Best Dispersed Camping near Big Flats, NY
Sugar Hill Recreation Area provides free dispersed camping in the Finger Lakes National Forest, approximately 20 minutes from Watkins Glen. The main camping area features designated sites with fire rings and picnic tables in a large clearing surrounded by forest. Sites can accommodate both tents and RVs, with gravel road access. The recreation area offers flush toilets, trash collection, and water access points throughout the grounds.
Several satellite camping locations extend throughout the forest on Tower Hill Road and surrounding areas. Foster Pond Camping Area offers more primitive options with no amenities but allows both tent and RV camping with drive-in, hike-in, and walk-in access. South Slope Trail Head Camp provides a single basic site near trails. A camper noted, "The sites were spacious. It was a cool and windy night, which made it perfect for sleeping." Cell service throughout the area is limited, typically 1-2 bars. The 14-day camping limit applies to all forest service road sites.
