Found · unverifiedNY DECFree

Lake Lila # 23 (William C. Whitney Wilderness)

Drive-up · public land · NY · 44.01140, -74.72650

We haven't personally camped here. Everything below is pulled from public land data, USGS maps and OpenStreetMap — a real place on public land, but not field-checked by us. Confirm road conditions, current access, stay limits and fire restrictions before you go.

FREE primitive camping (water-access canoe country -- many sites here are PADDLE-IN or boat-access, not drive-up). DEC-designated primitive tent site ('Lake Lila # 23') in the William C. Whitney Wilderness, part of New York's Adirondack Forest Preserve, in the central Adirondacks in the Town of Long Lake, Hamilton County (DEC Region 5, off NY Route 30 via the Sabattis and Lake Lila roads, near Little Tupper Lake). New York's Forest Preserve allows backcountry camping at these designated sites at NO CHARGE (the DEC unit page lists the fee as 'Free'), first-come/first-served -- these backcountry sites cannot be reserved. A FREE New York State Forest Ranger permit is required ONLY if you stay more than 3 nights in one spot (call the local Forest Ranger at 518-828-0236); group size is capped below the statewide 10-person threshold at this unit -- about 8 people at most sites and 9 at Lake Lila / in Round Lake Wilderness. Camp only at the marked site (look for the yellow 'Camp Here' disc). This is a primitive site: no hookups, no potable water, pack out all trash, follow Leave No Trace and the DEC fire rules. This particular site is named for a pond/lake, so it most likely requires a paddle or a hike to reach (this is Adirondack canoe country); confirm access on the DEC unit page. Rules and site status change -- confirm with the DEC unit page (dec.ny.gov/places/william-c-whitney-wilderness-and-round-lake-wilderness) or a regional DEC office before you go; we have not visited.

USGS topo — contours & terrain

USGS topographic map of Lake Lila # 23 (William C. Whitney Wilderness)

Aerial — USGS / NAIP

Aerial image of Lake Lila # 23 (William C. Whitney Wilderness)

Weather outlook

Loading the latest forecast…

Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,719 ft.

Fire & smokeNIFC · 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 camp

Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer

Nearest of each

GGrocery13 mi
@Mail13 mi
FFuel15 mi
+Urgent care16 mi
LLaundry17 mi
OOutfitter18 mi
WWater18 mi
HHardware18 mi
MMechanic20 mi
RxPharmacy20 mi
ShShower21 mi
DDump26 mi

≤30 mi30–4545+water

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

Access

Drive-up

Land

public land

Elevation

1,719 ft

State

Coordinates

44.01140, -74.72650

Cost

Free

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

Google satellite →Gaia GPS →CalTopo →Back to the map →

Other camps nearby

If this one is full, gated or washed out.

How we know this

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 6366, ASSET='PRIMITIVE TENT SITE', PUBLICUSE='Y', FACILITY='William C. Whitney Wilderness'; coordinate is DEC's own point geometry (WGS84), pulled 2026-07-23 via the layer's /find endpoint (the /query path is WAF-blocked). FREE confirmed by DEC's own place page (dec.ny.gov/places/william-c-whitney-wilderness-and-round-lake-wilderness, read 2026-07-23): Fee='Free', '60 designated primitive tent sites in the Whitney Wilderness (71 across the combined Whitney and Round Lake Wilderness)', 'Camping for more than 3 nights is prohibited, except under permit' (the standard FREE NYS Forest Ranger backcountry permit, Ranger 518-828-0236), first come first served / cannot be reserved; and DEC State Land Camping Rules (dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/camping/state-land-rules): backcountry/primitive camping allowed on Adirondack Forest Preserve, permit issued free of charge. Nearby Lake Eaton Campground is a SEPARATE paid DEC facility, not part of this pull. Ingest 2026-07-23.

Field check

Not verified on the ground. Nobody from here has camped it. It stays at Researched until someone does.

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

Your first dispersed night →Fire rules & restrictions →Getting unstuck →Power off-grid →All field notes →

Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →