Kushaqua Island Campsite (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 ('Kushaqua Island Campsite'). 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. PADDLE-IN ONLY, AND READ THE FEE NOTE BELOW: this site is on an ISLAND in Lake Kushaqua at the northern end of the Kushaqua Narrows, and DEC says it "may be accessed by boat, canoe, or kayak from the Lake Kushaqua Boat Launch" -- the only put-in DEC names for it, and that launch is inside Buck Pond Campground. An island site is a fine place to sleep but there is no walking to it. For orientation, the nearest DEC-published access coordinate is the Lake Kushaqua Boat Launch inside Buck Pond Campground, about 0.6 miles away in a straight line -- real travel distance will be longer. ONE ACCESS COST TO KNOW ABOUT: the Lake Kushaqua Boat Launch is the ONLY put-in DEC names for this island, and it sits inside Buck Pond Campground. DEC charges a DAY-USE FEE at that launch while the campground is open (it is inside a DEC campground); the camping itself is still free, and the fee is for using the launch, not for being on the land. DEC does not name a fee-free put-in for this particular site, so ask Ray Brook about the off-season (the fee applies only while the campground is open) before you count on paying nothing. 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.
Everything you need — measured from camp
- @Mail5 mi
- RxPharmacy12 mi
- +Urgent care12 mi
- HHardware13 mi
- OOutfitter13 mi
- FFuel13 mi
- GGrocery13 mi
- MMechanic13 mi
- WWater15 mi
- DDump17 mi
- ShShower17 mi
- LLaundry30 mi
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 13 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). Open in Google Maps ↗
The site
Nearby & resupply (OpenStreetMap)
- Resupply lookup unavailable — try the map links below.
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.
- White Fathers Church Campsite (Debar Mountain Wild Forest)~0.3 mi
- Hope Pond Campsite #2 (Debar Mountain Wild Forest)~0.3 mi
- Hope Pond Campsite #1 (Debar Mountain Wild Forest)~0.4 mi
- White Fathers Point Campsite #1 (Debar Mountain Wild Forest)~0.7 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