Free Huggins Lake Camping NY locations are all located in the Sullivan Catskills, a storied holiday destination about 90 minutes from New York City. Visitors have flocked here to the Huggins Lake Catskills to stay, fish, and unwind since the 19th century. A half million people visited Bethel in 1969 to attend the Woodstock Music and Arts Fair.
Families, couples, and groups of friends of all ages visit to unwind, recharge, and escape at various spots in the Huggins Lake Catskills. Experience year-round outdoor adventure, gorgeous resorts, quaint inns, B&Bs, campgrounds, vacation rentals, as well as a vibrant arts scene and cutting-edge Catskill delicious cuisine.
Want more ideas to round-out your trip to Huggins Lake Camping NY?
A lot of great ideas are in these posts!
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Food and Diner Locations Near Huggins Lake Camping NY
Tilly’s Diner 34 Raceway Road, Monticello, 12701 845-794-6540 facebook.com/tillysdiner tillysdiner@yahoo.com Tilly’s is a ’50s diner serving American cuisine; breakfast, lunch and dinner. Be sure to check out the daily specials, homemade soups and desserts!
New Munson Diner 12 Lake Street, Liberty 12754 845-747-9912 Historic cozy diner built in the ’40s. Moved from Hell’s Kitchen in NYC to the Sullivan Catskills. Was used as settings for Seinfeld, Kojak, Law & Order, American Express commercials and more. Serving Breakfast (all day!), Lunch and dinner 7 days a week! Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more information @newmunsondiner.
Miss Monticello Diner 405 Broadway, Monticello 12701 845-791-8934 missmonticellodinerny.com missmonticellodiner@gmail.com Your home away from home with delicious food served every day of the week. Owners Jimmy, Dimitra, and sons Steve and George invite you to enjoy fresh coffee, daily specials, and authentic Greek cuisine. This family-owned and operated business has been in the Sullivan Catskills for over 80 years!
Roscoe Diner 1908 Old Rt 17., Roscoe 12776 607-498-4405 theroscoediner.com Roscoediner1@aol.com Traditional diner serving American and Greek cuisine. Located just off Exit 94 W on Route 17.
Quickway Diner 68 Rte. 17K (Exit 116), Bloomingburg 12721 845-733-1012 TeekAndVee.com info@teekandvee.com 24-hour diner restaurant serving the community for over 30 years. All our soups, gravies, desserts are made from scratch, home style cooking at low prices. Take it from Teek, take it from Vee, The Quickway Diner is the place to be! Easy on/off Route 17 at exit 116. Take out available.
Liberty Diner 30 Sullivan Ave., Liberty 12754 845-292-8973 libertydiner.biz libertydiner1990@gmail.com Cuisine: American, Italian, Vegetarian, Health Conscious, Special Dietary Needs All special orders available. Gluten free section in menu. Catering on and off premises. Full bakery. Full cakes for any occasion with 3 day’s notice. Meetings for breakfast or lunch and dinner welcome. Take out available.
4 Free Huggins Lake Camping NY Locations
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1. Dirt Road Camp in the Western Catskills
487 Dirt Road Delancey NY 13752
Andes, New York
GPS: 42.1279, -74.8049
Elevation: 1424′
Management – Privately Owned Campground (Official)
The road into this free Huggins Lake camping NY site is Dirt and 1 miles from a paved road. Dirt Road Camp in the Western Catskills is open TBD. There are 1-5 campsites at this free Huggins Lake camping NY location. You may stay 1 at Dirt Road Camp in the Western Catskills.
We own Dirt Road Camp and, since we’ve used this site over the years (thank you!), we are offering a single tent site for FREE to those who need a free Huggins Lake camping NY site for the night. Our new outhouse is located nearby and you’re in the woods, with our parking lot nearby. No RVs please.
Single night stay only at this free Huggins Lake camping NY site, and you must follow our guidelines and let us know if/when you will arrive. DirtRoadCamp.com Thanks for this service and thanks for respecting our land and campground (especially our paying guests)!
2. Mary Smith Hill
Mary Smith Hill Road, Andes, NY
Andes, New York
GPS: 42.04293, -74.809113
Elevation: 2167′
Management – State Forest (Official)
The road into this free Huggins Lake camping NY site is Dirt and 5 miles from a paved road. This free Huggins Lake camping NY site at Mary Smith Hill is open Seasonal use road. There are 1-5 campsites at this location and the maximum RV length is 15 feet. You may stay 3 nights; 2 weeks with free camping permit at Mary Smith Hill.
The free Huggins Lake camping NY site are justnorth of Lew Beach in Sullivan County, and in the Town of Andes, south of the Pepacton Reservoir, is a peak crossed by the Mary Smith Trail aka Finger Lakes Trail. It is also home to three of the “rare in the Catskills” Roadside Campsites. It is directly west of Middle Mountain and east of Holiday Brook.
There are three free Huggins Lake camping NY site lightly used campsites up here, along the road. They are mostly for tent use or maybe a camper on a pickup. They are nothing more then designated sites with a stone fire-ring.
3. Trout Pond Road
Russell Brook Rd
Roscoe, New York
GPS: 41.996567, -74.938488
Elevation: 1886′
Management – State Forest (Official)
The road into this free Huggins Lake camping NY site is Dirt and 3 miles from a paved road. Trout Pond Road is open Road is unplowed in winter. There are 6-15 campsites at this location. You may stay 3 days; 2 weeks with camping permit at Trout Pond Road.
These wild forest lands, later added to the Delaware Wild Forest is home to Russell Brook Falls, Trout Pond, and Mud Pond.
The main access road to this free Huggins Lake camping NY site is Russell Brook Road, which is accessed from Morton Hill Road, which runs north-west from Rockland/Roscoe.
Along Russell Brook Road, there are 3 free Huggins Lake camping NY site designated campsites, with rock barriers that require vehicles to be parked a short distance from the fireplace. There are also outhouse near one of the campsites, which is designed to be accessible.
4. Resorts World Catskills – Free Huggins Lake Camping NY Location
888 Resorts World Dr
Monticello, New York
GPS: 41.65864, -74.6464
Elevation: 1453′
Management – Casino (Unofficial)
The road into his free Huggins Lake camping NY site is Paved. You may stay a few hours at Resorts World Catskills. Casino, very quiet, 24/7 food, clean. Ask for overnight, chances are they will be happy to have you.
Huggins Lake Area Hiking Trails
Located off of Holiday Brook – Berry Brook Road, It takes 2 miles to get to this lake from the parking lot This is a man-made lake, which is 17.8 acres snuggled into the beautiful Cataskills. The lake contains one campsite where an ancient cabin formerly stood, and it is surrounded by hills. An old-growth pine stand can be seen on the ridge that rises above the lake.
1. Huggins Lake Hiking Trail
Difficulty: Moderate
Length: 4.4 mi
Elevation gain: 912 ft
Route type: Out & back
Dogs on leash, Kid friendly, Hiking, Paddle sports, Snowshoeing, Walking, Bird watching, Forest, Lake, Views, Wildlife
Description:
From the parking lot walk through the gate and passed the trail register. The Huggins Lake is impossible to miss as it travels along a wide woods road. The first 1.3 miles is all uphill and the elevation gain is 650 feet. While the grade is not steep, the walk will increase your heart rate.
The direction of the Huggins Lake switches from southeast to northeast and then back to southeast as it winds its way toward the pond. After the initial climb the trail begins the descent to the lake. At 1.7 miles the trail turns north and begins a steeper decent to the lake.
At just under 2 miles you will be on the shores of the lake. There is a man-made dam straight ahead that impounds the water and beavers sometime block the outflow to raise the water level. It is possible to bushwhack some around the shore but a complete loop is very difficult. After you explore the pond, head back the way you came.
Directions to Huggins Lake:
Exit State Route 17 at exit 96W and turn right on DeBruce Road. Pass under State Route 17 and turn right and the next intersection on Old Route 17. Exit State Route 17 at exit 96E and turn right at the end of the exit. Turn right at the end of the road onto Old Route 17. Drive 1.3 miles to Beaverkill Road on the right.
Drive 4.3 miles to Campsite Road on the left and turn left. Drive to the bottom of the road and turn left at the T onto Craigie Claire Road. Drive to the steel bridge across the Beaverkill. Turn right over the bridge and turn right onto Beaverkill Valley Road which becomes Berry Brook Road. Drive 4.2 miles watching for the access road to the parking lot for Huggins Lake on the right.
Drive up the short but rough road to park in the lot.
Review:
The Huggins Lake is perfect if you’re searching for a quick hike that includes a swim in the summer. On the day that we arrived, we only encountered one other visitor. Excellent tree cover for shade. At the end of the route, there was a small grassy spot where we could relax while swimming in the pond.
Swimming was wonderful! Once we reached the pond, the one drawback was that the trail wasn’t particularly clearly defined. Just keep moving straight ahead through the long grasses until you reach the pond at the bottom of the hill.
2. Big Pond to Little Pond Loop
Difficulty: Strenuous
Length: 3.2 mi
Elevation gain: 902 ft
Route type: Point to point
Dogs on leash, Hiking, Walking, Running, Forest, Lake, Views, Wildlife
Description:
Walk across the road from Big Pond and find the red-blazed Touch-Me-Not Trail which is part of the Finger Lakes Trail System. The trail heads northwest through hardwood forest with a continuous climb for the first mile gaining 775 feet. Some parts are rather steep. The trail descends just slightly to a junction with the Campground Trail.
Turn right at the junction to stay on the Touch-Me-Not Trail. The trail starts to descend now so follow the red blazes to 1.6 miles to a junction with the yellow blazed Little Pond Trail. Turn left on the Little Pond Trail and start heading southwest and then south. This part of the trail is level and leads to a nice vista at 1.9 miles.
There is an old house foundation in this clearing and a small pond. Continue on the yellow trail as is descends and becomes rougher and more rutted. Just passed the clearing watch for the blazes as they turn left off a woods road and through a pine forest.
The trail begins to parallel a seasonal stream and at 2.5 miles there is a nice beaver meadow-beaver pond on the left side of the trail. Continue on the trail to 2.7 miles where the trail comes to a T and goes in both directions. Turn right and walk around Little Pond on a gravel path with several bridges.
Keep walking around the pond and across the bridge over the outlet stream. Watch for signs and blue blazes behind the bathrooms which mark the Campground Trail. This trail is steep in places with a few scrambles through the rocks. The trail continues for just less than a mile and at 4.1 miles reaches the top of Touch-Me-Not Mountain.
A short distance beyond the summit you will be at the junction with the red-blazed Touch-Me-Not Trail. Turn right and walk downhill for 1.1 miles to your car.
Directions to Trailhead:
From the east exit State Route 17 at Exit 96W and turn right on DeBruce Road. Drive to the T intersection and turn right on Old Rt 17 toward Roscoe. Drive 1.3 miles to Beaverkill Road on the right. Exit State Route 17 at Exit 96E and turn right on White Roe Lake Road.
Drive to the T intersection and turn right on Old Rt 17. Drive 1.2 miles to Beaverkill Road on the right. Turn right on Beaverkill Road and drive 10.8 miles to Barkaboom Road on the left. Turn left on Barkaboon Road and drive .8 miles to Big Pond.
There is room to park near the pond but there is also a parking area up and access road on the right just before the pond.
Review:
Unkempt trail with no view at all. Decent hike in terms of cardio, but you won’t find the sights that the other Touch-Me-Not trails do here.
Huggins Lake Camping NY Fishing
Huggins Lake is the place to go if you want to capture big brook trout. The lake near Colchester town has an area of 18 acres and a maximum depth of 20 feet. Golden shiner, brown bullhead, and satinfin shiner are some of the additional fish that inhabit its waters. Huggins Lake forbids the use of live bait and ice fishing, so bring plastic lures instead.
Near By Big Pond Lake
Big Pond is one of the most well-liked ice fishing spots in Delaware County, and it is situated in the Delaware Wild Forest, a Catskill Forest Preserve, near the towns of Andes and Colchester. Big Pond is 51 acres in size. Yellow perch, pumpkinseed, chain pickerel, brown bullhead, golden shiner, and American eels abound in this 60-foot-deep body of water.
There are 250–1000 brown trout that reach lengths of 8–21 inches and 250 rainbow trout that reach lengths of 8–9 inches. Trout are also known to swim in profusion and grow to amazing sizes here. Travel through Barkaboom Road or Big Pond Road, to reach the pond.
Huggins Lake NY Things to Do
1. Hire A Fishing Guide
Don’t restrict your activities in Delaware County. Choose from any of the various fishing trips to better explore Delaware’s waters.
2. Enjoy the Great Outdoors
The 29,500 acres of recreational trails in Delaware Wild Forest, which is a section of the western Catskill Forest Preserve, includes 28 miles of authorized snowmobile routes. The most popular trails in the area are Huggins Lake Trail, Touch-Me-Not, Little Pond, and Mary Smith Hill. While there, spend the night boondocking in one of the Catskills’ expansive, starry skies at one of the forest’s rustic or lean-to campsites.
3. Ride the Wild Country
Numerous horse ranches in Delaware County cater to those who like to ride horses through serene, gorgeous environments. In order to keep you safe and entertained while traveling, instructors are available to give you lessons and lead you on your equestrian tours.
4. Make A Big Splash
There are several lakes, ponds, and streams, so you may have fun on the water even if you’re not fishing! Join your family in the water for a day of swimming, or travel through calm lakes and waterways in a motorboat, paddleboard, kayak, or canoe.
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