American Adventurer
Found · unverifiedNY DECFree

Virgin Falls Campsite (Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest)

Drive-up · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY · 43.83003, -74.14698
We haven't personally camped here. Everything below is pulled from public land data, USGS maps and OpenStreetMap — a real place on New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation land, but not field-checked by us. Confirm road conditions, current access, stay limits and fire restrictions before you go.

FREE primitive camping. DEC-designated primitive tent site ('Virgin Falls Campsite') in the Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest, part of New York's Adirondack Forest Preserve, in the Newcomb-Minerva-Indian Lake area (Essex/Hamilton County). New York's Forest Preserve allows backcountry camping at these designated sites at NO CHARGE (the DEC unit page lists the fee as 'Free'), first-come/first-served -- they cannot be reserved. A FREE New York State Forest Ranger permit is required ONLY if you stay more than 3 nights in one spot or camp in a group of 10 or more; otherwise no permit and no fee. Camp only at the marked site (look for the yellow 'Camp Here' disc). This is a primitive site: no hookups, no potable water, pack out all trash, follow Leave No Trace and the DEC fire rules. This site is check the DEC unit page / DECinfo Locator for this site's access (drive-up vs hike-in). Rules and site status change -- confirm with the DEC unit page (dec.ny.gov/places/vanderwhacker-mountain-wild-forest) or a regional DEC office before you go; we have not visited.

USGS topo — contours & terrain
USGS topographic map of Virgin Falls Campsite (Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest)
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Aerial image of Virgin Falls Campsite (Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest)
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Weather outlook
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,390 ft.
Fire & smokeNIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.

Everything you need — measured from camp

15 MI30 MI60 MIYOUR CAMPN ↑Brant Lake Watering Tub · Water · 21 miWDump · 18 miDFuel · 7 miFStewart's Shops · Grocery · 7 miGRite Aid Pharmacy · Pharmacy · 12 miRxCurtis Lumber Co., Inc. · Hardware · 20 miHThe Shop · Mechanic · 7 miMLaunderette · Laundry · 7 miLShower · 12 miShAir-up · 46 miANorth Creek Health Center · Urgent care · 12 mi+Cloud-Splitter Outfitters · Outfitter · 9 miOUnited States Post Office · Mail · 7 mi@
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
  • FFuel7 mi
  • GGrocery7 mi
  • MMechanic7 mi
  • @Mail7 mi
  • LLaundry7 mi
  • OOutfitter9 mi
  • ShShower12 mi
  • RxPharmacy12 mi
  • +Urgent care12 mi
  • DDump18 mi
  • HHardware20 mi
  • WWater21 mi
  • AAir-up46 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water

The read: water is a real 21-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 7 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

Access
Drive-up
Land
New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation
Elevation
1,390 ft
State
NY
Coordinates
43.83003, -74.14698
Cost
Free

Nearby & resupply (OpenStreetMap)

  • Water featureHudson River (river) · nearby
  • Nearest townNorthwoods Club · ~1.1 mi
  • Drinking waternone within 10 mi
  • FuelStewart's · ~6.8 mi
  • Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
  • Dump stationDump station · ~26.6 mi
  • GroceriesStewart's Shops · ~6.8 mi
  • PharmacyRite Aid Pharmacy · ~12.0 mi
  • Hospital / clinicNorth Creek Health Center · ~12.0 mi
  • HardwareCurtis Lumber Co., Inc. · ~19.5 mi

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

Open this spot elsewhere

Google satellite →Gaia GPS →CalTopo →Back to the map →

Other camps nearby

If this one is full, gated or washed out.

How we know this

Source
NY Dept. of Environmental Conservation
Confidence
Researched — The record is detailed and internally consistent, and the coordinates land where the managing agency says this site is.
How it was placed
NY DEC 'Primitive Campsite' GIS layer (https://gisservices.dec.ny.gov/arcgis/rest/services/dil/dil_land_assets_prm_cmp/MapServer/0), ASSET_UID 3807, ASSET='PRIMITIVE TENT SITE', PUBLICUSE='Y', FACILITY='Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest'; coordinate is DEC's own point geometry (WGS84), pulled 2026-07-22 via the layer's /find endpoint (the /query path is WAF-blocked). FREE confirmed by DEC's own place page (dec.ny.gov/places/vanderwhacker-mountain-wild-forest, read 2026-07-22): Fee='Free', '38 designated primitive tent sites ... available on a first come - first served basis and cannot be reserved,' marked with a yellow 'Camp Here' disc; and DEC State Land Camping Rules (dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/camping/state-land-rules): backcountry/primitive camping allowed on Adirondack Forest Preserve, Forest-Ranger permit only for stays >3 nights or groups of 10+. Ingest 2026-07-22.
Field check
Not verified on the ground. Nobody from here has camped it. It stays at Researched until someone does.

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.

Before you go

Your first dispersed night →Fire rules & restrictions →Getting unstuck →Power off-grid →All field notes →
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →