Schroon River Tentsite [DEC #5483] (Hammond Pond Wild Forest)

FREE primitive tent camping at the Schroon River Tentsite, a DEC-mapped primitive tent site by the Schroon River in the Hammond Pond Wild Forest (Essex County, Adirondack foothills, DEC Region 5). New York provides it at NO CHARGE: the DEC Hammond Pond Wild Forest page lists the unit as 'Free' and open year-round, and says 'numerous undesignated tent sites are available on a first come - first served basis and cannot be reserved.' This is one of DEC's mapped tent sites, about 184 feet from the Schroon River (measured against OpenStreetMap; nearest the Schroon River access road (unpaved) 60 ft). CONFIDENCE / RULES NOTE -- please read: this is MEDIUM confidence. The DEC page formally DESIGNATES only one primitive tent site in the whole unit (the Boquet River site near Split Rock Falls); this spot is one of the UNDESIGNATED, DEC-mapped first-come tent sites, so treat it as an established primitive site rather than a guaranteed marked one. Away from a designated site, New York's rule is to camp at least 150 feet from any road, trail, or water -- several of these lakeside tent sites sit closer than that to the water, so on the ground use the established/hardened tent pad and look for a round yellow DEC 'Camp Here' disc; if the spot is not a marked designated site, move back 150+ feet from the water. These are FREE, first-come sites -- no reservation, no fee, no registration, and 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)); hunters may get a full-hunting-season camping permit from the local Forest Ranger; no temporary-camping permit is issued to anyone under 18. Bring water or treat what you take from the pond 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 841 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/hammond-pond-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 Schroon River Tentsite [DEC #5483] (Hammond Pond Wild Forest) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)

• Nearest public DC fast charger1.8 mi straight-line NE — North Hudson, NY - Tesla Supercharger · Tesla · CCS, NACS (Tesla) · 8 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-06-18 · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to all vehicles. · directions
• Public DC fast stations within reach5 within 25 mi · 62 within 50 · 258 within 100 · 550 within 150
• Nearest listing CHAdeMO1.8 mi — EVolve NY North Hudson, North Hudson
• Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)1.5 mi — Paradox Brewery, North Hudson, NY · VIALYNK · J1772 · 10 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 331348 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center

Nearby restrooms — around Schroon River Tentsite [DEC #5483] (Hammond Pond Wild Forest) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)

• Highway rest areaHigh Peaks (North) · ~6.3 mi N
• Highway rest areaHigh Peaks (South) · ~6.5 mi N

Open Schroon River Tentsite [DEC #5483] (Hammond Pond Wild Forest) elsewhere

Other camps near Schroon River Tentsite [DEC #5483] (Hammond Pond Wild Forest)

If this one is full, gated or washed out.

• Peaked Hill Pond Tentsite [DEC #18355] (Hammond Pond Wild Forest)~3.6 mi
• Bass Lake Primitive Tentsite [DEC #18350] (Hammond Pond Wild Forest)~4.7 mi
• Challis Pond Primitive Tentsite [DEC #18351] (Hammond Pond Wild Forest)~5.7 mi
• Hammond Pond Tentsite [DEC #5480] (Hammond Pond Wild Forest)~6.6 mi

How we know this — Schroon River Tentsite [DEC #5483] (Hammond Pond Wild Forest)

What we don’t know about Schroon River Tentsite [DEC #5483] (Hammond Pond 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 — Schroon River Tentsite [DEC #5483] (Hammond Pond Wild Forest)