Along the River Campground

Before staying at this campground, consider the following: 

1. The campsite is directly on route 302, the traffic noise, particularly the long-haul trucks, is constant and makes it impossible to sleep(you are that close to the road and there is no woods, trees or sound a barrier of any kind, to absorb the sound) 

2. There are no woods, no place to collect kindling, no way to start a campfire 

3. Campfire grates are available, for rent 

4. The sites are separated by a single thin line of trees, so minimal privacy 

5. The campsite ground is uneven 

6. The sites are not raked, so there are small rocks and pebbles everywhere 

7. There are street lights on route 302 directly across the road from the campground, so it never gets totally dark 

7. You may feel like you are tenting at a truck stop rather than camping at a campground 

We reserved site R04 and when we arrived realized it was too small for three adults, two tents, and two dogs, so we rented R05 upon when we arrived. We left the next morning because of the noise and lack of"camping atmosphere." When we talked with the woman in charge, and said we would be leaving, she said"sorry". When i asked if she could compensate us, even for one of the six nights, she said"sorry you already checked in." I could have had a better experience camping in my background. However, we were lucky enough to get a campsite at Lost River Campground in Woodstock, NH. A beautiful, peaceful, campground, that cares about is guests and their overall experience.

Rates are comparable to other private campgrounds in the area, and lower on the more primitive sites. They offer a variety of sites, everything from primitive with an off-site water spigot to 50A/water/sewer. The larger RV sites are open and grassy, centrally located. The sites along the river can be narrow and the site descriptions are confusing (they'll say TENT ONLY, but then list tent, trailer, RV, class B motorhome; in other words, they'll handle regular size tents and smaller trailers and vans, but are not suitable for RVs with slideouts - and not guaranteed that your mega-tent will fit either). Each campsite description includes dimensions of the site so you can determine if your equipment will fit. If you want extra space, you want one of the premium river sites, but you'll pay for it. These sites are elevated above the river, so not convenient for getting to the river directly from your site, but the campground isn't very large and it's an easy stroll down to the river access near site R1. None of the sites are far from the restroom. If you don't care about being near the river and have a tent, check out some of the sites along the back road. Unlike several of the campgrounds in the area, you can reserve at least some of the sites online, though some will require a phone call. It has a mix of seasonal and short-term campers. Check-in at 1, check-out at 11.

If you're the type who likes to hang around the campground during the day or relax poolside after a day of hiking, this campground offers an inground pool, play area for the kids, the river to wade in, and a rec hall with pool and ping pong. Wifi coverage is VERY good; cell phone not great, but available.

This is a nice location for exploring the White Mountains, particularly if you want to hike some of the 4000-footers in the area (Garfield, Galehead, Twins, Zealand) or smaller peaks with a view such as the Sugarloafs, take a trip up Mt Washington via the Cog Railway or Ammonoosuc or Jewell trails, or explore Crawford or Franconia Notch.

This campground is finding its new identity and the website has been updated to reflect the new name (Along the River Campground, formerly Tarry Ho Campground). Email confirmation mentioned Tarry Ho in the subject, the sign out front still says Tarry Ho Campground, my calendar interpreted it as Allegory Inn). I had difficulty connecting with them...I reached out with questions and then just went with it after getting no answer via phone/voicemail full/email (granted, I was trying during the July 4th week, but you would think someone would eventually answer the phone).

I enjoyed my stay here and would stay here again when hiking in this area. I gave it 4 stars because of the inconsistency in site quality and size. They also have small cabins available for rent.