Free camping near Wells, VT
Within 25 straight-line miles of Wells, VT there are 41 camps: 39 free, 2 fee. The closest is Little Rock Pond Shelter & Tent Area, 13 miles east of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Little Rock Pond Shelter & Tent Area, 13 miles out. 3 of them are camps Dave has slept at. The circle crosses a state line: NY and VT.
Who manages them: 19 on the Forest Service; 19 on New York DEC; 3 on an agency our record does not name.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little Rock Pond Shelter & Tent Area | 13 | Free | — | 4.3 mi to Danby | — |
| Big Branch Shelter | 14 | Free | Big Black Branch (stream) | 2.0 mi to Mount Tabor | — |
| Lost Pond Shelter | 14 | Free | Big Branch (stream) | 1.5 mi to Mount Tabor | — |
| Greenwall Shelter | 14 | Free | Bully Brook (stream) | 2.7 mi to East Wallingford | — |
| Bennington CountyDave slept here | 14 | Free | Otter Creek (river) | 0.9 mi to Freedleyville | — |
| Old Job Shelter | 15 | Free | Three Shanties Brook (stream) | 2.7 mi to Mount Tabor | — |
| Griffith Lake Tent Area | 15 | Free | Griffith Lake (water) | 2.0 mi to South End | — |
| Minerva Hinchey Shelter | 15 | Free | Mill River (river) | 2.2 mi to Cuttingsville | — |
| Peru Peak Shelter | 15 | Free | — | — | — |
| Clarendon Shelter | 17 | Free | Mill River (river) | 1.3 mi to East Clarendon | — |
| Bennington CountyDave slept here | 18 | Free | — | 1.6 mi to Manchester Center | — |
| Bennington CountyDave slept here | 18 | Free | Stony Brook (stream) | 1.0 mi to Barnumville | — |
| Bromley Shelter | 19 | Free | — | 3.2 mi to East Dorset | — |
| Shelving Rock Area Campsite 1 (Lake George Wild Forest) | 19 | Free | Pagies Pond (water) | 0.9 mi to Hogtown | — |
| Inman Pond Tent Site 1 (Lake George Wild Forest) | 19 | Free | Inman Pond (water) | 2.0 mi to Mount Hope | — |
| Shelving Rock Area Campsite 5 (Lake George Wild Forest) | 19 | Free | Spectacle Brook (stream) | 2.1 mi to Hogtown | — |
| Shelving Rock Area Campsite 6 (Lake George Wild Forest) | 19 | Free | — | 6.2 mi to Whitehall | — |
| Inman Pond Tent Site 3 (Lake George Wild Forest) | 19 | Free | Inman Pond (water) | 2.0 mi to Mount Hope | — |
| Shelving Rock Area Campsite 2 (Lake George Wild Forest) | 20 | Free | — | 1.2 mi to Hogtown | — |
| Shelving Rock Area Campsite 7 (Lake George Wild Forest) | 20 | Free | Spectacle Brook (stream) | 2.0 mi to Hogtown | — |
| Inman Pond Tent Site 2 (Lake George Wild Forest) | 20 | Free | Inman Pond (water) | 2.1 mi to Mount Hope | — |
| Shelving Rock Area Campsite 8 (Lake George Wild Forest) | 20 | Free | Pagies Pond (water) | 1.1 mi to Hogtown | — |
| Shelving Rock Area Campsite 4 (Lake George Wild Forest) | 20 | Free | Spectacle Brook (stream) | 1.9 mi to Hogtown | — |
| Shelving Rock Area Campsite 3 (Lake George Wild Forest) | 20 | Free | — | 6.6 mi to Whitehall | — |
| Shelving Rock Area Campsite 9 (Lake George Wild Forest) | 20 | Free | — | 1.3 mi to Hogtown | — |
| Hapgood Pond Campground | 20 | Fee | — | 4.5 mi to Londonderry | — |
| Shelving Rock Area Campsite 10 (Lake George Wild Forest) | 20 | Free | — | 7.0 mi to Whitehall | — |
| Spruce Peak Shelter | 20 | Free | Bromley Brook (river) | 1.5 mi to Barnumville | — |
| Black Mountain Ponds Campsite (Lake George Wild Forest) | 20 | Free | Black Mountain Ponds (water) | 3.1 mi to Huletts Landing | — |
| Greendale | 20 | Fee | — | 4.4 mi to Weston | — |
| Shelving Rock Area Campsite 11 (Lake George Wild Forest) | 20 | Free | — | 1.9 mi to Hogtown | — |
| Gov. Clement Shelter | 21 | Free | — | — | — |
| Shelving Rock Area Campsite 12 (Lake George Wild Forest) | 21 | Free | — | 2.6 mi to Hogtown | — |
| Shelving Rock Brook Trail Tent Site #13 (Lake George Wild Forest) | 21 | Free | — | 3.0 mi to Hogtown | — |
| Douglas Trail Shelter | 22 | Free | Little Mud Pond (water) | 3.0 mi to Manchester Depot | — |
| Ranger Island | 22 | Free | — | 2.5 mi to Bolton Landing | — |
| Deer Leap Campsite 2 (Lake George Wild Forest) | 23 | Free | Foster Brook (stream) | 1.3 mi to Sabbath Day Point | — |
| Deer Leap Campsite 1 (Lake George Wild Forest) | 23 | Free | — | 9.4 mi to Whitehall | — |
| Churchill Scott Shelter | 24 | Free | Mendon Brook (stream) | 2.1 mi to Brewers Corner | — |
| Bourn Pond | 24 | Free | Winhall River (river) | 4.3 mi to Richville | — |
| Stratton View Shelter & Tent Area | 25 | Free | — | 3.4 mi to Stratton Mountain | — |
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Wells, VT, not a driving distance — a camp four miles out across a canyon can be an hour of road. Cost is the audited three-state verdict on each camp's own record: free, fee, or unpriced where we could not confirm a price. A blank column is a gap in the record, not a statement that the thing is absent. Camps come from state and federal agency records, not from a visit, except the ones marked. Seasons, permits and fire rules change: confirm with the managing office before you go. Found a fee where we show free? Tell us on the contact page.