Ross Pond South Tent Site [DEC #3489] (Hudson Gorge Wilderness)

FREE backcountry primitive camping at Ross Pond in the Hudson Gorge Wilderness of New York's ADIRONDACK Forest Preserve (DEC Region 5, in the Indian Lake / Newcomb / Minerva area). This is a DEC-mapped designated primitive tent site ('Ross Pond South Tent Site [DEC #3489]'), and New York provides it at NO CHARGE: the DEC Hudson Gorge Wilderness page lists the fee as 'Free' and the unit as open year-round, first-come first-served (no reservations). It is on the southern shore of Ross Pond -- reach it on foot via the Whortleberry Pond / Ross Pond trail, about a three-mile hike from the trailhead off Route 28; no motor vehicles or bicycles are allowed in the wilderness, so you hike in. COUNT DISCLOSURE: the DEC unit page enumerates roughly eleven designated primitive tent sites on this wilderness -- seven on the banks of the Hudson River (water access only: Polaris Bridge, Cedar River, Virgin Falls, Harris Rift Mountain, and three sites on the point opposite the Boreas River) plus two on Whortleberry Pond, one on Big Bad Luck Pond and one on Ross Pond -- as well as three designated campsites on Huntley Pond. DEC's mapping data provides five of these as 'Primitive Tent Site' points under the Hudson Gorge Wilderness label; this batch ships all five (each named by DEC's GIS layer, described on the DEC page, and located on or beside its namesake water in OpenStreetMap) and does not invent the unmapped sites. Several of the other Hudson-River-bank sites (the two remaining Boreas point sites, Virgin Falls, and the Huntley Pond campsites) are already listed under the neighbouring Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest. No pins were invented. This is free, first-come Adirondack Forest Preserve backcountry camping in the Hudson Gorge Wilderness -- do NOT confuse it with a reservable fee campground; the nearest fee campgrounds are the SEPARATE Lake Harris Campground near Newcomb and the Indian Lake Islands Campground on Indian Lake, both miles away, and neither charges to reach these sites. SEASON / ACCESS: DEC lists Hudson Gorge Wilderness as open YEAR-ROUND and free, but every site here is reached on foot (a roughly three-mile hike to the ponds) or by paddling the Hudson River (Wilderness = no motor vehicles and no bicycles) -- trails and the river can be wet, snow-covered, blowdown-blocked, high, low or ice-bound, so confirm current trail, water and site conditions with the DEC Region 5 Northville office (518-863-4545) or the unit page before you go, especially in winter or mud season. RULES: no reservation and no fee; camp only at a designated site (look for the round yellow DEC 'Camp Here' marker) or, elsewhere in the wilderness, more than 150 feet from any road, trail 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 5 Office in Northville at (518) 863-4545 (Forest Rangers via 911 or DEC dispatch 1-833-NYS-RANGERS)). This site is around 1761 feet, well below any Adirondack high-elevation camping restriction. These are primitive sites: expect at most a fire ring -- no hookups, no showers and no potable water, so bring water or treat what you take from the pond or river. 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, trail/river status and this site's status on the DEC page (dec.ny.gov/places/hudson-gorge-wilderness) or with the Northville office (518-863-4545) before you go; we have not visited.

USGS topo — contours & terrain

Aerial — USGS / NAIP

Nearby restrooms — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)

• Highway rest areaHigh Peaks (North) · ~26.7 mi NE
• Highway rest areaHigh Peaks (South) · ~26.9 mi NE

Open this spot elsewhere

Other camps nearby

If this one is full, gated or washed out.

• Whortleberry Pond Tent Site (southern side, in a clearing) [DEC #13040] (Hudson Gorge Wilderness)~0.5 mi
• Whortleberry Pond Tent Site (northeast shore) [DEC #13039] (Hudson Gorge Wilderness)~0.7 mi
• Big Bad Luck Pond Tent Site [DEC #18319] (Hudson Gorge Wilderness)~1.0 mi
• Virgin Falls Campsite (Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest)~2.6 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

Before you go