Wakely Pond (Moose River Plains Wild Forest)
FREE primitive camping. DEC-designated primitive tent site ('Wakely Pond') in the Moose River Plains WILD FOREST -- the backcountry sibling of the famous free roadside Moose River Plains corridor -- part of New York's Adirondack Forest Preserve, in the central Adirondacks in and around the Moose River Plains Complex between Inlet and Indian Lake -- the Towns of Webb and Ohio in Herkimer County and the Towns of Arietta, Inlet, Long Lake, Lake Pleasant and Morehouse in Hamilton County. New York provides these designated primitive tent sites at NO CHARGE (the DEC complex page lists the fee as 'Free' and confirms no fee or permit is required to access or camp at primitive sites); sites are first-come and cannot be reserved. This is a BACKCOUNTRY pond site (Wakely Pond) reached on foot, not a drive-up site. ACCESS IS LARGELY SEASONAL AND GATED: most trailheads and the numbered corridor in this complex are reached from the Moose River Plains Road system (the Limekiln Lake-Cedar River Road and its spurs), a gated dirt-road network that is CLOSED outside the warmer months (winter and mud season). Confirm the CURRENT gate opening and closing dates with the DEC Northville office before you go. DON'T CONFUSE THESE FREE SITES WITH THE NEARBY PAID CAMPGROUNDS: the DEC-operated Limekiln Lake Campground (271 sites) and Eighth Lake Campground (126 sites) -- developed, reservable, fee-based public campgrounds at the edges of this complex are separate developed facilities that charge a fee and take reservations -- these primitive sites are the free ones. Camping for more than 3 nights in one spot requires a FREE New York State Forest Ranger permit; 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 complex page states this verbatim; there is no stricter local threshold). Arrange any permit in advance through the DEC Region 5 Northville Office (Mon-Fri 7:30 AM-3:30 PM) at (518) 863-4545. Camp only at the marked site (look for the yellow 'Camp Here' disc), keep camp 150 feet from water and trails unless the site is otherwise designated, and follow the posted Moose River Plains rules. These are primitive sites -- typically only a fire ring and a pit privy, no hookups and no potable water; pack out all trash and follow Leave No Trace and the DEC fire rules. Rules, site numbering, trail lengths and the road's gate dates change -- confirm with the DEC unit page (dec.ny.gov/places/moose-river-plains-complex) or the Region 5 Northville office before you go; we have not visited.
Everything you need — measured from Wakely Pond (Moose River Plains Wild Forest) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY
- ShShower7 mi
- FFuel8 mi
- GGrocery8 mi
- MMechanic10 mi
- @Mail10 mi
- LLaundry10 mi
- EVEV fast charger10 mi
- +Urgent care16 mi
- HHardware16 mi
- WWater16 mi
- DDump18 mi
- OOutfitter23 mi
- RxPharmacy24 mi
- AAir-up50 mi
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 8 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); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — Wakely Pond (Moose River Plains Wild Forest)
Nearby & resupply — around Wakely Pond (Moose River Plains Wild Forest) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townLong Lake · ~15.7 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelFuel · ~8.1 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~17.6 mi
- GroceriesGrocery · ~8.1 mi
- PharmacyRite Aid Pharmacy · ~24.1 mi
- Hospital / clinicHospital · ~15.8 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware · ~16.4 mi
EV charging — from Wakely Pond (Moose River Plains Wild Forest) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger10.4 mi straight-line E — Indian Lake - Welcome Center · VIALYNK · CCS · 4 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach1 within 25 mi · 17 within 50 · 265 within 100 · 526 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)34.4 mi — Chestertown, NY - Tesla Supercharger, Chestertown
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO39.3 mi — EVolve NY North Hudson, North Hudson
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)8.9 mi — The Museum on Blue Mountain Lake · VIALYNK · J1772 · 4 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
- 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 405740 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Wakely Pond (Moose River Plains Wild Forest) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- No mapped restroom within 30 miles — plan to pack it out.
Coming out here — Wakely Pond (Moose River Plains Wild Forest) · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY
- No surface water within about a mile and a half in our records — which is not proof there is none, only that we found none. Plan to carry washing water as well as drinking water.
- Power: Dave carries his own — batteries or solar. A generator will run your rig and it is also the thing everybody camped near you can hear.
- Getting online: Dave recommends Starlink. He has had it since SpaceX introduced it, used it for four years living on the road, and it delivers as promised — several hundred nights out, and he can count on one hand the places he could not connect. The cable on his unit runs 150 feet, which is usually all it takes to find enough sky. Starlink → Referral link — Starlink pays Dave $100 in cash if you sign up through it, and that money funds this site and the next trip. It costs you nothing and does not change the recommendation.
Open Wakely Pond (Moose River Plains Wild Forest) elsewhere
Other camps near Wakely Pond (Moose River Plains Wild Forest)
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Moose River Plains Campsite 02 (Moose River Plains Camping Area)~1.1 mi
- Moose River Plains Campsite 01 (Moose River Plains Camping Area)~1.1 mi
- Moose Riiver Plains Campsite #1 (Moose River Plains Camping Area)~1.2 mi
- Moose River Plains Campsite 04 (Moose River Plains Camping Area)~1.2 mi
How we know this — Wakely Pond (Moose River Plains Wild Forest)
What we don’t know about Wakely Pond (Moose River Plains 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