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Last summer, my friends and camped in Quaker Park in Warren, PA. It was ideal (besides a few rainy days) but we would just like to start a tradition of switching forests every year.
We are heavily intrigued by the Adirondack Reserve Forest. My question is what is the best place to camp for free on a public (State-owned) region of the Adirondacks, preferably on the lakeshore?? Also, living in WNY, the southern side of the Adirondacks would be better and easier to access.
PLEASE HELP!
I don't know if there are really any places to camp for *free* on a lakeshore in the Adirondacks, unless you want to backpack in to a remote location. Waterfront sites are very much sought after.
My experience of Adirondack public-site camping has been that you need to reserve waterfront sites (through Reserve America) early in the season, or even when the reservation system opens up months in advance. You usually are able to just show up and get a non-lakeshore campsite however (at lake campgrounds or non-lake).
If you don't mind carrying in your gear in a short way, you might consider Forked Lake, which is a boat-in/hike-in campground.
However, you can camp anywhere in the designated wilderness areas (as opposed to campgrounds) for free so you could also check out The Adirondack Forum for advice.
Also in my experience... the Adirondacks get more expensive and exclusive the further north you go (High Peaks, Lake Placid area). The southern part is more down to earth IMO.
There are lakes in the Speculator area where I have done this. Mostly smaller lakes. There are several lakes on rt 8 that you pass. Find one, canoe or boat to the side of the lake that is not developed and find a clear area.
There are ~50 state campgrounds in the ADK region and I believe all require a fee.
However, in wilderness areas below 3500' elevation, you can camp just about anywhere as long as you are 150' or more from a trail, road, or water source. There are also hundreds of designated camping areas and lean-tos to take advantage of. They are located along trails in the back country and many are not that far from trailheads. Campfire restrictions are location specific, so plan accordingly.
Both Piseco Lake and Indian Lake are in the southern ADK and they offer public campgrounds as well as a variety of trails leading to more remote options.
Yea, if you go down Piseco road, along the lake and hike up Panther Mountain (short hike), there are several areas at the top that have clearings for camp sites.
There are some side roads off of Route 8 between Speculator and Piseco, that run roughly parallel and close to Route 8, where people tend to park their RVs and camp for free overnight. I guess no questions are asked even if they don't follow backcountry camping rules. However because they are so close to the main road, I personally never wanted to camp there because I was worried about security. just in case there were any passing people up to no good.
There aren't any mountain lions in the ADKs (no credible proven sightings anyway) and when I was up near Raquette Lake, I asked about anti-bear rules and safety procedures and the camp ranger just sort of chuckled and said "There aren't any bears around here." But he handed me a bear safety sheet anyway. and we followed the campground rules.
It's not the bears you have to worry about, it's the raccoons who can be VERY bold. Last summer, on our last night in the Adirondacks we forgot to take our trash in for the night and the next morning the bag was just splattered all over the campground... raccoon jamboree. Boy did we feel stupid. If you leave any trash or food out at night the raccoons WILL get it and probably all the other creatures of the forest too.
However, that said, you should take bear possibility seriously and never leave any trash or food out, don't put food in your tent, etc.
There aren't any mountain lions in the ADKs (no credible proven sightings anyway) and when I was up near Raquette Lake, I asked about anti-bear rules and safety procedures and the camp ranger just sort of chuckled and said "There aren't any bears around here." But he handed me a bear safety sheet anyway. and we followed the campground rules.
However, that said, you should take bear possibility seriously and never leave any trash or food out, don't put food in your tent, etc.
Who did you speak to that said there were no bears in Raquette? They either lied to you or are on another planet! Raquette has had issue with bears for YEARS in the state campground - Golden Beach. You can't leave coolers in your car unless they are coverred because the bears have been known to break windows to get into coolers.
If you're camping in the ADKS, be prepared for black bears. They are curious critters. If you do ANY outdoor cooking, have a plan in case one shows up in the middle of the night while your sleeping, scratches at your tent, digs in the fireplace, and then curls up and takes a 45 minute nap next to your tent. This happened to ME in Golden Beach a few years ago in Raquette Lake! I won't sleep in a tent there anymore.
One thing is to watch the posted signs. There's a lot of private land and not all owners are happy to have you trespass. You're really better off ina state campground. It's cheap. There's lean-to's on some of the trail syou could crash in. Some trails have limited hours and limited parking. You can't park along the side of the road all night in some places either.
The very best place to camp is in the high peaks wilderness area.
You will have to get a map and see were the trials are. You can access it from Keene Valley, Adk Loj, or Tahawus. Be prepared and have a bear canister to store your food in. Don't leave it in your tent.
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Best Place to Camp in the ADK
