Franklin Falls Campsite #1 (Taylor Pond Wild Forest)
FREE primitive camping in the Taylor Pond Wild Forest, part of New York's Adirondack Forest Preserve (DEC Region 5, Clinton/Essex county country north of the High Peaks). This is a DEC-designated primitive tent site ('Franklin Falls Campsite #1', the Saranac River), 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 166 feet from River Road, right on the Saranac River (~61 ft from the water). Note: on the Saranac River just above Franklin Falls Pond. Do NOT confuse this free Wild Forest site with the nearby DEVELOPED, FEE state campgrounds the DEC page names -- the Taylor Pond Campground (its Taylor Pond tent sites and day-use launch charge a fee), Buck Pond and Ausable Point Campgrounds, and Macomb Reservation State Park -- which are separate facilities that charge; this designated Wild Forest site is free. RULES: this is a designated, first-come, free site -- no reservation and no fee. Standard Adirondack Forest Preserve rules apply: camp only at the designated site (marked with a yellow 'Camp Here' disc), 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 518-897-1300)). DEC's page prints no other night limit for this unit, so plan around that statewide 3-night default and confirm on site. Note that DEC marks several Franklin Falls and Union Falls sites as usable for GROUP camping -- confirm a given site's status on the disc or with the Ray Brook office before relying on it. This is a primitive site: expect a fire ring and, at some sites, a nearby pit privy -- 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/taylor-pond-wild-forest) or with the Ray Brook office (518-897-1200) before you go; we have not visited.
Everything you need — measured from camp
- @Mail4 mi
- RxPharmacy6 mi
- +Urgent care6 mi
- FFuel7 mi
- GGrocery7 mi
- HHardware7 mi
- MMechanic7 mi
- OOutfitter7 mi
- WWater7 mi
- ShShower9 mi
- DDump10 mi
- LLaundry28 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). Open in Google Maps ↗
The site
Nearby & resupply (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureSaranac River (river) · nearby
- Nearest townBloomingdale · ~2.4 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~6.7 mi
- FuelMobil · ~7.1 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump stationDump station · ~9.5 mi
- GroceriesGrand Union · ~6.6 mi
- PharmacyKinney Drugs · ~6.4 mi
- Hospital / clinicAdirondack Medical Center · ~6.3 mi
- HardwareSturdy Supply & Rental · ~6.6 mi
Nearby restrooms — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- No mapped restroom within 30 miles — plan to pack it out.
Open this spot elsewhere
Other camps nearby
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Franklin Falls Campsite #4 (Taylor Pond Wild Forest)~1.5 mi
- Franklin Falls Campsite #3 (Taylor Pond Wild Forest)~1.5 mi
- Franklin Falls Campsite #7 (Taylor Pond Wild Forest)~1.9 mi
- Moose Pond Site 9 (Saranac Lakes Wild Forest)~1.9 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