Best Tent Camping near Gilead, ME

I tent camped at site 6 for two nights in early September for a trail volunteer event for the Cohos Trail I and had an awesome stay.

For facilities, there is a camp office (though hours were not consistent), basic camp store, coin op showers, coin op laundry, a big dish cleaning station, and clean bathrooms.

For activities, this site is awesome for fly fishing folks since it’s a short walk from one of the best spots in NH.

I saw lots of folks kayaking and canoeing and there’s a public boat ramp a short walk from the campground. There was a sign for rentals but I didn’t see any available. This may be for earlier in the season.

The sites vary in terms of privacy. The lakefront sites were spectacular but you are close to your neighbors. I was in site 6, in one of the small loops off the waterfront drive. These spots were close together but were separated by some brush to make them feel more secluded. The tent sites in the outer loops looked to offer more privacy.

This campsite was full the weekend I was there and very lively during the day but very quiet and peaceful in the evening.

Lake Francis is way up in NH so this does feel remote. The main activities are hiking, fishing (both fly and from the boat), and I saw a host of folks ATVing.

I would definitely come back on account of the great fishing and peacefulness at night.

We went the last weekend they were open for the season (sometime in October) and it was a blast! Tent sites were spacious and had a decent amount of privacy. Electric and water hookups at tent sites. General store and amenities were clean and well taken care of! A lot of families around but it wasn’t distracting since the sites were private enough. Definitely recommend!

First time tent camping in the most beautiful place! Would highly recommend if you are looking for a place to recharge.

We have tent camped here for a week (if not twice) every summer for the last 5 years. Pond with rentals, pool, mini golf, daily activities, crafts....so family friendly. love the half moon and kitchen and bath sites.

Camped here twice in 2023. Once tent camping in July and the other was in our TT on Columbus day weekend. While the sites may be a bit close, they have everything to will need for a pleasant stay.

If you like yurts, cabins, or tent camping they have it all. The general store is stocked with your general food items and other camping needs items. Great for groups if you are getting/sharing a cabin. Bathhouse is large and nearby.

Large, new Adirondack shelters and tent sites. Get the shelter....only $4 more per day ahd huge! All the facilities are phenomenally well maintained.Clean bathrooms and awesome showers! Love this place!

Step walk in and out though most of the tent plat forms have amazing views. I have stayed here twice and had great experiences. A outhouse is located at this tent site as well as pump-able water, bear boxes and a shelter. Great place to stay on the Pemi Loop. It is a carry in carry out campsite.

What's good: Lots of amenities, clean facilities, kitchen wash area, playgrounds, etc.

What's not: you are right by the highway and the tent site loop gets a front row seat to all the cars coming in from the road. The sites are right on top of each other with no tree separation. Not for me...

Great place to stay along the Pemi Loop. Water is pump-able at the intersection to the tent-sites. A outhouse is located near the shelter and platforms. A cooking area is provided. Bear boxes are right next to the cooking area for overnight use. Carry in carry out does apply here. Overall great place to stay.

Beautiful campground with fresh fall air, a trickle in the stream, and leaves turning colors. The sites are all nice. Cabins and RV sites with hookups are closer yo the entrance, store and road. That latter feature is a bit if a bummer bc the noise from cars and trucks zipping by on route 302 is loud. The tent sites are all further in, nestled in the forest and along the steam. They are quite beautiful - serene and peaceful. Bathhouse near the store and entrance is far away from the tent sites but there are some porta potties in tent zone. Lots of beautiful walking trails, including along the stream / river. NOTE that in The Dyrt app, this is listed as Crawford Notch State Park, however that proved confusing to us because the entrance to the state park is a bit further up route 302. There are other campgrounds in the state park but this one seems to be just outside the state park - and this one is privately owned. Google Maps picked it up with the name Crawford Notch General Store and Campground.

Great campground with a mix of full hookup and tent sites! Many sites along the river and nice grassy sites near the front. Sites were spacious and well maintained. The campground is perfectly located for access to Franconia Notch. Highly recommend. The only negative was a mini-golf course that was falling apart but they still charged for to use.

Rudy's looked mostly to be an RV park, so my stop was maybe not the usual for this campground. I stopped for one night while I was thru-hiking the Cohos Trail in New Hampshire and had a great experience. There seemed to be much more space at this campground for RV and van travelers, though I didn't check out that part of the facility

I booked a tent site beforehand and on arrival had the choice of right next to Clarksville Pond or another area that I didn't check out since pondside sounded amazing, so my review is specific to the tenting experience.

I stopped by Rudy's before my hike, and they held onto a food drop for me (in a sealed big plastic container) for free, and held onto some extra gear for me so that I didn't need to carry it 

There are maybe ~3-4 tent sites right along the edge of the pond, in front of a few permanent cabins. They are basic tent sites right on the grass, with a fire ring and a picnic bench. The sites were flat and the views were amazing along the pond. 

I was able to get in a morning fly fishing session 5 feet from my tent! The wind was a bit high so no luck for me, but I saw the fish jumping when I stopped by after my hike to pick up some gear I left. Kathleen, the owner of the property, offered a free fly fishing lesson during my stay, but I had to decline to keep up the pace of my hike.

There was also access to the bathhouse with free heated showers, full bathrooms, and coin-op laundry. This was a great free amenity after 7 days on my hike for a necessary refresh.

The owner and other residents of the campground were super friendly. This was a great stop along my hike to refresh and connect with a few folks along the way.