Mary Smith Hill Road Primitive Campsite [DEC #16689] (Delaware Wild Forest)

FREE primitive camping off Mary Smith Hill Road in the Delaware Wild Forest, in the eastern Mary Smith Hill / Huggins Lake section of the unit (Delaware County, western Catskills, DEC Region 4). New York provides this at NO CHARGE: the DEC Delaware Wild Forest page lists the whole unit's fee as 'Free', and the the Mary Smith Hill Road Parking Lot (about 0.2 mile south) shown here is free DEC parking. This DEC-mapped site sits about 71 ft from Mary Smith Hill Road -- inside New York's 150-ft buffer -- so it is a marked, established roadside site: camp at the already-cleared site rather than making a new one. COUNT / CONFIDENCE NOTE: DEC's page names only two designated primitive campsites in the whole Delaware Wild Forest (Mud Pond/Russell Brook Falls and Big Pond, both elsewhere in the unit); this eastern site is one of DEC's mapped, established campsites that the page does not individually name, so it is listed at MEDIUM confidence -- it is a real, free DEC campsite whose location we measured against OpenStreetMap, but confirm this specific site on the ground before you go. These are FREE, first-come DEC primitive sites -- no reservation, no fee, no registration; do NOT confuse them with a reservable DEC fee campground (the unit's fee campgrounds are miles west near Roscoe). SEASON / ACCESS: DEC lists the Delaware Wild Forest as open year-round and free; the DEC parking here is free, but the roads and trails can be muddy, washed or snow-covered off-season, so confirm current conditions with the DEC Region 4 Stamford office (607-652-7365) or the unit page before you go. RULES: no reservation and no fee; 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 4 Office in Stamford at (607) 652-7365 (Forest Rangers via 911 or DEC dispatch 1-833-NYS-RANGERS)). These are primitive sites: expect a fire ring at most -- no hookups, no showers and no potable water, so bring water or treat what you take from the lake or a stream. This site is around 2151 feet elevation. 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 and this specific site's status on the DEC page (dec.ny.gov/places/delaware-wild-forest) or with the Stamford office (607-652-7365) before you go; we have not visited.

USGS topo — contours & terrain

Aerial — USGS / NAIP

Nearby restrooms — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)

• Highway rest areaRoscoe · ~8.6 mi S
• Highway rest areaEast Branch · ~18.4 mi W
• RestroomCallicoon PA Access Seasonal Toilet · ~23.6 mi SW · NPS
• RestroomLordville Access Seasonal Toilet · ~24.1 mi SW · NPS

Open this spot elsewhere

Other camps nearby

If this one is full, gated or washed out.

• Mary Smith Hill Road Primitive Campsite [DEC #16690] (Delaware Wild Forest)~0.2 mi
• Huggins Lake Road Primitive Campsite [DEC #16729] (Delaware Wild Forest)~2.2 mi
• Big Pond Campsite 6 [DEC #16697] (Delaware Wild Forest)~4.2 mi
• Big Pond Campsite 5 (Accessible) [DEC #16699] (Delaware Wild Forest)~4.3 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