★ Field-verified · Dave's ownPublic landFree
Madison County
Drive-up · public land · Madison County, NY · 42.79368, -75.40604
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Ask about this camp →Dave's been here. A spot from Dave's own travels on public land — free to camp. Conditions still change, so confirm access, stay limits and fire rules before you go.
A free equestrian campground in Charles E Baker state forest. Several campsites with fire ring and sheltered picnic tables. No toilet in winter. Accommodates two or three vehicles, and there are hitching posts and shelters for horses. No winter maintenance. We had it all to ourselves in winter. Might be busy in summer. No cell service. Highly recommended.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,456 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
- @Mail7 mi
- GGrocery7 mi
- HHardware8 mi
- LLaundry8 mi
- FFuel8 mi
- RxPharmacy8 mi
- MMechanic10 mi
- +Urgent care12 mi
- WWater20 mi
- DDump21 mi
- OOutfitter21 mi
- ShShower24 mi
- AAir-up24 mi
- PPropane44 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 20-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 7 mi out.
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
1,456 ft
County
Madison County, NY
Coordinates
42.79368, -75.40604
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureWater · nearby
- Nearest townMoscow Hill · ~0.0 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelSpeedway · ~7.6 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump stationDump station · ~20.6 mi
- GroceriesHamilton Whole Foods · ~7.4 mi
- PharmacyKinney Drugs · ~21.2 mi
- Hospital / clinicCommunity Memorial Hospital · ~7.1 mi
- HardwareDo it Best · ~14.5 mi
From the field — what Dave saw, in person
Cell service
No signal
Getting there
Any vehicle managed it
Fire ring
Yes
Toilet on site
No
Tent friendly
Yes
Verdict
Highly recommended
Nearby restrooms — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Highway rest areaOnieda Travel Plaza · ~22.9 mi N
- Highway rest areaEB Parking Area · ~24.1 mi N
- Highway rest areaParking/Rest Area · ~24.1 mi N
- Highway rest areaSchuyler Travel Plaza WB · ~24.8 mi NE
Open this spot elsewhere
Other camps nearby
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Hunts Pond State Forest~13.9 mi
How we know this
Source
Dave's own travels
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
FIELD VERIFIED by Dave Lalande -- he has stood on this site. Coordinates are his own GPX track point, not a geocode. County and state confirmed against the FCC Census Block API (Madison County, NY). Everything under 'From the field' is a direct observation; nothing here is inferred from a land record.
Field check
Verified on the ground. Dave has stood on this one. Conditions still change — confirm before you commit.
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.
- How many rigs actually fit
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
Before you go
Finding water out here →Cold-weather camping →Fire rules & restrictions →Getting unstuck →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 →