Jones Pond Campsite #7 (Debar Mountain Wild Forest)

FREE primitive camping in the Debar Mountain Wild Forest, part of New York's Adirondack Forest Preserve in the northern Adirondack Park -- 81,160 acres in the Towns of Brighton, Duane and Franklin, Franklin County (DEC Region 5), reached off State Route 30, State Route 86 and the Port Kent-Hopkinton Turnpike. DEC-designated primitive tent site ('Jones Pond Campsite #7'). New York provides these designated primitive tent sites at NO CHARGE -- the DEC page lists the fee as 'Free' -- and they are first-come, first-served and cannot be reserved. DEC splits the seven Jones Pond sites but does not label which record is which, so here is both: four are on the northeastern shore "accessed from a seasonal access road off of Jones Pond Road", and three are on the northwestern shore "accessed by foot from Jones Pond Road". Either way you are starting from Jones Pond Road off State Route 86 and it is a short approach, not a backcountry trek; the Jones Pond Hand Launch is on that same seasonal access road. The seasonal road may not be open or drivable year-round. For orientation, the nearest DEC-published access coordinate is the Jones Pond Hand Launch on the seasonal access road off Jones Pond Road, about 0.4 miles away in a straight line -- real travel distance will be longer. PERMITS: a free New York State Forest Ranger permit is required for any stay of more than three nights in one spot, or for a group of ten or more (neither DEC page sets a stricter local threshold, so the statewide rule governs). Arrange any permit in advance through the DEC Region 5 Ray Brook Office at 518-897-1200 (Mon-Fri, 8:30 AM to 4:45 PM). Camp only at the marked site -- look for the yellow 'Camp Here' disc -- because elsewhere on the Forest Preserve camping is prohibited within 150 feet of any road, trail, spring, stream, pond or other water. These are primitive sites: typically just a fire ring, no hookups, no toilets and no potable water, and designated TENT sites are for tents. Pack out all trash, follow Leave No Trace and the DEC fire rules, and store food away from black bears. Do not confuse this with the nearby Meacham Lake and Buck Pond Campgrounds, which are DEC's developed PAID campgrounds. The area is open year-round, but many of the access roads here are seasonal and winter travel is on ski or snowshoe. One more thing worth knowing: DEC has a Unit Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement underway for this area whose stated scope includes changes to "trails and tent sites", so this inventory can shift. Confirm current rules, road and trail conditions and this site's status on the DEC page (dec.ny.gov/places/debar-mountain-wild-forest) or with the Ray Brook office before you go; we have not visited.

USGS topo — contours & terrain

Aerial — USGS / NAIP

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.

• Jones Pond Campsite #6 (Debar Mountain Wild Forest)~0.2 mi
• Jones Pond Campsite #5 (Debar Mountain Wild Forest)~0.4 mi
• Jones Pond Campsite #4 (Debar Mountain Wild Forest)~0.4 mi
• Jones Pond Campsite #2 (Debar Mountain Wild Forest)~0.4 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

Before you go