The Vly Pond Campsite (Siamese Ponds Wilderness)
FREE primitive camping in the 114,010-acre Siamese Ponds Wilderness, part of New York's Adirondack Forest Preserve, in the east-central Adirondacks between Indian Lake and North Creek -- Towns of Johnsburg and Thurman in Warren County and Towns of Indian Lake, Lake Pleasant and Wells in Hamilton County (DEC Region 5), reached from NY 8, NY 30 and the Thirteenth Lake / Old Farm Clearing roads off NY 28. DEC-designated primitive tent site ('The Vly Pond Campsite'). New York provides these designated primitive tent sites at NO CHARGE (the DEC unit page lists the fee as 'Free'); sites are first-come and cannot be reserved. This is a HIKE-IN backcountry site. DEC's page routes it from the Old Farm Clearing trailhead or the Barton Mines Road trailhead via the William Blake Pond Trail. For orientation, the nearest DEC-published trailhead or parking coordinate is the Barton Mines Road trailhead, about 0.7 miles away in a straight line -- trail mileage will be longer. PERMITS: a free New York State Forest Ranger permit is required for any stay of more than three nights at one spot, or for a group of ten or more (the DEC unit page sets no stricter local threshold, so the statewide rule governs). Arrange any permit in advance through the DEC Region 5 Warrensburg Office at 518-623-1200 (Mon-Fri, 8:30 to 4:45). Camp only at the marked site (look for the yellow 'Camp Here' disc) -- elsewhere on the Forest Preserve, camping is prohibited within 150 feet of any road, trail, spring, stream, pond or other water. These are primitive sites: typically just a fire ring, no hookups and no potable water, and designated TENT sites are for tents only. Pack out all trash, follow Leave No Trace and the DEC fire rules, and store food away from black bears. The unit is open year-round, but winter access is on ski or snowshoe and several stream crossings here have no bridge -- confirm current conditions, closures and this site's access with the DEC unit page (dec.ny.gov/places/siamese-ponds-wilderness) or the Warrensburg office before you go; we have not visited.
Everything you need — measured from camp
- @Mail4 mi
- +Urgent care4 mi
- GGrocery4 mi
- RxPharmacy4 mi
- LLaundry4 mi
- FFuel5 mi
- MMechanic11 mi
- WWater15 mi
- DDump15 mi
- ShShower16 mi
- OOutfitter19 mi
- HHardware19 mi
- AAir-up37 mi
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 4 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). Open in Google Maps ↗
The site
Nearby & resupply (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureThe Vly (water) · nearby
- Nearest townChristian Hill · ~3.1 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelStewart's Shop · ~5.1 mi
- Propane / LPGPropane · ~30.3 mi
- Dump stationDump station · ~15.2 mi
- GroceriesTops · ~4.4 mi
- PharmacyRite Aid Pharmacy · ~4.4 mi
- Hospital / clinicNorth Creek Health Center · ~4.2 mi
- HardwareCurtis Lumber Co., Inc. · ~19.3 mi
Nearby restrooms — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Highway rest areaHigh Peaks (North) · ~28.9 mi NE
- Highway rest areaHigh Peaks (South) · ~29.0 mi NE
Open this spot elsewhere
Other camps nearby
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Botherton Pond Campsite (Siamese Ponds Wilderness)~1.1 mi
- Second Pond Campsite (Siamese Ponds Wilderness)~2.1 mi
- Botherton Trail Campsite (Siamese Ponds Wilderness)~2.2 mi
- 13Th Lake Campsite 2 (Siamese Ponds Wilderness)~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