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

EV charging — from Mary Smith Hill Road Primitive Campsite [DEC #16689] (Delaware Wild Forest) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)

• Nearest public DC fast charger9.3 mi straight-line SW — Roscoe, NY - Tesla Supercharger (at a restaurant) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 8 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-06-18 · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · directions
• Public DC fast stations within reach2 within 25 mi · 59 within 50 · 573 within 100 · 1405 within 150
• Nearest listing CCS12.5 mi — NYC FLEET DEP_ARKVLE_1_L3, Arkville
• Nearest listing CHAdeMO12.5 mi — NYC FLEET DEP_ARKVLE_1_L3, Arkville
• Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)9.8 mi — COLCHESTER EV DOWNSVILLEDINER · ChargePoint Network · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
• Pricing at the fast chargernot listed
• Power (kW)not listed by AFDC — “DC fast” spans roughly 24 to 350 kW, so ask the network.
• Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
  Snapshot 2026-09-16 · AFDC record 118946 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center

Nearby restrooms — around Mary Smith Hill Road Primitive Campsite [DEC #16689] (Delaware Wild Forest) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY — 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 Mary Smith Hill Road Primitive Campsite [DEC #16689] (Delaware Wild Forest) elsewhere

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

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

What we don’t know about Mary Smith Hill Road Primitive Campsite [DEC #16689] (Delaware Wild Forest)

A land record can put you within a few meters 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
• Current fire restrictions
• Whether any water here is drinkable
• Shade & wind exposure
• Noise and who else shows up
• Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it

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