Hudson/Boreas River Point Tent Site #1 [DEC #3809] (Hudson Gorge Wilderness)
FREE backcountry primitive camping at the Hudson River (at the Boreas River confluence) in the Hudson Gorge Wilderness of New York's ADIRONDACK Forest Preserve (DEC Region 5, in the Indian Lake / Newcomb / Minerva area). This is a DEC-mapped designated primitive tent site ('Hudson/Boreas River Point Tent Site #1 [DEC #3809]'), and New York provides it at NO CHARGE: the DEC Hudson Gorge Wilderness page lists the fee as 'Free' and the unit as open year-round, first-come first-served (no reservations). It is on the point of the Hudson River's west bank opposite the Boreas River confluence -- the DEC page says this and the point's other two sites are reachable by water only, so you paddle in; the Hudson here is an experienced-paddler river (flatwater and Class 1-2 water above the gorge, with rapids nearby), and the Hudson Gorge Wilderness is closed to motor vehicles and bicycles. COUNT DISCLOSURE: the DEC unit page enumerates roughly eleven designated primitive tent sites on this wilderness -- seven on the banks of the Hudson River (water access only: Polaris Bridge, Cedar River, Virgin Falls, Harris Rift Mountain, and three sites on the point opposite the Boreas River) plus two on Whortleberry Pond, one on Big Bad Luck Pond and one on Ross Pond -- as well as three designated campsites on Huntley Pond. DEC's mapping data provides five of these as 'Primitive Tent Site' points under the Hudson Gorge Wilderness label; this batch ships all five (each named by DEC's GIS layer, described on the DEC page, and located on or beside its namesake water in OpenStreetMap) and does not invent the unmapped sites. Several of the other Hudson-River-bank sites (the two remaining Boreas point sites, Virgin Falls, and the Huntley Pond campsites) are already listed under the neighbouring Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest. No pins were invented. This is free, first-come Adirondack Forest Preserve backcountry camping in the Hudson Gorge Wilderness -- do NOT confuse it with a reservable fee campground; the nearest fee campgrounds are the SEPARATE Lake Harris Campground near Newcomb and the Indian Lake Islands Campground on Indian Lake, both miles away, and neither charges to reach these sites. SEASON / ACCESS: DEC lists Hudson Gorge Wilderness as open YEAR-ROUND and free, but every site here is reached on foot (a roughly three-mile hike to the ponds) or by paddling the Hudson River (Wilderness = no motor vehicles and no bicycles) -- trails and the river can be wet, snow-covered, blowdown-blocked, high, low or ice-bound, so confirm current trail, water and site conditions with the DEC Region 5 Northville office (518-863-4545) or the unit page before you go, especially in winter or mud season. RULES: no reservation and no fee; camp only at a designated site (look for the round yellow DEC 'Camp Here' marker) or, elsewhere in the wilderness, more than 150 feet from any road, trail or water; 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 Office in Northville at (518) 863-4545 (Forest Rangers via 911 or DEC dispatch 1-833-NYS-RANGERS)). This site is around 1158 feet, well below any Adirondack high-elevation camping restriction. These are primitive sites: expect at most a fire ring -- no hookups, no showers and no potable water, so bring water or treat what you take from the pond 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, trail/river status and this site's status on the DEC page (dec.ny.gov/places/hudson-gorge-wilderness) or with the Northville office (518-863-4545) before you go; we have not visited. SHARED RIVER POINT: DEC's page groups three designated tent sites on the point of the Hudson River's west bank opposite the Boreas River, and DEC files this one (#1) under the Hudson Gorge Wilderness while its two siblings (#2 and #3) are listed separately under the neighbouring Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest -- this is a DISTINCT designated site, not a duplicate of those, and all three are free.
![USGS topographic map of Hudson/Boreas River Point Tent Site #1 [DEC #3809] (Hudson Gorge Wilderness)](img/hudson-boreas-river-point-tent-site-1-dec-3809-h-ny-43798n74052w-topo.png)
![Aerial image of Hudson/Boreas River Point Tent Site #1 [DEC #3809] (Hudson Gorge Wilderness)](img/hudson-boreas-river-point-tent-site-1-dec-3809-h-ny-43798n74052w-aerial.jpg)
Everything you need — measured from Hudson/Boreas River Point Tent Site #1 [DEC #3809] (Hudson Gorge Wilderness) · Hudson Gorge Wilderness · NY
- GGrocery4 mi
- @Mail4 mi
- FFuel6 mi
- RxPharmacy7 mi
- +Urgent care8 mi
- LLaundry8 mi
- EVEV fast charger11 mi
- MMechanic11 mi
- OOutfitter12 mi
- DDump13 mi
- HHardware15 mi
- WWater16 mi
- ShShower17 mi
- AAir-up42 mi
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 4 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 — Hudson/Boreas River Point Tent Site #1 [DEC #3809] (Hudson Gorge Wilderness)
Nearby & resupply — around Hudson/Boreas River Point Tent Site #1 [DEC #3809] (Hudson Gorge Wilderness) · Hudson Gorge Wilderness · NY (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureHudson River · under 0.1 mi · USGS: perennial river
- Nearest townPudding Hollow · ~2.0 mi
- Nearest rail lineunder 0.1 mi · main line
- Nearest highwayno interstate or US route within 10 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelSullivan's Store · ~6.3 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~24.2 mi
- GroceriesMurdie General Store · ~3.5 mi
- PharmacyRite Aid Pharmacy · ~7.4 mi
- Hospital / clinicNorth Creek Health Center · ~7.5 mi
- HardwareCurtis Lumber Co., Inc. · ~15.2 mi
EV charging — from Hudson/Boreas River Point Tent Site #1 [DEC #3809] (Hudson Gorge Wilderness) · Hudson Gorge Wilderness · NY — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger10.6 mi straight-line W — Indian Lake - Welcome Center · VIALYNK · CCS · 4 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach4 within 25 mi · 38 within 50 · 266 within 100 · 560 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)16.2 mi — Chestertown, NY - Tesla Supercharger, Chestertown
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO19.1 mi — EVolve NY North Hudson, North Hudson
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)6.5 mi — GARNET HILL LOG HOUSE #2, North River, NY · ChargePoint Network · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Also listed, not counted aboveLevel 2, restricted access — North Creek Heads in Beds, North Creek, 7.9 mi · J1772, NEMA 5-20 · hours: 10am-10pm daily; for guest use only; Drivers must bring their own J1772 cordset for Level 1 charging · 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 405740 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Hudson/Boreas River Point Tent Site #1 [DEC #3809] (Hudson Gorge Wilderness) · Hudson Gorge Wilderness · NY — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Highway rest areaHigh Peaks (North) · ~22.8 mi NE
- Highway rest areaHigh Peaks (South) · ~23.0 mi NE
Coming out here — Hudson/Boreas River Point Tent Site #1 [DEC #3809] (Hudson Gorge Wilderness) · Hudson Gorge Wilderness · NY
- Surface water mapped nearby: USGS maps Hudson River as a perennial river, 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 10.5% — 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 under 0.1 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 Hudson/Boreas River Point Tent Site #1 [DEC #3809] (Hudson Gorge Wilderness) elsewhere
Other camps near Hudson/Boreas River Point Tent Site #1 [DEC #3809] (Hudson Gorge Wilderness)
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Hudson/Boreas Campsite #2 (Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest)~0.2 mi
- Hudson/Boreas Campsite #3 (Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest)~0.2 mi
- Northwoods Club Rd Campsite #1 (Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest)~1.3 mi
- Northwoods Club Rd Campsite #3 (Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest)~1.4 mi
The unit that manages Hudson/Boreas River Point Tent Site #1 [DEC #3809] (Hudson Gorge Wilderness)
Hudson/Boreas River Point Tent Site #1 [DEC #3809] is in Hudson Gorge Wilderness, a wilderness 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 — Hudson/Boreas River Point Tent Site #1 [DEC #3809] (Hudson Gorge Wilderness)
What we don’t know about Hudson/Boreas River Point Tent Site #1 [DEC #3809] (Hudson Gorge 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