Sugar Hill Fire Tower Designated Dispersed Camping

We arrived on a Sunday afternoon mid September and with a 38” rig, there were only 2 options available to us of the many sites and throughout our week long stay it kept quite busy! The “sites” are designated with a numbered post and a concrete pad + picnic table. 12-14 are level and then there are tent sites on the hill. Bathrooms were kept clean our whole stay and made it so we didn’t have to dump our blank tanks so long as we utilized them - very thankful! Trash and recycling on site. The fire tower provides a beautiful lookout and the trails are worth checking out whether or not you’re on horseback. When you arrive, stop by the main building and fill out the permit form. We had a lovely stay and visited Corning Museum of Glass, Sunset View Creamery and learned to make cheese, we hiked Watkins Glen, Buttermilk Falls, and Cascadilla. So much to do in the area and a peaceful place to stay. Thankful to the men we saw everyday mowing, cutting overgrown trees or dead limbs, etc etc. We ended up dumping our tanks on our way out at a Jellystone park for $10. Would love to know what other folks have done! Didn’t seem the best option but was in the direction we were headed.

I’m so shocked that this place is free! It’s quiet, spacious, and beautiful. Our family of 4 plus our kitty stayed here for a few days the first week of October. It wasn’t busy so we had the option of so many beautiful spots. Campsites are mostly level, grassy, have picnic tables, nice fire rings, and trash cans. The fire tower was really cool. My young boys loved climbing up during the day and again in the evening to watch the sunset. There are water spigots throughout if you need to fill up and very clean restrooms if needed. No showers. Hiking trails around the campsites and only about 15 minutes from Watkins Glen State Park! Highly recommend this place! Beautiful foliage in the fall!

The amenities at this free campsite are probably the best that we’ve seen. Grassy campsites with fire rings nice picnic tables, clean bathrooms with flush toilets, trash cans available throughout the sites, water available that they request that you not hook up to the spigot. Climb the fire tower for beautiful view of the area. Hiking trails nearby. 15 minutes to Watkins Glen State Park. Verizon reception slow but usable for basic web surfing.

This is one of the quietest campgrounds Ive ever had the pleasure of staying at. The drive in was amazing, less than 20 minutes from Watkins Glen State Park. I will definitely be returning!!
My only complaint would be the restrooms, which were not very clean. But for a free campground, I didnt expect awesome amenities. A coin shower could be added here easily enough as well.

We were surprised when pulling in to see all the open space available. It is a large grassy area with 26 spots. We found a level site big enough to fit our 31foot class C RV. It is first come first serve dry camping. There were lots of horses and trailers along the back where they are designated to park. Good vibes all around and the fire tower was cool to climb up on and check out the views from up High! Watkins Glen SP is 15 minutes away and we highly recommend checking out that place! We never seen anything like it before. So beautiful! Overall this boondocking location was up there (5 stars) and we would definitely come back here if we visit the Fingerlakes again!

Starting May 17, 2021 the Sugar Hill Fire Tower Recreation Area has been re-opened for camping and day use. In an effort to limit the spread of COVID-19 camping is limited to 26 designated sites. A self-issued permit must be filled out when you arrive.

There is no reservation system, if you arrive and all campsites are full you will have to find another location to camp.

https://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/120286.html

Per the Department of Environmental Conservation Sugar Hill Fire Tower is closed to overnight camping. It is only open for day use.

Region 8- Rochester/ Western Finger Lakes
Sugar Hill Recreation Area - The fire tower, the gate off Tower Hill Road, and facilities (bathroom, water, campsites) at the Sugar Hill Rec area remain closed. Day use is allowed, but visitors will need to walk from the gate off Tower Hill Road. (Sugar Hill State Forest, Town of Orange, Schuyler County)