Best Tent Camping near Canaan, NH
The Appalachian Trail corridor dominates tent camping options within driving distance of Canaan, New Hampshire, with multiple backcountry shelters offering tent sites for hikers. Cardigan Campsites provides established tent camping near Mount Cardigan, serving as a popular base for hiking the mountain's trails and reaching its fire tower. Baker Rocks offers more developed tent sites with platforms set among wooded areas approximately 15 miles from Canaan, while Moose Mountain and Trapper John backcountry sites provide primitive options directly on the AT.
Sites may be set on dirt, forest duff, or designated tent platforms with minimal amenities at most locations. Backcountry AT shelter areas typically feature basic privies but no guaranteed water sources, particularly during late summer drought conditions. Most established campgrounds like Cardigan Skyline Camps and Baker Rocks provide fire rings and picnic tables, while AT sites generally prohibit fires. Seasonal access varies significantly, with higher elevation sites often closed during winter months. The Squam Lakes Association manages remote tent sites requiring boat-in or hike-in access, available from May through November with composting toilets but no drinking water.
Areas farther from established campgrounds offer deeper seclusion and darker night skies. The tent platforms at Baker Rocks provide a solid camping surface while remaining under forest canopy for shade and privacy, despite some road noise. Many AT shelter areas include both the shelter structure and separate tent camping zones with varying degrees of levelness and privacy between sites. Backpackers frequently use these areas as overnight stops during section hikes rather than destination camping. One camper shared that the Moose Mountain shelter site includes "a host of large, flat tent sites around the shelter" and "a bench overlooking a clearing in the brush with a view which was a great place to enjoy my freeze dried dinner."
