finger Lakes Trail ShelterNIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from Finger Lakes Trail Shelter · Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests · NY
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel2 mi
- @Mail2 mi
- EVEV fast charger4 mi
- WWater5 mi
- GGrocery5 mi
- AAir-up6 mi
- ShShower6 mi
- +Urgent care7 mi
- RxPharmacy7 mi
- LLaundry10 mi
- MMechanic12 mi
- HHardware15 mi
- OOutfitter15 mi
- DDump21 mi
- PPropane59 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 2 mi out.
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 — Finger Lakes Trail Shelter
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
1,590 ft
State
NY
Coordinates
42.44060, -76.81118
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Finger Lakes Trail Shelter · Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests · NY (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureHector Falls Creek (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townBennettsburg · ~1.1 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~6.3 mi
- FuelFuel · ~2.1 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~20.9 mi
- GroceriesWalmart Supercenter · ~4.9 mi
- PharmacyKinney Drugs · ~10.2 mi
- Hospital / clinicSchuyler Hospital · ~6.6 mi
- HardwareHorseheads Do-it Center · ~18.8 mi
EV charging — from Finger Lakes Trail Shelter · Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests · NY — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger4.5 mi straight-line SW — EVolve NY Watkins Glen · Electrify America · CCS · 4 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach27 within 25 mi · 75 within 50 · 249 within 100 · 477 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)15.4 mi — Ithaca, NY - Tesla Supercharger, Ithaca
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO20.3 mi — S-R CPE2501, Elmira
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)1.7 mi — Village of Burdett, Burdette, NY · EV Connect · 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 371884 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Finger Lakes Trail Shelter · Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests · NY — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- RestroomFinger Lakes Trail Shelter · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBlueberry Patch · ~3.0 mi N · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBackbone Horse Camp · ~3.1 mi N · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBlueberry Patch Day Use · ~3.1 mi N · USFS
Open Finger Lakes Trail Shelter elsewhere
Other camps near Finger Lakes Trail Shelter
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Blueberry Patch~3.0 mi · fee
- Backbone Horse Camp~3.1 mi · fee
- Potomac Group Campground~3.8 mi · fee
- Backbone Horse Campground~5.2 mi
The unit that manages Finger Lakes Trail Shelter
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Finger Lakes Trail Shelter are set by Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Finger Lakes Trail Shelter
Source
U.S. Forest Service recreation data
Confidence
Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.
How it was placed
Free but developed (not dispersed) - review
EV chargers
US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.
Field check
On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.
What we don’t know about Finger Lakes Trail Shelter
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
Before you go — Finger Lakes Trail Shelter
Camping near a reservoir →Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Off-grid communication →All field notes →
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →