Agency-listedNY DECFree

Sand Lake (Ferris Lake Wild Forest)

Drive-up · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY · 43.36086, -74.57516

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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 primitive camping. DEC-designated primitive tent site ('Sand Lake') in the Ferris Lake Wild Forest, part of New York's Adirondack Forest Preserve, in the southern Adirondacks in Fulton, Hamilton and Herkimer County (DEC Region 5, near Stratford, Caroga and Arietta). New York's Forest Preserve allows backcountry camping at these designated sites at NO CHARGE (the DEC unit page lists the fee as 'Free'), first-come/first-served -- these backcountry sites cannot be reserved. A FREE New York State Forest Ranger permit is required ONLY if you stay more than 3 nights in one spot or camp in a group of 10 or more; otherwise no permit and no fee. Camp only at the marked site (look for the yellow 'Camp Here' disc). This is a primitive site: no hookups, no potable water, pack out all trash, follow Leave No Trace and the DEC fire rules. This site is named for a pond/lake/creek, so it may require a short hike or a paddle to reach; confirm access on the DEC unit page. Rules and site status change -- confirm with the DEC unit page (dec.ny.gov/places/ferris-lake-wild-forest) or a regional DEC office before you go; we have not visited.

USGS topo — contours & terrain

USGS topographic map of Sand Lake (Ferris Lake Wild Forest)

Aerial — USGS / NAIP

Aerial image of Sand Lake (Ferris Lake Wild Forest)

Weather outlook — at Sand Lake (Ferris Lake Wild Forest)

Loading the latest forecast…

Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,777 ft.

Fire & smoke — around Sand Lake (Ferris Lake Wild Forest)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 Sand Lake (Ferris Lake Wild Forest) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY

Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer

Nearest of each

ShShower12 mi
DDump13 mi
WWater14 mi
LLaundry14 mi
FFuel14 mi
GGrocery14 mi
+Urgent care14 mi
@Mail14 mi
HHardware20 mi
RxPharmacy20 mi
MMechanic22 mi
OOutfitter23 mi
EVEV fast charger26 mi
AAir-up27 mi

≤30 mi30–4545+water

The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 14 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 — Sand Lake (Ferris Lake Wild Forest)

Access

Drive-up

Land

New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation

Elevation

1,777 ft

State

Coordinates

43.36086, -74.57516

Cost

Free

Nearby & resupply — around Sand Lake (Ferris Lake Wild Forest) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY (OpenStreetMap)

Water featureSand Lake (water) · nearby
Nearest townShaker Place · ~3.6 mi
Drinking waternone within 10 mi
FuelValero · ~21.9 mi
Propane / LPGPropane · ~29.8 mi
Dump station~12.6 mi
GroceriesCharlie Johns · ~14.4 mi
PharmacyKinney Drugs · ~20.3 mi
Hospital / clinicNathan Littauer Hospital · ~23.5 mi
HardwareAllen & Palmer True Value · ~22.3 mi

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

Nearest public DC fast charger26.0 mi straight-line SE — Aldi Johnstown TUL 110 (at a public site) · RED_E · CCS, NACS (Tesla) · 8 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed · directions
Public DC fast stations within reachnone within 25 mi · 61 within 50 · 260 within 100 · 693 within 150
Nearest listing CHAdeMO26.4 mi — Iroquois Travel Plaza, Little Falls
Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)14.3 mi — Lemon Tree Brewery - Tesla Destination, Speculator, NY · Tesla Destination · J1772, NACS (Tesla) · 6 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-08-27 · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to all vehicles.
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 451463 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center

Nearby restrooms — around Sand Lake (Ferris Lake Wild Forest) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)

Highway rest areaIroquois Travel Plaza WB · ~26.4 mi SW
Highway rest areaIndian Castle Travel Plaza EB · ~26.5 mi SW

Open Sand Lake (Ferris Lake Wild Forest) elsewhere

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Other camps near Sand Lake (Ferris Lake Wild Forest)

If this one is full, gated or washed out.

How we know this — Sand Lake (Ferris Lake Wild Forest)

Permit

Forest Ranger permit needed for stays over 3 nights or groups of 10 or more

Source

NY Dept. of Environmental Conservation

Confidence

Researched — The record is detailed and internally consistent, and the coordinates land where the managing agency says this site is.

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 6247, ASSET='PRIMITIVE TENT SITE', PUBLICUSE='Y', FACILITY='Ferris Lake Wild Forest'; coordinate is DEC's own point geometry (WGS84), pulled 2026-07-22 via the layer's /find endpoint (the /query path is WAF-blocked). FREE confirmed by DEC's own place page (dec.ny.gov/places/ferris-lake-wild-forest, read 2026-07-22): Fee='Free', '97 designated primitive campsites', 'Camping for more than three nights or in a group of ten or more requires a permit from a Forest Ranger' (the standard FREE NYS Forest Ranger backcountry permit); and DEC State Land Camping Rules (dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/camping/state-land-rules): backcountry/primitive camping allowed on Adirondack Forest Preserve, first-come, cannot be reserved. Ingest 2026-07-22.

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 Sand Lake (Ferris Lake 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
Seasonal & winter access
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 — Sand Lake (Ferris Lake Wild Forest)

Camping near a reservoir →Finding water out here →Cold-weather camping →Getting unstuck →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 →