Mitchell (Moose River Plains Wild Forest)

FREE primitive camping. DEC-designated primitive tent site ('Mitchell') in the Moose River Plains WILD FOREST -- the backcountry sibling of the famous free roadside Moose River Plains corridor -- part of New York's Adirondack Forest Preserve, in the central Adirondacks in and around the Moose River Plains Complex between Inlet and Indian Lake -- the Towns of Webb and Ohio in Herkimer County and the Towns of Arietta, Inlet, Long Lake, Lake Pleasant and Morehouse in Hamilton County. New York provides these designated primitive tent sites at NO CHARGE (the DEC complex page lists the fee as 'Free' and confirms no fee or permit is required to access or camp at primitive sites); sites are first-come and cannot be reserved. This is a BACKCOUNTRY site at the Mitchell Ponds, reached on foot -- the DEC page places the Mitchell Ponds tent site about 1.9 miles by trail from Otter Brook Road, not a drive-up site. ACCESS IS LARGELY SEASONAL AND GATED: most trailheads and the numbered corridor in this complex are reached from the Moose River Plains Road system (the Limekiln Lake-Cedar River Road and its spurs), a gated dirt-road network that is CLOSED outside the warmer months (winter and mud season). Confirm the CURRENT gate opening and closing dates with the DEC Northville office before you go. DON'T CONFUSE THESE FREE SITES WITH THE NEARBY PAID CAMPGROUNDS: the DEC-operated Limekiln Lake Campground (271 sites) and Eighth Lake Campground (126 sites) -- developed, reservable, fee-based public campgrounds at the edges of this complex are separate developed facilities that charge a fee and take reservations -- these primitive sites are the free ones. Camping for more than 3 nights in one spot requires a FREE New York State Forest Ranger permit; a free New York State Forest Ranger permit is required for any stay of more than three nights at one spot, or for a group of ten or more (the DEC complex page states this verbatim; there is no stricter local threshold). Arrange any permit in advance through the DEC Region 5 Northville Office (Mon-Fri 7:30 AM-3:30 PM) at (518) 863-4545. Camp only at the marked site (look for the yellow 'Camp Here' disc), keep camp 150 feet from water and trails unless the site is otherwise designated, and follow the posted Moose River Plains rules. These are primitive sites -- typically only a fire ring and a pit privy, no hookups and no potable water; pack out all trash and follow Leave No Trace and the DEC fire rules. Rules, site numbering, trail lengths and the road's gate dates change -- confirm with the DEC unit page (dec.ny.gov/places/moose-river-plains-complex) or the Region 5 Northville office before you go; we have not visited.

USGS topo — contours & terrain

Aerial — USGS / NAIP

EV charging — from Mitchell (Moose River Plains Wild Forest) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)

• Nearest public DC fast charger25.1 mi straight-line E — Indian Lake - Welcome Center · VIALYNK · CCS · 4 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
• Public DC fast stations within reachnone within 25 mi · 22 within 50 · 256 within 100 · 520 within 150
• Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)45.0 mi — Schulyer Service Plaza, Frankfort
• Nearest listing CHAdeMO45.4 mi — Iroquois Travel Plaza, Little Falls
• Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)5.7 mi — SWTCH Energy Inc., Inlet, NY (at a parking lot) · SWTCH · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, no confirmation date on the record · 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 405740 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center

Nearby restrooms — around Mitchell (Moose River Plains Wild Forest) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)

• No mapped restroom within 30 miles — plan to pack it out.

Open Mitchell (Moose River Plains Wild Forest) elsewhere

Other camps near Mitchell (Moose River Plains Wild Forest)

If this one is full, gated or washed out.

• 64A Mitchell (Moose River Plains Wild Forest)~0.2 mi
• Mitchell (Moose River Plains Wild Forest)~0.4 mi
• Moose River Plains Campsite 74 (Moose River Plains Camping Area)~0.8 mi
• Moose River Plains Campsite 73 (Moose River Plains Camping Area)~0.9 mi

How we know this — Mitchell (Moose River Plains Wild Forest)

What we don’t know about Mitchell (Moose River Plains 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 — Mitchell (Moose River Plains Wild Forest)