Union Falls Campsite (water-access) [DEC #12440] (Taylor Pond Wild Forest)

FREE primitive camping in the Taylor Pond Wild Forest, part of New York's Adirondack Forest Preserve (DEC Region 5, Clinton/Essex county country north of the High Peaks). This is a DEC-designated primitive tent site ('Union Falls Campsite', Union Falls Pond), and New York provides it at NO CHARGE: the DEC page lists the fee as 'Free' and the unit is open year-round. PADDLE/BOAT ACCESS: DEC marks this a water-access site on Union Falls Pond (~125 ft from the shoreline); reach it by canoe or kayak. The nearest road (an unnamed dirt track) is roughly 202 feet away through the woods. Note: DEC designates this one of the three Union Falls Pond sites reachable ONLY by water; OSM shows an unnamed dirt track ~200 ft away whose PUBLIC status is unverified -- treat as water-access per DEC. Do NOT confuse this free Wild Forest site with the nearby DEVELOPED, FEE state campgrounds the DEC page names -- the Taylor Pond Campground (its Taylor Pond tent sites and day-use launch charge a fee), Buck Pond and Ausable Point Campgrounds, and Macomb Reservation State Park -- which are separate facilities that charge; this designated Wild Forest site is free. RULES: this is a designated, first-come, free site -- no reservation and no fee. Standard Adirondack Forest Preserve rules apply: camp only at the designated site (marked with a yellow 'Camp Here' disc), and 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 Ray Brook Office at 518-897-1200 (Forest Rangers 518-897-1300)). DEC's page prints no other night limit for this unit, so plan around that statewide 3-night default and confirm on site. Note that DEC marks several Franklin Falls and Union Falls sites as usable for GROUP camping -- confirm a given site's status on the disc or with the Ray Brook office before relying on it. This is a primitive site: expect a fire ring and, at some sites, a nearby pit privy -- no hookups, no showers and no potable water, so bring water or treat what you take from the lake 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 and this site's status on the DEC page (dec.ny.gov/places/taylor-pond-wild-forest) or with the Ray Brook office (518-897-1200) before you go; we have not visited.

USGS topo — contours & terrain

Aerial — USGS / NAIP

EV charging — from Union Falls Campsite (water-access) [DEC #12440] (Taylor 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 charger12.0 mi straight-line S — Lake Placid, NY - Tesla Supercharger (at a shopping center) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 8 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-06-18 · hours: 24 hours daily. NACS partner enabled. · directions
• Public DC fast stations within reach11 within 25 mi · 55 within 50 · 145 within 100 · 361 within 150
• Nearest listing CCS12.4 mi — GRANDVIEW HOTEL OLYMPIC 01, Lake Placid
• Nearest listing CHAdeMO27.8 mi — EVolve NY Plattsburgh, Plattsburgh
• Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)8.4 mi — WHITEFACE MT WHITEFACE 1, Wilmington, NY · ChargePoint Network · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
• Also listed, not counted aboveLevel 2, restricted access — Mirror Lake Inn Resort, Lake Placid, 11.8 mi · J1772 · hours: 24 hours daily; customer use only
• 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 164170 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center

Nearby restrooms — around Union Falls Campsite (water-access) [DEC #12440] (Taylor Pond Wild Forest) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)

• Highway rest areaValcour · ~24.5 mi NE

Open Union Falls Campsite (water-access) [DEC #12440] (Taylor Pond Wild Forest) elsewhere

Other camps near Union Falls Campsite (water-access) [DEC #12440] (Taylor Pond Wild Forest)

If this one is full, gated or washed out.

• Union Falls Campsite (water-access) [DEC #12442] (Taylor Pond Wild Forest)~1.1 mi
• Bear Point Campsite (Taylor Pond Wild Forest)~1.4 mi
• Union Falls Campsite (drive-in) (Taylor Pond Wild Forest)~3.5 mi
• Union Falls Campsite (walk-in) (Taylor Pond Wild Forest)~3.5 mi

How we know this — Union Falls Campsite (water-access) [DEC #12440] (Taylor Pond Wild Forest)

What we don’t know about Union Falls Campsite (water-access) [DEC #12440] (Taylor 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 — Union Falls Campsite (water-access) [DEC #12440] (Taylor Pond Wild Forest)