Mountain Pond Campsite (Fulton Chain Wild Forest)
FREE primitive camping in the Fulton Chain Wild Forest, part of New York's Adirondack Forest Preserve -- Herkimer County (DEC Region 6), in the Old Forge / Inlet lakes country. This is a DEC-designated primitive tent site ('Mountain Pond Campsite') on Mountain Pond, and New York provides it at NO CHARGE: the DEC page lists the fee as 'Free' and the unit is open year-round. HIKE-IN: reach it on foot -- it sits about 1562 feet from the nearest road, right on Mountain Pond (~86 ft from the water); the exact herd path is not mapped, so scout it on the ground. Do NOT confuse this free site with the nearby DEVELOPED, FEE state campgrounds -- Nicks Lake, Alger Island (a paid island-tent campground on Fourth Lake) and Limekiln Lake -- which charge a nightly fee and are separate facilities; this Wild Forest site is free. RULES: this is a designated, first-come, free site -- no reservation and no fee. Standard Adirondack Forest Preserve rules apply: camp only at the designated site, and 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 6 Herkimer Office at 315-866-6330). DEC's page prints no other night limit for this unit, so plan around that statewide 3-night default and confirm on site. This is a primitive site: expect a fire ring and, at most of the Moss Lake sites, a nearby pit privy -- no hookups, no showers and no potable water, so bring water or treat what you take from the lake. 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 site's status on the DEC page (dec.ny.gov/places/fulton-chain-wild-forest) or with the Herkimer office (315-866-6330) before you go; we have not visited.
Everything you need — measured from camp
- LLaundry3 mi
- @Mail4 mi
- WWater4 mi
- GGrocery5 mi
- HHardware5 mi
- FFuel5 mi
- RxPharmacy6 mi
- OOutfitter12 mi
- DDump21 mi
- ShShower26 mi
- MMechanic27 mi
- +Urgent care28 mi
- AAir-up47 mi
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 5 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
Nearby & resupply (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureMountain Pond (water) · nearby
- Nearest townEagle Bay · ~3.5 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~4.5 mi
- FuelFuel · ~4.9 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump stationDump station · ~21.4 mi
- GroceriesKalil's Market · ~4.6 mi
- PharmacyKinney Drugs · ~5.8 mi
- Hospital / clinicClifton Fine Hospital · ~29.3 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware - Old Forge Department Store · ~5.4 mi
Nearby restrooms — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- No mapped restroom within 30 miles — plan to pack it out.
Open this spot elsewhere
Other camps nearby
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Cary Lake Campsite (Fulton Chain Wild Forest)~0.6 mi
- Sis-Bubb Lakes Campsite (Fulton Chain Wild Forest)~1.7 mi
- Bubb Lake Designated Tent Site 1 (Fulton Chain Wild Forest)~1.9 mi
- Bubb Lake Designated Tent Site 2 (Fulton Chain Wild Forest)~2.3 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