314 campgrounds · Check availability for any dates.
Fryeburg, Maine serves as a gateway to riverside camping experiences along the Saco River, with developed campgrounds and dispersed sites within a short drive. Campgrounds near Fryeburg range from basic tent sites to full-hookup RV parks and cabin rentals, with most options concentrated along the river corridor. On the Saco Family Campground provides riverfront tent and RV camping with full hookups, while areas like Fiddlehead Campground and Woodland Acres offer additional options for water-based recreation. Several properties in the area feature private access to the Saco River, making them popular bases for kayaking, canoeing, and tubing adventures.
The camping season near Fryeburg typically runs from May through October, with limited availability outside these months due to New England's cold winters. Many developed campgrounds require reservations, especially for weekend stays during peak summer months when river recreation draws crowds. Facilities vary significantly, from basic dispersed sites with pit toilets to established campgrounds offering showers, electric hookups, and sewer connections. Water activities dominate the camping experience, with many campgrounds offering river shuttles and equipment rentals for floating trips. Access roads are generally well-maintained, though some riverside sites may have sandy terrain. One camper noted: "We stayed at one of the sites on the pond—great sites with excellent breeze off the pond. I was worried it might be a buggy pond at this point in the season but it was beautiful."
The Saco River represents the primary attraction for camping in the Fryeburg area, with numerous camping areas featuring direct river access. Most developed campgrounds cater to families seeking water recreation, though reviews suggest weekend crowds can create a more social atmosphere. Sites directly on the water command premium rates but offer the convenience of launching boats or tubes directly from camp. Visitors report varying levels of privacy between campgrounds, with some offering heavily wooded sites while others have more open layouts. "Took a shuttle up with some kayaks—reasonably priced—and drifted back down 10 miles right to our site," shared one reviewer of On the Saco Family Campground. Camping areas farther from the river tend to be quieter but still provide access to hiking opportunities on nearby Pleasant Mountain.
"There were plenty of sites to choose from and most (not all) had access to the river as well as a fire ring. Sites were on a dirt road, but it was quiet for the most part."
"Couldn’t ask for better sites, both sites 9 & 12 were very private and only a short walk through the woods to setup camp along the river."
"A large wooden shelter stood over our picnic table, with a decent amount of space next to it for tents or a small camper."
"Great location with easy ride to all North Conway attractions. Nice hay ride and playground. The beach is sandy and lots of room to spread out. We visited Story Land and Mt."
"Last weekend, our family stayed at White Lake State Park for four days."
"I’ve stayed here a few times and love the location and access to White Lake."
from $35 - $105 / night
Check Availability"They have bike rentals, disc golf, ping pong table, outside big chess game, pool, outlet shopping was near by, near by historic sites, like kangamangus Highway, diana’s Bath, cathedral ledge, we went"
"People to our left and the ones behind us were annual vistors to this campground. We are new to Rving it was refreshing to be around such nice people."
"Plenty to do at the campground and around the surrounding area for people
of all ages.
Remember you are in the mountains... you will see wildlife."
"Had beautiful gal foliage and was close to some great hikes. Our spot near the river was also very cool"
"It is also in a great area with amazing hiking nearby. Make sure to head not far down the road and climb up to the peak of Pleasant Mountain to get an incredible view of the entire area."
"The river was perfect, sandy bottom, refreshing current, we anchored ourselves for a bit then pulled it up and just floated down river for awhile before walking back along the sandbars right in the river"
from $32 - $36 / night
Check Availability"This campground is in a great location. It’s nestled right off the Kancamagus with walking access to boulder loop trail and the swift river. It’s a quick drive to many hiking trails."
"Our site was spacious and backed up to a little ravine so it was fairly private even though it was right next to the bathrooms (also convenient). We weren’t far from a hand pump water spigot, either."
from $30 / night
Check Availability"This campground is huge with over 300 sites set on nearly 200 acres and along a beautiful lake!"
"We love the golf carts and sandy beaches as well as the proximity to North Conway and Lake Ossipee. Staff are nice, quiet time is a bit over enforced."
from $40 - $85 / night
Check Availability"This state park campground located between Rte 302 and the Dry River in Crawford Notch is a great location for exploring family friendly trails to (Sawyer Pond, Arethusa Falls, Willard Cliffs to name a"
"Cool location right on the edge of the Dry River Wilderness. Great Basecamp for lots of hikes in the area. Some spots are right on the highway with not much tree cover in between so can be loud."
from $35 - $40 / night
Check Availability"White Ledge Campground is in the White Mountain National Forest and should not be confused with nearby White Lake State Park."
"Water spigot and vault toilets, dumpsters all within easy walking distance of all sites. Great spot to start Carter Ledge Trail to hike Three Sisters and Mount Chocorua."
from $30 / night
Check Availability
TravelerNo toilet, no showers, no Wi-Fi, no electricity Love it I’ve been primitive camping since before I could walk and def glad this app exist
First use of the app and found the perfect spot away from my friends Airbnb and still close enough to go hangout with them. The site is the perfect size for a single or couple and it gives off the right kind of privacy
Thanks Dyrt
ScoutWent on a weekend and it was still very peaceful! Lots to do on such a beautiful back road. We stayed at two different sites each night we were there and both were equally beautiful and peaceful
Scout⭐**Gunstock Campground: Apparently Your Reserved Site Is More of a Suggestion**
I don't believe I have**ever** left a negative Google review. I generally think that when something goes wrong, you contact the business, give them an opportunity to make it right, and most businesses are genuinely interested in doing exactly that.
Gunstock Campground has cured me of that quaint notion.
I reserved a full-hookup campsite for two nights. I was unable to make it there the first night, but arrived shortly after 7:00 a.m. the next morning. The camp store, where registration takes place, wasn't open yet, so I headed out for my planned hike— about six miles through the Belknaps, including summiting Rowe twice and Gunstock.
By the time I returned, I was utterly exhausted, starving, and actually feeling weak. My ambitions for the afternoon were modest:**eat something, take a shower, and collapse at the campsite I had paid for.**
The staff at the camp store greeted me warmly, checked me in, and sent me on my way.
I drove to my site. There was already a camper in it. Not merely*parked* there, mind you. They had apparently moved right in. They were hooked up to**my site's water and electric**, with water spraying from their ill-fitting hose connection and forming a rather impressive puddle underneath the camper.
I returned to the camp store to report that someone had apparently activated Gunstock's new**"Choose Any Site You Like"** camping plan. A staff member went down to speak with them and came back to tell me they were "packing up." Excellent! My mistake was assuming" packing up" meant**leaving**. It did not.
Apparently these campers had actually reserved a site**two rows away** that had**no water or electric**. Yet somehow, sometime after arriving the previous night, they had accidentally found themselves two rows over, in my clearly different site, connected to utilities their reservation didn't include.
We've all made mistakes. I've occasionally parked one space away from where I intended. I've never accidentally parked**two rows away, hooked myself up to someone else's electricity and water, and spent the night.**
But perhaps I lack imagination.
After they had now consumed about an hour of my afternoon— which, incidentally, is an hour I normally bill at attorney rates— I went back toward my site expecting to find it finally vacated.
And it was! Because Gunstock had moved these folks to another site**two spaces away from me**, apparently allowing them to pay for the upgrade they had already been test-driving. So the people who knowingly or unknowingly occupied my reserved full-hookup site, used the utilities, and delayed me from getting into the site I paid for were rewarded with...a nearby full-hookup site.
They never walked over to apologize. At that point, I no longer felt comfortable staying. It's difficult to relax at a campground when you've just discovered that site assignments appear to operate somewhat on the honor system— and that when someone helps themselves to your reserved site and utilities, management's solution is apparently to make sure *they* remain comfortably accommodated nearby. So I left. On my way home, I called Gunstock and asked for a refund. Surely, I thought, this would be the easy part. After all, I had paid for two nights, hadn't used the first, couldn't get into my site when I arrived for the second, waited while unauthorized occupants vacated it, and ultimately left because the entire experience had become so unpleasant.
Nope. Instead, the staff member **defended the other campers**. I was told they arrived late and "mistakenly" took my site. I was even told they supposedly **hadn't used the utilities**. This was particularly fascinating information for me to receive because **I PERSONALLY SAW THEM HOOKED UP TO THE WATER AND ELECTRIC.** I also took photographs. Including the enormous puddle underneath their camper from the leaking water connection. But apparently my eyewitness account and photographs were no match for the alternative version of events.
For my inconvenience, however, Gunstock did give me a coupon for a **free Bavarian pretzel**. So there is that.
I paid for a full-hookup campsite. Someone else occupied it and used the hookups. I lost roughly an hour waiting to access what I had reserved. The other campers were accommodated with an upgraded site nearby. I left because I no longer felt comfortable staying. And when I asked Gunstock to make the situation right, they refused to refund me and instead argued with me about things **I had personally witnessed and photographed**. The most disappointing part isn't that another camper took my site. Campers can behave badly. Businesses can't control everything their customers do. **What a business CAN control is how it responds when that happens. ** Gunstock had every opportunity to turn this into a mildly annoying story about a camping mix-up. Instead, they turned it into my first negative Google review.
But hey... **I do have that free pretzel coupon.**
TravelerPros: We have the p lube nearly to ourselves, thus it was very similar to dispersed camping. Nice little campground with two small ponds (One for fishing, the other for swimming). Nothing very remarkable, though.
Cons: As others have mentioned, if you want flush toilets and pay showers, you have to either stay at the more crowded, larger loop or walk across the highway to get to those amenities.
ScoutWe stayed midweek and the park was 1/2 empty. Lots of kids activities. Wonderful bathrooms and showers. Great laundry. Close to Freeport but not the water
ScoutWe just came back from a big family weekend there. We had 5 sites with 19 people(including children). This is by far the most rundown campground I've stayed! Only 1 bathroom facility was functioning. Of the 3 times I tried taking a shower, I only succeeded 1 time. The other 2 times(once at night and once the following morning at 6am) I only got drops coming out of the hot and cold faucets. I tried the only 2 stalls. Speaking of bathrooms...these have not been updated since the 60s-early 70s when I was camping with the same style bathroom facilities. The children's playground should be condemned!!! At least 25% of the wood is rotted. Some steps are missing from ladders. My granddaughter was swinging in the childs swing, the bottom unlatched and she fell through the bottom. If she wasn't monkey like in holding on she would have done a face plant to the ground. After looking at the swing, I found the plastic latch broken! 2 positives: the campsites are very nice! and the beach is great! Bottom line, these owners are not putting any money back into the campground and it's facilities. They are running it into the ground. I won't be coming back again!
ScoutWonderful stay! Clean bathrooms/showers. Woodsy and quiet. Clean campsites with water and electric. The people were super helpful and friendly! Wonderful stay, would easy stay here again :)
TravelerIt was everything we were looking for, right on the river, quiet and clean, the section we stayed in was all tent camping so we weren’t sandwiched in between a bunch of RVs blocking the view. There was no lights, generators or loud music. Alcohol wasn’t permitted so that really cuts down on a lot of unnecessary nonsense. Pets are permitted and our dog loved it. It was very pleasant and relaxing. Can’t wait to go back.
GuideStayed 8 nights with complete solitude. Bugs weren't too bad. There were plenty of dead birch trees and beech trees for firewood. Not any evergreens though. Site 16 has two campsites. I took the further one with plenty of room. Good size fire pit, but people before me left some large pieces of wood not completely put out along with lit coals.
Fryeburg sits at the foothills of New Hampshire's White Mountains with the Saco River creating a unique ecosystem that's ideal for camping. The area's sandy riverbanks and surrounding pine forests maintain relatively mild temperatures during summer camping season. Most campgrounds in the region open from mid-May through mid-October when daytime temperatures average 75-85°F and water levels in the Saco are optimal for recreation.
Hiking nearby peaks: Head to Town Hall Road Dispersed for access to excellent hiking. "Potash Mountain and Hedgehog Mountain are hikes with nice rewards for moderate effort," notes a camper. There's a hiking trail directly from campsite areas: "If you cross and go through the woods to the right there's some great spots to explore further!"
River float experiences: Explore the Saco River at your own pace. At Saco River Camping Area, you can "take a short walk to the pavilion and put a tube in and float the river back around to the beach area. We did it 4 times!" Another visitor mentioned "the river is really great" with many access points throughout the region.
Mountain biking trails: Bring your bikes to explore the woodland paths. One reviewer at a nearby campground shares, "Bicycles are a good idea since the gatehouse is a pretty good hike away from the camping areas." Many campgrounds offer bike rentals for exploring the region's scenic terrain.
River access points: Campers appreciate multiple entry points to the Saco. At On the Saco Family Campground, "the river was perfect, sandy bottom, refreshing current, we anchored ourselves for a bit then pulled it up and just floated down river for awhile before walking back along the sandbars right in the river!"
Privacy between sites: Many visitors value secluded camping areas. At the free camping area near Town Hall Road, "sites were on a dirt road, but it was quiet for the most part. Sites were also a good distance from each other so it felt pretty private." Look for campgrounds with natural barriers between sites.
Beach areas along water: Sandy beaches are a major draw for campers. At White Lake State Park Campground, "the lake is clear, the swimming area is shallow for quite a distance so you can feel comfortable with kids, and there is a separate boat launch area." Another visitor noted "the beach area is very nice and has lots of tables and grills."
Road noise considerations: Some campgrounds experience traffic noise. At White Ledge Campground, "the loop for sites 14-28 parallels NH16; you WILL hear and even see road traffic and Rte 16 is busy." Request sites further from main roads when possible.
Variable site privacy: Site separation varies dramatically between campgrounds. One camper noted, "We were in the 'safari' area and it was super hot - not the greatest, but - good river access so we were in the water for hours at a time." Research site maps before booking.
Bear awareness important: Wildlife encounters are possible. "There were 2 active bears while we were there. They circled our camper at night. It was incredible to watch. Of course we never left any food out!" Bears are active throughout the region, so proper food storage is essential.
Swimming areas for children: Choose campgrounds with designated swimming zones. At Jellystone Park Glen Ellis, they offer "a beautiful pool to cool off in, a nice playground and arcade for the kids. It's located in the heart of everything." The campground is "nestled between the Ellis River and the Saco River" providing multiple water options.
Activities during rain: Weather can be unpredictable, so have backup plans. "Town Hall Road free camping was a great place for rainy camping. We went during a pouring rain storm and our site remained relatively dry. We even enjoyed a small fire the next day." Many campgrounds offer covered pavilions or game rooms.
Campground amenities: Look for family-focused facilities. One camper noted their campground had "free mini golf, playground, golf cart rentals, a fully outfitted camp store and more." Another mentioned "they had an adorable mining station for the kids at the front and it was a lot of fun."
Site leveling challenges: Many campsites near Fryeburg have uneven terrain. At Covered Bridge, "our site was huge, and the driveway was a rather steep hill." Another camper mentioned "the road was not as bad as I anticipated. There was room for my Jeep Grand Cherokee towing a squaredrop camper to pass."
Access road considerations: Some campgrounds have challenging entry roads. "The road in for RVs is not terrific. There is about a 1/2 mile that is mostly one lane (with a drop off on one side) and if someone is coming decisions have to be made." Research access points before arrival.
Hookup availability: Hookup options vary widely. One camper noted, "Sites were large and level. With our 20 foot trailer we could still fit our Ford 150 and Subaru Forrester in front of it and still had room for another car." Many campgrounds offer water and electric, but full hookups are limited in this region.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best campgrounds near Fryeburg, Maine?
Fryeburg's location near the White Mountains and Saco River offers excellent camping options. Crawford Notch Campground provides nicely spaced sites with privacy, especially those farther from the entrance. The riverfront sites are perfect for water activities, and 60 acres of trails connect directly to the campground. Timberland Campground offers a beautiful walking path along the river and, while close to the main road, remains relatively quiet. For those seeking other options, On the Saco Family Campground and Eastern Slope Camping Area provide excellent river access and are ideal for canoeing and kayaking adventures.
What amenities are available at Fiddlehead Campground in Fryeburg?
While specific recent reviews for Fiddlehead Campground aren't available, this family-friendly campground in Fryeburg offers a range of amenities typical of campgrounds in the region. For comparable facilities, Crocker Pond in nearby West Bethel provides waterfront sites with basic amenities in a more rustic setting. For those seeking more amenities, Grafton Notch Campground in Western Maine offers well-wooded sites with access to hiking trails and natural attractions. Most Fryeburg area campgrounds typically provide fire rings, picnic tables, drinking water, restrooms, and shower facilities. Many campgrounds in the region also offer recreation areas, river access, and seasonal activities. Contact Fiddlehead directly for their most current amenities and reservation information.
Can you camp at the Fryeburg Fair and what are the accommodations?
Yes, camping is available at the Fryeburg Fair, typically held in early October. The fairgrounds offer designated camping areas for RVs and trailers, but spaces are limited and fill quickly. Camping is primarily designed for exhibitors, fair workers, and vendors, though some public camping is available. No hookups are provided, but generators are permitted during certain hours. Portable toilets and water stations are accessible throughout the grounds. For those seeking more amenities during fair week, Lakeside Pines Campground offers wooded sites with easy lake access about 25 minutes away. Alternatively, Bethel Outdoor Adventure and Campground provides full hook-up sites for large RVs within reasonable driving distance to the fair.
Keep Exploring
