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Hitchins Pond Campsite 5 [DEC #3290] (Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area)
Drive-up · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY · 44.11440, -74.66461
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 →New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation lists this site. Someone from the agency inventoried it, so it is a real camp — not a spot we guessed at. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
FREE primitive camping: this is DEC-designated tent site 'Hitchins Pond Campsite 5' on the Hitchins Pond in the Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area of the Bog River Complex (Adirondack Forest Preserve, DEC Region 6, near Lows Lake / the Lows dams). It is a paddle-in / water-access site reached by canoe or kayak on the Bog River Flow (Lows Lake) -- non-motorized boats only; there is a carry at the Lows Lower Dam. New York provides it at NO CHARGE -- the DEC Bog River Complex page lists the unit as 'Fee: Free' and 'Open for recreation: Year-round'. It is a first-come, first-served DESIGNATED tent site (tents only, marked with a yellow 'Camp Here' disc) with a fire ring and a short pit privy; maximum nine persons per site (groups of six or fewer are encouraged). A free Forest-Ranger permit is required only for stays over 3 nights, groups of 10 or more, or use of the Virgin Timber/Boone's/Moose Bay shared landings in June-August -- otherwise just show up. There are no hookups and no potable water: bring or treat all water, pack out all trash, follow Leave No Trace and DEC fire rules, and store food from bears. This is one of exactly five designated campsites on Hitchins Pond, the small flow just above the Lows Lower Dam. The area is prime loon, eagle and osprey habitat, so camp and paddle quietly. The nearby towns hope you will stop in and spend a little locally while you are passing through. Rules and site status can change and we have not visited -- confirm current conditions on the DEC page (dec.ny.gov/places/bog-river-complex) or with the DEC Region 6 Potsdam office / local Forest Ranger at (315) 265-3090 (Mon-Fri 8:00-4:30); Forest Rangers in an emergency via 911 or 1-833-NYS-RANGERS (1-833-697-7264) before you go.
Can I go now? — Hitchins Pond Campsite 5 [DEC #3290] (Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area) · Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area · NY
Open today Year-round per the agency record.
New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation record: “Year-round” Read against the calendar on 2026-09-22; with JavaScript your browser re-checks it against today.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
![USGS topographic map of Hitchins Pond Campsite 5 [DEC #3290] (Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area)](img/hitchins-pond-campsite-5-dec-3290-eastern-five-p-ny-44114n74665w-topo.png)
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
![Aerial image of Hitchins Pond Campsite 5 [DEC #3290] (Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area)](img/hitchins-pond-campsite-5-dec-3290-eastern-five-p-ny-44114n74665w-aerial.jpg)
Weather outlook — at Hitchins Pond Campsite 5 [DEC #3290] (Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area)
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,725 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Hitchins Pond Campsite 5 [DEC #3290] (Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area)NIFC · 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 Hitchins Pond Campsite 5 [DEC #3290] (Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area) · Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area · NY
▲ your camp. Rings are 15, 30 and 60 straight-line miles; bearings are approximate and roads run longer.
Nearest of each
- +Urgent care11 mi
- OOutfitter11 mi
- FFuel12 mi
- MMechanic12 mi
- GGrocery12 mi
- HHardware12 mi
- @Mail13 mi
- RxPharmacy13 mi
- WWater18 mi
- ShShower18 mi
- DDump19 mi
- LLaundry25 mi
- EVEV fast charger30 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 12 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 30-mi run (and back).
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 — Hitchins Pond Campsite 5 [DEC #3290] (Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area)
Access
Drive-up
Land
New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation
Elevation
1,725 ft
Ground slope
13.2% · noticeable
Nearest rail line
~0.6 mi · main line
State
NY
Coordinates
44.11440, -74.66461
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Hitchins Pond Campsite 5 [DEC #3290] (Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area) · Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area · NY (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureHitchins Pond · under 0.1 mi · USGS: perennial lake or pond
- Nearest townHorseshoe · ~2.2 mi
- Nearest rail line~0.6 mi · main line
- Nearest highwayno interstate or US route within 10 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelFuel · ~12.3 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~19.2 mi
- GroceriesStewart's Shops · ~12.5 mi
- PharmacyKinney Drugs · ~12.9 mi
- Hospital / clinicCamp Massawepie Health Lodge · ~10.6 mi
EV charging — from Hitchins Pond Campsite 5 [DEC #3290] (Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area) · Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area · NY — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger30.2 mi straight-line NE — Upstate Auto, Saranac Lake, NY · VIALYNK · J1772, CCS · 2 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reachnone within 25 mi · 16 within 50 · 171 within 100 · 407 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)30.4 mi — ChargeSmart EV - Saranac Lake, Saranac Lake
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO41.4 mi — EVolve NY Potsdam, Potsdam
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)12.8 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
- Also listed, not counted aboveNACS-only Level 2 — Faust Motel - Tesla Destination, Tupper Lake, 12.5 mi · NACS (Tesla) · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · AFDC lists it “Free”
- 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 351665 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Hitchins Pond Campsite 5 [DEC #3290] (Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area) · Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area · NY — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- No mapped restroom within 30 miles — plan to pack it out.
Coming out here — Hitchins Pond Campsite 5 [DEC #3290] (Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area) · Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area · NY
- Surface water mapped nearby: USGS maps Hitchins Pond 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 13.2% — noticeable. 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 ~0.6 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 Hitchins Pond Campsite 5 [DEC #3290] (Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area) elsewhere
Other camps near Hitchins Pond Campsite 5 [DEC #3290] (Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area)
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Hitchins Pond Campsite 6 [DEC #3287] (Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area)~0.2 mi
- Hitchins Pond Campsite 4 [DEC #3293] (Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area)~0.3 mi
- Hitchins Pond Campsite 7 [DEC #3300] (Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area)~0.3 mi
- Hitchins Pond Campsite 8 [DEC #3291] (Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area)~0.5 mi
The unit that manages Hitchins Pond Campsite 5 [DEC #3290] (Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area)
Hitchins Pond Campsite 5 [DEC #3290] is in Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area, a primitive area 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 — Hitchins Pond Campsite 5 [DEC #3290] (Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area)
Open season
Year-round
Permit
Free permit needed only for stays over 3 nights or groups of 10 or more
Source
NY Dept. of Environmental Conservation
Confidence
Researched — The record is detailed and internally consistent, and the coordinates land where the managing agency says this site is.
How it was placed
NY DEC 'Primitive Campsite' GIS layer (https://gisservices.dec.ny.gov/arcgis/rest/services/dil/dil_land_assets_prm_cmp/MapServer/0), ASSET_UID 3290, GIS NAME verbatim 'Hitchins Pond Campsite 5', ASSET='PRIMITIVE TENT SITE', PUBLICUSE='Y', ACCESSIBLE='N', FACILITY='Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area'. DESCRIP='Designated Campsite. With Short Privy'; NOTES='Checked 11/2015'. Coordinate is DEC's own point geometry (WGS84), pulled 2026-07-26 via the layer's /query endpoint (outSR=4326, one paced bundled curl -- the DEC GIS host rate-blocks bursts). FREE confirmed on the DEC page dec.ny.gov/places/bog-river-complex (Bog River Complex, read 2026-07-26 via WebFetch): 'Fee: Free', 'Open for recreation: Year-round' (the May 1-Sep 30 window applies only to the Big Tupper/Piercefield Flow conservation easements, not this Forest Preserve Primitive Area). CONFIDENCE (HIGH): the DEC Bog River Complex page states verbatim that Hitchins Pond has 'Five campsites with fire rings and pit privies ... on a first-come, first-served basis', and this GIS layer returns exactly five Hitchins Pond campsites, each DESCRIP-confirmed with a privy -- an exact count + named-location + feature match. LOCATION CORROBORATION: no OSM camp_site node mapped near this backcountry water-access site (normal for the Adirondack interior); DEC page + DEC GIS point carry existence. ELEVATION ~1725 ft (USGS EPQS, 2026-07-26) -- DEC Region 6 (Western Adirondacks), no high-elevation camping restriction applies. LAND/FEE (guardrail 2): Adirondack Forest Preserve Primitive Area, no entry/access/day-use fee; the only permit is a FREE Forest-Ranger permit for stays over 3 nights, groups of 10+, or use of the Virgin Timber/Boone's/Moose Bay shared landings June-Aug. LEGALITY (guardrail 1): a DEC-DESIGNATED PUBLICUSE primitive tent site (yellow 'Camp Here' disc, tents only), camping explicitly allowed, first come-first served, per DEC State Land Camping Rules. Ingest 2026-07-26.
Season
Read from the agency's own season / closure text in this record (data/conditions.py) and checked against the calendar. The words we read are printed under the verdict at the top of the page.
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 Hitchins Pond Campsite 5 [DEC #3290] (Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area)
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 — Hitchins Pond Campsite 5 [DEC #3290] (Eastern Five Ponds Access Primitive Area)
Camping near a reservoir →Finding water out here →Cold-weather camping →Camping with a dog →All field notes →