Vernooy Falls primitive tent site [DEC #228992] (Sundown Wild Forest)

FREE primitive camping in Sundown Wild Forest, part of New York's CATSKILL Forest Preserve (DEC Region 3, Ulster County -- the Ashokan High Point / Vernooy Kill Falls country). This is a DEC-designated primitive tent site ('Vernooy Falls primitive tent site', on Vernooy Kill), and New York provides it at NO CHARGE: the DEC Sundown Wild Forest page lists the fee as 'Free' and the unit as open year-round, first-come first-served. HIKE-IN: this is a foot-access Catskill Forest Preserve site, about 131 feet from the Long Path (blue); plan on roughly a 0.9-mile walk in from the nearest public road/trailhead. Note: a second site near Vernooy Kill Falls, about 230 feet from the Vernooy Kill; roughly 0.9 mile straight-line (about a 1-mile walk on the Long Path) in from the end of Trails End Road. No nearby OSM camp_site node, so DEC's coordinate is the sole source. This is free Catskill Forest Preserve backcountry -- do NOT confuse it with the Peekamoose Valley 'Lower Field' sites a few miles west along County Route 42, which are on the paid Reserve America system and require a $10 permit (all visitors, including campers) from May 15 to September 15; this site is well outside that permit corridor. SEASON / ACCESS: DEC lists Sundown Wild Forest as open YEAR-ROUND and free, but these are foot-access (or road-end) Catskill backcountry sites; the trailhead roads (Watson Hollow Road, Trails End Road) are minor mountain roads that may not be plowed or maintained in winter and can wash out -- confirm current road, gate and trail status with the New Paltz office (845-256-3076) before you go. RULES: this is a designated, first-come first-served free site -- no reservation and no fee. Look for the yellow 'Camp Here' disc that marks each designated site. Standard Catskill Forest Preserve rules apply: camp only at the designated site, keep 150 feet from water/trails/roads unless the site itself is marked closer, 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 3 New Paltz Office at (845) 256-3076 (Forest Rangers via 911 or DEC dispatch)). DEC prints no other night limit for these sites, so plan around that statewide 3-night default and confirm on site. This is a primitive backcountry site: expect at most a fire ring -- no privy, no hookups, no showers and no potable water, so carry water or treat what you take from a brook. 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, road/trail status and this site's status on the DEC page (dec.ny.gov/places/sundown-wild-forest) or with the New Paltz office (845-256-3076) before you go; we have not visited.

USGS topo — contours & terrain

Aerial — USGS / NAIP

Nearby restrooms — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)

• RestroomFederal restroom · ~18.3 mi SE · FWS
• Highway rest areaUlster Travel Plaza · ~21.4 mi NE
• RestroomPavilion · ~22.6 mi E · NPS
• RestroomRivers Bend Restroom #1 · ~22.8 mi SW · NPS

Open this spot elsewhere

Other camps nearby

If this one is full, gated or washed out.

• Vernooy Falls primitive tent site [DEC #228991] (Sundown Wild Forest)~0.1 mi
• Trails End Campsite (Sundown Wild Forest)~1.0 mi
• Ashokan High Point Trail Primitive Campsite #2 (Sundown Wild Forest)~4.5 mi
• Ashokan High Point Trail Primitive Campsite #1 (Sundown Wild Forest)~4.8 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

Before you go