Francis Lake Campsite 2 (Independence River Wild Forest)
FREE backcountry primitive camping. DEC-designated primitive tent site ('Francis Lake Campsite 2') in the Independence River Wild Forest, part of New York's Adirondack Forest Preserve, in the western Adirondacks -- the Towns of Greig and Watson in Lewis County and the Town of Webb in Herkimer County -- around the 6,200-acre Stillwater Reservoir. New York's Forest Preserve allows backcountry camping at these designated sites at NO CHARGE (the DEC unit page lists the fee as 'Free'), first-come/first-served -- these backcountry sites cannot be reserved. NOTE ON ACCESS: this is a MIXED unit -- some sites are drive-up roadside sites, MOST Stillwater Reservoir sites can only be reached from the water (boat/canoe), and others are backcountry pond sites. THIS particular site is a backcountry designated site at a named pond/lake, reached on foot or by paddle -- confirm the trail or launch, route and distance on the DEC unit page / DECinfo Locator. 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 the statewide rule for groups of 10 or more; the DEC page also caps a specific list of numbered Stillwater Reservoir sites at a maximum of 6 people. This numbered reservoir site (#2) has a stricter maximum group size of 6 people per the DEC page. Arrange any permit in advance through DEC Ray Brook Dispatch at (518) 897-1300 (they name the local Forest Ranger for the permit). Camp only at the marked site (look for the yellow 'Camp Here' disc). This is a primitive site: no hookups, no potable water, pack out all trash, follow Leave No Trace and the DEC fire rules. Rules and site status change -- confirm with the DEC unit page (dec.ny.gov/places/independence-river-wild-forest) or a regional DEC office before you go; we have not visited.
Everything you need — measured from Francis Lake Campsite 2 (Independence River Wild Forest) · Independence River Wild Forest · NY
- FFuel7 mi
- OOutfitter7 mi
- DDump10 mi
- MMechanic11 mi
- GGrocery11 mi
- HHardware12 mi
- RxPharmacy14 mi
- @Mail17 mi
- LLaundry18 mi
- WWater20 mi
- +Urgent care24 mi
- EVEV fast charger24 mi
- ShShower39 mi
- AAir-up51 mi
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 7 mi out.
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 — Francis Lake Campsite 2 (Independence River Wild Forest)
Nearby & resupply — around Francis Lake Campsite 2 (Independence River Wild Forest) · Independence River Wild Forest · NY (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureFrancis Lake · under 0.1 mi · USGS: perennial lake or pond
- Nearest townNumber Four · ~1.1 mi
- Rail & highwaynone mapped within 10 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelFuel · ~7.2 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~10.2 mi
- GroceriesIGA · ~11.4 mi
- PharmacyKinney Drugs · ~13.9 mi
- Hospital / clinicLewis County General Hospital · ~16.9 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware - Old Forge Department Store · ~13.9 mi
EV charging — from Francis Lake Campsite 2 (Independence River Wild Forest) · Independence River Wild Forest · NY — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger24.0 mi straight-line W — Aldi Carthage TUL 27, West Carthage, NY (at a public site) · RED_E · CCS, NACS (Tesla) · 8 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach1 within 25 mi · 11 within 50 · 172 within 100 · 485 within 150
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO51.3 mi — IONIQ L3 #2, Yorkville
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)13.8 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 434178 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Francis Lake Campsite 2 (Independence River Wild Forest) · Independence River Wild Forest · NY — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- No mapped restroom within 30 miles — plan to pack it out.
Coming out here — Francis Lake Campsite 2 (Independence River Wild Forest) · Independence River Wild Forest · NY
- Surface water mapped nearby: USGS maps Francis Lake as a perennial lake or pond, under 0.1 mi from the pin (National Hydrography Dataset, data refreshed October 2022). Mapped as perennial is not the same as flowing today. Nobody has checked it for you. Filter or boil anything you drink.
- Ground slope around the pin: about 0.3% — flat. Measured on USGS's 3DEP elevation model (1 m data here), sampled every 10 metres around the point. That is the hillside, not the ground under your wheels — a graded pullout or a bench a few metres across is too small to show up at that spacing, and nobody has checked this one for you.
- No rail line and no interstate or US route is mapped within 10 mi of the pin. Checked against the FRA/BTS North American Rail Network (data updated Jul 21, 2026) and the Census's TIGER/Line primary roads (TIGER/Line 2025, released Oct 2025). Both are national files and both are maps of what is built, not counts of what moves on it.
- Power: Dave carries his own — batteries or solar. A generator will run your rig and it is also the thing everybody camped near you can hear.
- Getting online: Dave recommends Starlink. He has had it since SpaceX introduced it, used it for four years living on the road, and it delivers as promised — several hundred nights out, and he can count on one hand the places he could not connect. The cable on his unit runs 150 feet, which is usually all it takes to find enough sky. Starlink → Referral link — Starlink pays Dave $100 in cash if you sign up through it, and that money funds this site and the next trip. It costs you nothing and does not change the recommendation.
Open Francis Lake Campsite 2 (Independence River Wild Forest) elsewhere
Other camps near Francis Lake Campsite 2 (Independence River Wild Forest)
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Francis Lake Campsite 1 (Independence River Wild Forest)~0.4 mi
- Primitive Tent Site (Independence River Wild Forest)~0.9 mi
- Primitive Tent Site (Independence River Wild Forest)~1.0 mi
- Primitive Tent Site (Independence River Wild Forest)~1.1 mi
The unit that manages Francis Lake Campsite 2 (Independence River Wild Forest)
Francis Lake Campsite 2 is in Independence River Wild Forest, a wild forest managed by NY DEC. Stay limits, permits, road closures and fire restrictions are set there, not at the campsite — check before you go. Its page maps every camp in it.
How we know this — Francis Lake Campsite 2 (Independence River Wild Forest)
What we don’t know about Francis Lake Campsite 2 (Independence 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