Best Campgrounds near Bristol, NH

We stayed at Jacobs Brook Campground in Orford, NH last summer for 3 months and loved it so decided to come back for the whole season this year, May thru october. Me and my husband walk our dogs every day between 3-4pm on leashes. The first occurrence the owners dog was being walked by their elderly work-camper and drug her across the gravel to get loose. The dog locked on to one of my dogs throat and my husband had to put it in a choke hold to get it to let go. During the scuffle i got bit too but did not require medical attention. They promised to keep it indoors so we let it go to prevent any animosity during the rest of our stay. 2 weeks later we were walking close by the office and the dog busted through the storm door and ended up biting our other little dog. The owner did apologize but made statements like he(the dog) never acts this way with other dogs, it must be something wrong with your dogs. The more he talked to us the more it felt he was upset with us and viewed us as the problem. We have previously heard this dog aggressively barking and banging on the windows before when people get near the office/house. We were so upset at this second occurrence and did not feel safe there anymore so we left. We did request a partial refund for the remainder of the season since we had to pay up front for the 5 months but have not heard back from them.

Wilgus state park has amazing campsites, very friendly staff, and great access to the Connecticut River. This campground was beautiful and very quiet even though it was full. Campsites are all large and flat, lean to’s also have ample space for tents and the cabin sites are perfect. The only downside is there is 1 main bathroom so if you are at either end it can be a bit of a walk.

We loved walking the trail behind the campsites along the river to the beautiful vista views with a group with young kids, rented kayaks and fished from the boat launch. There is a great local pond for swimming that had dive docks, diving boards and lifeguards on duty that was less than 10 minutes away.

This campsite is very laid back and we had a great experience. The camping spots are spread out enough that you feel like you have privacy, even if you have neighbors. All spots come with a picnic table and fire pit. Campsite employees are all nice. We also have noticed that the bathrooms and shower area have all been clean.

When we went (July 2025) the water was closed due to Cyanobacteria Blooms, hence the 1 star deduction. We are grateful that they are honest about it, but it is disappointing to not be able to swim at the campers beach.

Overall it’s a clean, relaxing campsite and we will be back.

Campground is giant which causes it to be very busy. Little to no activities for kiddos. The pool is the main attraction and really great but gets very very busy. No one was controlling the slides so kids were going down in multiples and not making sure no one was at the bottom. The campground is very hilly and kids are ripping around in pedal and motorized bikes and scooters which is fine but no control at all in regards to speed and helmets. No WiFi or cell service except by the pool which can be hard if you need to be contacted. Cable tv at sites was available and intermittent quality. Sites are ok - nothing that I would say was amazing. All are spacious and generally shaded and flat. You can see all your neighbors but noise level wasn’t terrible. There were a lot of dogs - again totally fine but many barked all day when their owners were away. Bathrooms needed attention and got a bit gross by the pool. On site poolside cafe was ok - basic fried items and ice cream. Golf carts are kind of a must if staying in far away sites and they are very slow - no issue there but no power steering. Staff were very nice and helpful. I would stay again if I had more off site things planned.