Giant Ledge Campsite 4 [DEC #228571] (Slide Mountain Wilderness)

FREE first-come primitive tent camping at the Giant Ledge Campsite 4, a DEC-mapped primitive tent site on an unnamed OSM trail segment (the Giant Ledge-Panther-Fox Hollow Trail) 16 ft in the Slide Mountain Wilderness (Ulster County, the high Catskills, DEC Region 3). New York provides it at NO CHARGE: the DEC Slide Mountain Wilderness page lists the unit as 'Free' and open year-round, and confirms 'at large primitive camping is allowed' alongside its 24 designated primitive campsites and 3 lean-tos. This is one of DEC's mapped tent sites, a trailside forest site (nearest water about 1804 feet away) (measured against OpenStreetMap). This is a Giant Ledge site on the Giant Ledge-Panther-Fox Hollow Trail, roughly 2,760-3,180 feet -- below the Catskill 3,500-foot limit, but do not move uphill to camp (no camping or fires above 3,500 feet, year-round). Water is well away, so carry in or treat what you find. CONFIDENCE / RULES NOTE -- please read: this is MEDIUM confidence. The DEC page says the unit has 24 designated primitive campsites but does not publish which of DEC's 23 mapped tent-site points those are -- so treat this spot as an established DEC-mapped tent site rather than a certified designated one. Away from a marked designated site, New York's rule is to camp at least 150 feet from any road, trail, or water; on the ground, use the established/hardened tent pad and look for a round yellow DEC 'Camp Here' disc, and if the spot is not marked, move back 150+ feet from the water and trail. CATSKILL 3,500-FOOT RULE: camping and fires are prohibited above 3,500 feet in the Catskills at any time of year -- this site is around 3153 feet, below that line, but do not move uphill to camp. These are FREE, first-come sites -- no reservation, no fee, no facilities (no hookups, no showers, no potable water); this is NOT a reservable DEC fee campground (Woodland Valley and Kenneth L. Wilson are separate developed fee campgrounds over a mile away). 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 3 Office in New Paltz at (845) 256-3076 (Forest Rangers via 911 or 1-833-NYS-RANGERS / 1-833-697-7264)). Bring water or treat what you take from a stream, pack out all trash, follow Leave No Trace and the DEC fire rules, and store food from bears (this is black-bear country). SEASON / ACCESS: DEC lists the unit as open year-round, but these are steep high-Catskill trails that can be icy, muddy, washed or snow-covered much of the year -- confirm current conditions and this specific site's status on the DEC page (dec.ny.gov/places/slide-mountain-wilderness) or with the DEC Region 3 New Paltz office (845-256-3076) before you go; we have not visited.

USGS topo — contours & terrain

Aerial — USGS / NAIP

EV charging — from Giant Ledge Campsite 4 [DEC #228571] (Slide Mountain Wilderness) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)

• Nearest public DC fast charger14.2 mi straight-line NW — NYC FLEET DEP_ARKVLE_1_L3, Arkville, NY · ChargePoint Network · CHAdeMO, CCS · 1 fast port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
• Public DC fast stations within reach21 within 25 mi · 81 within 50 · 799 within 100 · 1450 within 150
• Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)20.0 mi — Kingston, NY - Tesla Supercharger, Kingston
• Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)2.4 mi — Full Moon Resort - Tesla Destination, Big Indian, NY · Tesla Destination · J1772, NACS (Tesla) · 6 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-08-27 · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to all vehicles.
• 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 433990 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center

Nearby restrooms — around Giant Ledge Campsite 4 [DEC #228571] (Slide Mountain Wilderness) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)

• Highway rest areaUlster Travel Plaza · ~20.3 mi E
• Highway rest areaParking/Rest Area · ~21.2 mi E
• Highway rest areaParking/Rest Area · ~22.9 mi E
• Highway rest areaMalden Travel Plaza · ~23.1 mi E

Open Giant Ledge Campsite 4 [DEC #228571] (Slide Mountain Wilderness) elsewhere

Other camps near Giant Ledge Campsite 4 [DEC #228571] (Slide Mountain Wilderness)

If this one is full, gated or washed out.

• Giant Ledge Campsite 5 [DEC #228573] (Slide Mountain Wilderness)~0.1 mi
• Giant Ledge Campsite 6 [DEC #228574] (Slide Mountain Wilderness)~0.3 mi
• Giant Ledge Campsite 3 [DEC #228570] (Slide Mountain Wilderness)~0.4 mi
• Giant Ledge Campsite 2 [DEC #228569] (Slide Mountain Wilderness)~0.6 mi

How we know this — Giant Ledge Campsite 4 [DEC #228571] (Slide Mountain Wilderness)

What we don’t know about Giant Ledge Campsite 4 [DEC #228571] (Slide Mountain Wilderness)

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
• 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 — Giant Ledge Campsite 4 [DEC #228571] (Slide Mountain Wilderness)