O'Neill Flow Tentsite [DEC #3978] (Blue Mountain Wild Forest)

FREE first-come primitive tent camping at the O'Neill Flow Tentsite, a DEC-mapped primitive tent site near the water in the Blue Mountain Wild Forest (Hamilton County, central Adirondacks, DEC Region 5). New York provides it at NO CHARGE: the DEC Blue Mountain Wild Forest page lists the unit as 'Free' and open year-round, and confirms 'At-large primitive camping is also allowed' alongside its designated first-come primitive tent sites. This is one of DEC's mapped tent sites, about 41 feet from open water (DEC names it O'Neill Flow; the nearest OSM-named water here is Tirrell Pond) (measured against OpenStreetMap; nearest the Northville-Placid Trail 186 ft). CONFIDENCE / RULES NOTE -- please read: this is MEDIUM confidence. The DEC page says the unit (with the Township 19 Easement lands) has ELEVEN designated primitive tent sites plus two lean-tos, but it does not publish which of DEC's 23 mapped tent-site points those eleven are -- so treat this spot as an established DEC-mapped tent site rather than a certified designated one. Away from a designated site, New York's rule is to camp at least 150 feet from any road, trail, or water; on the ground, use the established/hardened tent pad and look for a round yellow DEC 'Camp Here' disc, and if the spot is not a marked designated site, move back 150+ feet from the water and road. These are FREE, first-come sites -- no reservation, no fee, no facilities (no hookups, no showers, no potable water); this is NOT a reservable DEC fee campground. 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 5 Office in Ray Brook at (518) 897-1300 (Forest Rangers via 911 or DEC dispatch 1-833-NYS-RANGERS)). Bring water or treat what you take from the lake or a stream, pack out all trash, follow Leave No Trace and the DEC fire rules, and store food from bears (this is black-bear country). This site is around 1918 feet elevation. SEASON / ACCESS: DEC lists the unit as open year-round, but the trails and access roads can be muddy, washed or snow-covered off-season -- confirm current conditions and this specific site's status on the DEC page (dec.ny.gov/places/blue-mountain-wild-forest) or with the DEC Region 5 Ray Brook office (518-897-1300) before you go; we have not visited.

USGS topo — contours & terrain

Aerial — USGS / NAIP

EV charging — from O'Neill Flow Tentsite [DEC #3978] (Blue Mountain Wild Forest) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)

• Nearest public DC fast charger8.2 mi straight-line SE — 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 reach1 within 25 mi · 15 within 50 · 239 within 100 · 495 within 150
• Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)31.9 mi — North Hudson, NY - Tesla Supercharger, North Hudson
• Nearest listing CHAdeMO32.0 mi — EVolve NY North Hudson, North Hudson
• Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)3.3 mi — The Museum on Blue Mountain Lake · VIALYNK · J1772 · 4 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 405740 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center

Nearby restrooms — around O'Neill Flow Tentsite [DEC #3978] (Blue Mountain 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 O'Neill Flow Tentsite [DEC #3978] (Blue Mountain Wild Forest) elsewhere

Other camps near O'Neill Flow Tentsite [DEC #3978] (Blue Mountain Wild Forest)

If this one is full, gated or washed out.

• Tirrell Pond North Tentsites [DEC #3979] (Blue Mountain Wild Forest)~0.9 mi
• Salmon River Tentsites [DEC #3980] (Blue Mountain Wild Forest)~2.4 mi
• Lake Durant Campsite [DEC #4210] (Blue Mountain Wild Forest)~2.7 mi
• Lake Durant Campsite [DEC #11290] (Blue Mountain Wild Forest)~2.9 mi

How we know this — O'Neill Flow Tentsite [DEC #3978] (Blue Mountain Wild Forest)

What we don’t know about O'Neill Flow Tentsite [DEC #3978] (Blue Mountain 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 — O'Neill Flow Tentsite [DEC #3978] (Blue Mountain Wild Forest)