Agency-listedVermont Dept. of Forests, Parks and Recreation · dispersedFree

Washington State Forest primitive camping area

Dispersed · public land · VT · 44.04183, -72.38085
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The land manager lists this site. Someone from the agency inventoried it, so it is a real camp — not a spot we guessed at. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
USGS topographic map of Washington State Forest primitive camping area
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Aerial image of Washington State Forest primitive camping area
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Weather outlook — at Washington State Forest primitive camping area
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,778 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Washington State Forest primitive camping areaNIFC · 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 Washington State Forest primitive camping area · public land · VT

15 MI30 MI60 MIYOUR CAMPN ↑Water · 12 miWDump · 18 miDT-Bird Mini Mart · Propane · 48 miPFuel · 5 miFWashington Village Store · Grocery · 5 miGHannaford Drive-thru Pharmacy · Pharmacy · 13 miRxPoulin Lumber - Williamstown · Hardware · 10 miHSawyer's Auto Repair LLC · Mechanic · 10 miMBath House / Laundry · Laundry · 9 miLNorth Bath House · Shower · 9 miShAir-up · 18 miAAdult Primary Care - Barre, UVM Health Network - Central Vermont Medical Center · Urgent care · 12 mi+Harvest Equipment John Deere · Outfitter · 16 miOCorinth Post Office · Mail · 5 mi@Norwich EV - Bradford Charging Center · EV fast charger · 13 miEV
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
  • FFuel5 mi
  • @Mail5 mi
  • GGrocery5 mi
  • LLaundry9 mi
  • ShShower9 mi
  • HHardware10 mi
  • MMechanic10 mi
  • WWater12 mi
  • +Urgent care12 mi
  • EVEV fast charger13 mi
  • RxPharmacy13 mi
  • OOutfitter16 mi
  • DDump18 mi
  • AAir-up18 mi
  • PPropane48 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water

The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 5 mi out.

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 — Washington State Forest primitive camping area

Access
Dispersed
Land
public land · dispersed
Elevation
1,778 ft
State
VT
Coordinates
44.04183, -72.38085
Cost
Free

Nearby & resupply — around Washington State Forest primitive camping area · public land · VT (OpenStreetMap)

  • Water featureCookeville Brook (stream) · nearby
  • Nearest townSouth Washington · ~1.9 mi
  • Drinking waternone within 10 mi
  • FuelFuel · ~4.7 mi
  • Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
  • Dump station~17.5 mi
  • GroceriesWashington Village Store · ~5.2 mi
  • PharmacyHannaford Drive-thru Pharmacy · ~13.4 mi
  • Hospital / clinicLittle Rivers Health Care Clinic · ~12.9 mi
  • HardwareNelson Ace Hardware · ~12.4 mi

EV charging — from Washington State Forest primitive camping area · public land · VT — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)

Nearby restrooms — around Washington State Forest primitive camping area · public land · VT — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)

Open Washington State Forest primitive camping area elsewhere

Other camps near Washington State Forest primitive camping area

If this one is full, gated or washed out.

How we know this — Washington State Forest primitive camping area

Stay limit
3 nights (up to three consecutive nights)
Source
public land records
Confidence
Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.
How it was placed
Designated primitive camping area mapped by the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources. Polygon OBJECTID 1 in the FPR atlas layer "Primitive Camping Areas" (https://anrmaps.vermont.gov/arcgis/rest/services/map_services/MAP_ANR_ANRATLASFPR_WM_NOCACHE/MapServer/22, read 2026-08-16), on Washington State Forest. The state maps this area in 1 separate part(s); this pin is inside the largest, about 357 acres, and sits about 490 m (1608 ft) from that part's nearest boundary. The coordinate was round-tripped against the state's own server: an intersects query at this exact point returns OBJECTID 1 and nothing else. THIS PIN IS AN AREA, NOT A SITE. Vermont publishes a polygon inside which dispersed camping is legal, not a tent pad. The coordinate here is the interior point of that polygon that is farthest from its own boundary, computed from the state's published geometry -- it is a 'somewhere in here' pin. Because Vermont's rule is a setback rule, you still have to walk 1,000 ft off any road and 200 ft off any trail once you are inside. Re-pin before shipping. ELEVATION AT THIS PIN: 1778 ft, from the USGS Elevation Point Query Service (https://epqs.nationalmap.gov/v1/json, read 2026-08-16). That is below the 2,500 ft line above which Vermont prohibits primitive camping, so the pin itself clears that rule -- but the area extends uphill in places and you do not. Washington State Forest, Central Vermont district office (802) 476-0171. VERMONT PRIMITIVE CAMPING RULES (Dept. of Forests, Parks and Recreation, quoted from https://fpr.vermont.gov/recreation/activities/camping/primitive-camping, read 2026-08-16): "Primitive camping is available in state forests, at some undeveloped state parks as well as some Wildlife Management Areas. This is not car camping. You must backpack in at least 1,000 feet from any road. There is no public drinking water or toilet facilities, no reservations or assigned sites. Vermont does not offer free, dispersed car camping on its state lands." Guidelines, same page: camping must be at least 100 ft from any stream or body of water; at least 200 ft from any trail or property line and 1,000 ft from any traveled road; "Camping is allowed up to three consecutive nights in the same area"; "Groups of eleven or more individuals must obtain a permit from the District Office"; "Only dead and down trees or branches may be used for firewood"; "Camping above 2500 feet in elevation is prohibited unless otherwise designated." Permits are not required for small parties. NO FEE. WATER: the state says there is no public drinking water at primitive camping areas. Carry your own. Do not treat any stream, pond or spring here as potable. Cross-checked against the FPR primitive camping page, which lists a downloadable camping guide for this unit. NEAREST TOWN: the point falls inside the town of Washington, Vermont (VCGI town boundary layer, read 2026-08-16). Vermont towns cover the whole state, so this is the municipality, not necessarily the nearest place with a store. SOURCE PAGES: https://fpr.vermont.gov/recreation/activities/camping/primitive-camping ; https://vtfishandwildlife.com/hunt/find-a-place-to-hunt/find-a-wildlife-management-area/authorized-and-prohibited-activities-on-fw-lands/primitive-camping-on-wmas ; https://fpr.vermont.gov/sites/fpr/files/documents/camels_hump_trails.pdf | auto:agency-trust 2026-08-18: state agency GIS record with a source URL and coordinates, confidence not low. Fee value is the agency's own, not field-checked. Not field-verified -- confirm access, road conditions and fire rules before you go.
EV chargers
US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.
Field check
On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.

What we don’t know about Washington State Forest primitive camping area

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.

Before you go — Washington State Forest primitive camping area

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 →