Gregg Lake Primitive Campsite (Pepperbox Wilderness)
FREE primitive camping in Pepperbox Wilderness, part of New York's Adirondack Forest Preserve, in the western Adirondacks northwest of Stillwater Reservoir and southwest of Cranberry Lake -- St. Lawrence, Herkimer, Lewis and Hamilton Counties (DEC Region 6), reached from Wanakena / Cranberry Lake off NY Route 3 and from Inlet / Stillwater off the south. DEC-designated primitive tent site ('Gregg Lake Primitive Campsite'). New York provides these designated primitive tent sites at NO CHARGE (the DEC unit page lists the fee as 'Free'); sites are first-come and cannot be reserved. HOW YOU REACH THIS SPECIFIC SITE IS NOT CONFIRMED by the DEC page -- this is remote Adirondack wilderness (Pepperbox is largely trailless), so confirm whether it is paddle-in, a trail hike, or road-side with DEC before you rely on any one route. 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 required for any stay of more than three nights at one spot, or for a group of ten or more (the DEC page sets no stricter local threshold, so the statewide rule governs). Arrange any permit in advance through the DEC Region 6 Potsdam Office at (315) 265-3090. Camp only at the marked site (look for the yellow 'Camp Here' disc), keep camp 150 feet from water and trails unless the site is otherwise designated, and follow the posted wilderness rules. These are primitive sites -- typically only a fire ring, no hookups and no potable water; pack out all trash and follow Leave No Trace and the DEC fire rules. Both wilderness areas are open year-round, but winter access is on ski/snowshoe -- confirm current conditions, and this site's access, with the DEC unit page (dec.ny.gov/places/five-ponds-and-pepperbox-wildernesses) or the Region 6 Potsdam office before you go; we have not visited.
Everything you need — measured from Gregg Lake Primitive Campsite (Pepperbox Wilderness) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY
- FFuel5 mi
- OOutfitter5 mi
- GGrocery14 mi
- @Mail14 mi
- HHardware17 mi
- MMechanic17 mi
- LLaundry18 mi
- RxPharmacy18 mi
- DDump19 mi
- WWater20 mi
- +Urgent care27 mi
- EVEV fast charger28 mi
- ShShower35 mi
- AAir-up59 mi
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 5 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 — Gregg Lake Primitive Campsite (Pepperbox Wilderness)
Nearby & resupply — around Gregg Lake Primitive Campsite (Pepperbox Wilderness) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureGregg Lake · under 0.1 mi · USGS: perennial lake or pond
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelFuel · ~5.4 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~19.4 mi
- GroceriesOtto's Abode · ~13.7 mi
- PharmacyKinney Drugs · ~18.4 mi
- Hospital / clinicWomen's Way To Wellness · ~27.1 mi
- HardwareBuckingham Hardware · ~16.9 mi
- Nearest rail line~8.9 mi · main line
- Nearest highwayno interstate or US route within 10 mi
EV charging — from Gregg Lake Primitive Campsite (Pepperbox Wilderness) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger27.7 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 reachnone within 25 mi · 12 within 50 · 181 within 100 · 467 within 150
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO48.7 mi — EVolve NY Potsdam, Potsdam
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)13.7 mi — Otto's Abode, Wanakena, NY (at a parking lot) · Non-Networked · J1772 · 1 Level 2 port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2024-03-14 · 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 Gregg Lake Primitive Campsite (Pepperbox Wilderness) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- No mapped restroom within 30 miles — plan to pack it out.
Coming out here — Gregg Lake Primitive Campsite (Pepperbox Wilderness) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY
- Surface water mapped nearby: USGS maps Gregg 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 1.9% — 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.
- Rail line mapped ~8.9 mi from the pin — the national rail atlas classes it as a main line. The atlas also records tourist, museum or scenic passenger service on it. That is the FRA/BTS North American Rail Network (data updated Jul 21, 2026), which records that a line is there and what class of track it is. Whether anything runs on it, how often, and at what hour, it does not say, and nobody has checked this one for you.
- No interstate or US route is mapped within 10 mi of the pin in the Census's TIGER/Line primary roads (TIGER/Line 2025, released Oct 2025). That file holds the divided, limited-access highways only — a state expressway or a two-lane US route near this camp would not be in 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 Gregg Lake Primitive Campsite (Pepperbox Wilderness) elsewhere
Other camps near Gregg Lake Primitive Campsite (Pepperbox Wilderness)
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Tied Lake Road Campsite (Five Ponds Wilderness)~1.1 mi
- Buck Pond Accessible Campsite (Watsons East Triangle Wild Forest)~2.2 mi
- Keck Trail Site 3 (Watsons East Triangle Wild Forest)~2.8 mi
- Five Ponds Wilderness Primitive Tent Site (Five Ponds Wilderness)~3.1 mi
Who holds the land at Gregg Lake Primitive Campsite (Pepperbox Wilderness)
USGS’s Protected Areas Database (PAD-US 4.1, queried 2026-09-23) lists the ground at this pin as Pepperbox Wilderness, manager on record: NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (state). That names who holds the land — it is not a statement that camping is permitted here.
How we know this — Gregg Lake Primitive Campsite (Pepperbox Wilderness)
What we don’t know about Gregg Lake Primitive Campsite (Pepperbox 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