Trout Lake #1 (Silver Lake Wilderness)
FREE primitive camping in the Silver Lake Wilderness, part of New York's Adirondack Forest Preserve, in the southern Adirondacks west of the Sacandaga River -- Hamilton County (Towns of Arietta, Lake Pleasant, Wells and Benson) in DEC Region 5, reached from NY 8 on the north, NY 30 on the east and the Benson / Godfrey Road side roads on the south. This is a DEC-designated primitive tent site ('Trout Lake #1'). New York provides these designated sites at NO CHARGE -- the DEC unit page lists the fee as 'Free' -- and they are first-come, first-served and cannot be reserved. HOW YOU REACH THIS SITE IS NOT DESCRIBED BY DEC -- in fact the unit page never mentions this location at all, though DEC's own mapping places a designated tent site here. What we can say honestly from DEC's coordinates: the nearest published parking area is the Chub Lake parking area, about 1.3 miles away in a STRAIGHT LINE, so this is interior ground rather than a pull-off, and the real walking distance will be longer. Confirm the route, and whether there is a marked trail at all, with DEC before you rely on it. 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 Northville Office at 518-863-4545 (Mon-Fri, 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM). 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, no potable water and no dump station, and designated TENT sites are for tents only. If you want amenities, DEC points you at its own Sacandaga Campground nearby, but that one CHARGES -- the sites listed here are the free ones. 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 travel here is on ski or snowshoe -- confirm current conditions, road status, closures and this site's access with the DEC unit page (dec.ny.gov/places/silver-lake-wilderness) or the Northville office before you go; we have not visited.
Everything you need — measured from camp
- FFuel10 mi
- GGrocery10 mi
- DDump11 mi
- HHardware16 mi
- ShShower16 mi
- RxPharmacy16 mi
- @Mail17 mi
- +Urgent care18 mi
- WWater18 mi
- LLaundry18 mi
- OOutfitter18 mi
- MMechanic18 mi
- AAir-up20 mi
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 10 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)
- Resupply lookup unavailable — try the map links below.
Nearby restrooms — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Highway rest areaIroquois Travel Plaza WB · ~22.0 mi SW
- Highway rest areaIndian Castle Travel Plaza EB · ~22.2 mi SW
- Highway rest areaParking/Rest Area · ~24.0 mi S
- Highway rest areaParking/Rest Area · ~24.0 mi S
Open this spot elsewhere
Other camps nearby
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Chub Lake Campsite #1 (Silver Lake Wilderness)~1.3 mi
- Good Luck Lake #1 (Ferris Lake Wild Forest)~1.6 mi
- Good Luck Lake #2 (Ferris Lake Wild Forest)~1.6 mi
- Good Luck Lake #3 (Ferris Lake Wild Forest)~1.7 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