American Adventurer
Agency-listedNY DECFree

West Canada Creek Campsite (Ferris Lake Wild Forest)

Drive-up · New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation · NY · 43.39660, -74.85759
New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation 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.

FREE primitive camping. DEC-designated primitive tent site ('West Canada Creek Campsite') in the Ferris Lake Wild Forest, part of New York's Adirondack Forest Preserve, in the southern Adirondacks in Fulton, Hamilton and Herkimer County (DEC Region 5, near Stratford, Caroga and Arietta). 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 -- these backcountry sites 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 named for a pond/lake/creek, so it may require a short hike or a paddle to reach; confirm access on the DEC unit page. Rules and site status change -- confirm with the DEC unit page (dec.ny.gov/places/ferris-lake-wild-forest) or a regional DEC office before you go; we have not visited.

USGS topo — contours & terrain
USGS topographic map of West Canada Creek Campsite (Ferris Lake Wild Forest)
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Aerial image of West Canada Creek Campsite (Ferris Lake 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 1,412 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 ↑Water · 25 miWDump · 24 miDCitgo · Fuel · 13 miFStewart's Shops · Grocery · 16 miGKinney Drugs · Pharmacy · 21 miRxPoland Plumbing and Hardware Store · Hardware · 16 miHLee's · Mechanic · 24 miMLaundry · 26 miLShower · 23 miShAir-up · 26 miAInfirmary · Urgent care · 26 mi+Bass Pro Shops · Outfitter · 26 miOMail · 16 mi@
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
  • FFuel13 mi
  • @Mail16 mi
  • GGrocery16 mi
  • HHardware16 mi
  • RxPharmacy21 mi
  • ShShower23 mi
  • DDump24 mi
  • MMechanic24 mi
  • WWater25 mi
  • AAir-up26 mi
  • LLaundry26 mi
  • +Urgent care26 mi
  • OOutfitter26 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water

The read: water is a real 25-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 13 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
1,412 ft
State
NY
Coordinates
43.39660, -74.85759
Cost
Free

Nearby & resupply (OpenStreetMap)

  • Drinking waternone within 10 mi
  • FuelCitgo · ~12.7 mi
  • Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
  • Dump stationDump · ~23.9 mi
  • GroceriesStewart's Shops · ~15.6 mi
  • PharmacyKinney Drugs · ~20.7 mi
  • Hospital / clinicInfirmary · ~26.2 mi
  • HardwarePoland Plumbing and Hardware Store · ~15.6 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 19711, ASSET='PRIMITIVE TENT SITE', PUBLICUSE='Y', FACILITY='Ferris Lake 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/ferris-lake-wild-forest, read 2026-07-22): Fee='Free', '97 designated primitive campsites', 'Camping for more than three nights or in a group of ten or more requires a permit from a Forest Ranger' (the standard FREE NYS Forest Ranger backcountry permit); and DEC State Land Camping Rules (dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/camping/state-land-rules): backcountry/primitive camping allowed on Adirondack Forest Preserve, first-come, cannot be reserved. Ingest 2026-07-22.
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

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 →