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Pine Hill West Branch Trail Primitive Campsite [DEC #228721] (Big Indian Wilderness)

Drive-up · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY · 42.08499, -74.49452

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New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation lists this site. Someone from the agency inventoried it, so it is a real camp — not a spot we guessed at. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.

FREE first-come primitive camping at the Pine Hill West Branch Trail Primitive Campsite, a DEC-designated tent site along the Pine Hill - West Branch Trail toward the northern (Pine Hill / Big Indian) end of the wilderness in the Big Indian Wilderness (Ulster County, central Catskill Park, DEC Region 3). New York provides it at NO CHARGE: the DEC page lists the unit as 'Free' and open year-round, and says designated campsites are 'marked with a yellow "Camp Here" disc' (plus at-large primitive camping is allowed). This is a remote backcountry site reached on foot from a free DEC trailhead -- no reservation, no fee, and no facilities (no hookups, no showers, no potable water). CONFIDENCE / RULES NOTE -- please read: this is MEDIUM confidence. The DEC page confirms designated marked sites exist and at-large camping is allowed but does NOT publish a count of the tent sites, so treat this as an established, DEC-mapped designated site rather than a certified specific one; on the ground, camp only where you see a round yellow DEC 'Camp Here' disc, and keep any at-large camp at least 150 feet from the trail, road, or water. 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 3 New Paltz Office at (845) 256-3076 (Forest Rangers via 911 or 1-833-NYS-RANGERS / 1-833-697-7264)). Bring or treat all water, pack out all trash, follow Leave No Trace and the DEC fire rules, and store food from bears (this is black-bear country). SEASON / ACCESS: DEC lists the unit as open year-round, but Catskill access and conditions vary by season and trail/lean-to status can change (a Rider Hollow lean-to was recently removed) -- confirm current conditions and this site's status on the DEC page (dec.ny.gov/places/big-indian-wilderness) or with the DEC Region 3 office (845-256-3076) before you go; we have not visited.

Can I go now? — Pine Hill West Branch Trail Primitive Campsite [DEC #228721] (Big Indian Wilderness) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY

Open today Year-round per the agency record.

New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation record: “Year-round” Read against the calendar on 2026-09-18; with JavaScript your browser re-checks it against today.

USGS topo — contours & terrain

USGS topographic map of Pine Hill West Branch Trail Primitive Campsite [DEC #228721] (Big Indian Wilderness)

Aerial — USGS / NAIP

Aerial image of Pine Hill West Branch Trail Primitive Campsite [DEC #228721] (Big Indian Wilderness)

Weather outlook — at Pine Hill West Branch Trail Primitive Campsite [DEC #228721] (Big Indian Wilderness)

Loading the latest forecast…

Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 3,031 ft.

Fire & smoke — around Pine Hill West Branch Trail Primitive Campsite [DEC #228721] (Big Indian Wilderness)NIFC · AirNow

Checking active fires & air quality…

Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.

Everything you need — measured from Pine Hill West Branch Trail Primitive Campsite [DEC #228721] (Big Indian Wilderness) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY

Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer

Nearest of each

@Mail3 mi
LLaundry3 mi
FFuel5 mi
GGrocery5 mi
MMechanic5 mi
HHardware6 mi
OOutfitter6 mi
DDump8 mi
WWater8 mi
EVEV fast charger8 mi
RxPharmacy9 mi
AAir-up9 mi
+Urgent care9 mi
ShShower13 mi

≤30 mi30–4545+water

The read: water's a short hop out, 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); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗

The site — Pine Hill West Branch Trail Primitive Campsite [DEC #228721] (Big Indian Wilderness)

Access

Drive-up

Land

New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation

Elevation

3,031 ft

State

Coordinates

42.08499, -74.49452

Cost

Free

Nearby & resupply — around Pine Hill West Branch Trail Primitive Campsite [DEC #228721] (Big Indian Wilderness) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY (OpenStreetMap)

Nearest townPine Hill · ~3.5 mi
Drinking waterWater · ~7.8 mi
FuelCitgo · ~5.0 mi
Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
Dump station~7.7 mi
GroceriesSam's Country Store · ~5.1 mi
PharmacyWellness Rx · ~9.2 mi
Hospital / clinicMedical Associates of the Hudson Valley · ~9.3 mi
HardwareWadler Bros. Home Center · ~5.5 mi

EV charging — from Pine Hill West Branch Trail Primitive Campsite [DEC #228721] (Big Indian Wilderness) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)

Nearest public DC fast charger8.1 mi straight-line NW — NYC FLEET DEP_ARKVLE_1_L3, Arkville, NY · ChargePoint Network · CHAdeMO, CCS · 1 fast port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
Public DC fast stations within reach5 within 25 mi · 85 within 50 · 707 within 100 · 1402 within 150
Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)23.8 mi — Roscoe, NY - Tesla Supercharger, Roscoe
Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)4.1 mi — ORDA- Belleayre Mountain Ski Center, Highmount, NY (at a recreation facility) · QUICKCHARGE · J1772 · 20 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-07-15 · 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 433990 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center

Nearby restrooms — around Pine Hill West Branch Trail Primitive Campsite [DEC #228721] (Big Indian Wilderness) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)

Highway rest areaRoscoe · ~21.9 mi SW
Highway rest areaUlster Travel Plaza · ~25.8 mi E
Highway rest areaParking/Rest Area · ~26.3 mi E
Highway rest areaParking/Rest Area · ~27.5 mi E

Coming out here — Pine Hill West Branch Trail Primitive Campsite [DEC #228721] (Big Indian Wilderness) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY

No surface water within about a mile and a half in our records — which is not proof there is none, only that we found none. Plan to carry washing water as well as drinking water.
Power: Dave carries his own — batteries or solar. A generator will run your rig and it is also the thing everybody camped near you can hear.
Getting online: Dave recommends Starlink. He has had it since SpaceX introduced it, used it for four years living on the road, and it delivers as promised — several hundred nights out, and he can count on one hand the places he could not connect. The cable on his unit runs 150 feet, which is usually all it takes to find enough sky. Starlink → Referral link — Starlink pays Dave $100 in cash if you sign up through it, and that money funds this site and the next trip. It costs you nothing and does not change the recommendation.

Open Pine Hill West Branch Trail Primitive Campsite [DEC #228721] (Big Indian Wilderness) elsewhere

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Other camps near Pine Hill West Branch Trail Primitive Campsite [DEC #228721] (Big Indian Wilderness)

If this one is full, gated or washed out.

How we know this — Pine Hill West Branch Trail Primitive Campsite [DEC #228721] (Big Indian Wilderness)

Open season

Year-round

Source

NY Dept. of Environmental Conservation

Confidence

Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.

How it was placed

NY DEC 'Primitive Campsite' GIS layer (https://gisservices.dec.ny.gov/arcgis/rest/services/dil/dil_land_assets_prm_cmp/MapServer/0), ASSET_UID 228721, NAME verbatim 'Pine Hill West Branch Trail Primitive Campsite', ASSET='PRIMITIVE TENT SITE', PUBLICUSE='Y', ACCESSIBLE='N', FACILITY='Big Indian Wilderness', DEC Region 3, WMU 3A. DESCRIP=''; NOTES=''. Coordinate is DEC's own point geometry (WGS84), pulled 2026-07-26 via the layer's /query endpoint (outSR=4326, one paced curl request -- the DEC GIS host rate-blocks bursts). FREE confirmed on dec.ny.gov/places/big-indian-wilderness (Big Indian Wilderness, read 2026-07-26): 'Fee: Free', open year-round, Towns of Denning, Shandaken and Hardenburgh, Ulster County, DEC Region 3 New Paltz Office (845) 256-3076; the page states 'There are five lean-tos located trailside throughout the area... Other designated campsites are marked with a yellow "Camp Here" disc. In addition, primitive camping is allowed. Campsites must be at least 150 feet away from the nearest road, trail, or body of water. Camping for more than three nights or in groups of ten or more requires a permit from a Forest Ranger.' CONFIDENCE (MED): the page COUNTS the lean-tos (five) but does NOT enumerate a count of the designated tent/primitive campsites, so this is the COUNT-only / at-large basis (Blue Mountain / Slide Mountain / Sargent Ponds / Willowemoc lesson) -- the point is an established DEC-designated tent site but cannot be certified 1:1 against a page slot, so it ships at the honest MEDIUM floor, not HIGH. IDENTITY/LOCATION CORROBORATION: no OSM camp_site node exists for either site (an Overpass sweep of both site areas returned zero tourism=camp_site/wilderness_hut nodes); corroboration is the named OSM way 290539470 'Pine Hill - West Branch Trail' (the long N-S trail through the wilderness), which runs ~477 ft from this point (`out geom`, overpass.kumi.systems, 2026-07-26); the DEC NAME matches the geography (Biscuit Brook drainage / Pine Hill-West Branch Trail namesake). ELEVATION ~3032 ft (USGS EPQS, 2026-07-26) -- below the 3,500-ft Catskill camping ban; no elevation restriction applies. PAID-NEIGHBOUR (guardrail 2): DEC's Woodland Valley and Kenneth L. Wilson developed fee campgrounds are separate facilities several miles away; access is via free DEC trailheads, so no access/day-use/permit fee attaches to this backcountry site. NOTE: a page banner (read 2026-07-25/26) reports the Rider Hollow lean-to removed for structural damage -- a lean-to, not this tent site, but confirm current conditions. LEGALITY (guardrail 1): DEC-designated, publicly-usable, first-come, no-reservation, per DEC State Land Camping Rules (dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/camping/state-land-rules). Ingest 2026-07-26.

Season

Read from the agency's own season / closure text in this record (data/conditions.py) and checked against the calendar. The words we read are printed under the verdict at the top of the page.

EV chargers

US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.

Field check

On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.

What we don’t know about Pine Hill West Branch Trail Primitive Campsite [DEC #228721] (Big Indian Wilderness)

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 — Pine Hill West Branch Trail Primitive Campsite [DEC #228721] (Big Indian Wilderness)

Cold-weather camping →Fire rules & restrictions →Gear & rig loadout →Off-grid communication →All field notes →

Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →