Looking for the best tent campgrounds near Dorchester? Find the best information on tent camping near Dorchester, including sites, reviews, and tips for getting the most out of your camping experience. Search nearby tent campgrounds or find top-rated spots from other campers.
Baker Rocks is a boutique nature experience nestled between New Hampshire's Lakes and White Mountains Region. Located along 3,000 feet of the Baker River and across from well-known Rumney Rocks climbing area, we offer unique accommodations, event spaces, store, and farm stand. In addition we provide such amenities as a nature-based playground, CrossFit and yoga space, private trails, and river/beach access.
We encourage you to view our site, at Baker Rocks, for additional information and booking options.
$60 - $325 / night
$12 - $33 / night
Built and maintained by the Dartmouth Outing Club, the Trapper John Shelter is located 1.1 miles from Dorchester Road via Holts Ledge Trail (Appalachian Trail) and spur trail. The 3-walled shelter can accommodate 8 people. The site has a composting privy and a fire ring. There is a water source nearby.
Stream. Regardless of the source, remember to boil, filter, or chemically purify water before use.
This 'Adirondack' style shelter sits atop the ridge of Moose Mountain off a loop trail from the Moose Mountain Trail (Appalachain Trail). This shelter was built by the Dartmouth Outing Club entirely by hand -using no power tools. It replaced the previous existing shelter located on the old Clark Pond Loop Trail. The shelter accomodates 8. A privy and 2 tent platforms are on separate side paths off the loop trail. Marginal water is nearby.
The Velvet Rocks Shelter is located on the Velvet Rocks Trail 1.2 miles from the official western terminus of the trail near NH Rte 120 and Chase Field House in Hanover. A privy is located nearby. Water is accessed along the loop trail but may be unreliable in dry months.
$50 - $110 / night
Scout
It was a very quiet location. There was plenty of room between sites. The roads going in and leaving were well maintained. I accidently booked a tent site, and my popup camper and truck almost didn't fit. We will have to go back and get a shelter site. This way we can get the beautiful views of the mountains. We both enjoyed the Coolidge State Park
Ranger
Your typical first-come first-served National Forest campground with vault toilets and handpump water. The Albany Covered Bridge is a short walk away.
Scout
Very nice place. Lots of spots for tents and RV, I believe all of them with fireplace. Quiet and clean.
Scout
This is a picnic area that people insist on camping there and because of this kind of stuff is why we keep loosing free camping sites
Legend
Nice and quiet
Traveler
small number of sites and a bit hard to find
Legend
I scouted this area a couple of years ago and stayed in one of the lean-tos, this is a great area in the winter when no-one else is around.
There is a parking lot near the main road where you can park. The hike around the pond is nice, but wet, rocky and you need to be a sure-footed person. Views are great, the pond is amazing, and the campsites are well maintained.
Most sites have a lean-to and a well-built fireplace as well as an outhouse. Keep in mind this is a pack in pack out location. You are not allowed to cut wood, and only fallen dead is available for use.
Legend
This is a great spot to stop for a night with your RV and enjoy the river for a night.
Easy to get to, just off of a one-way paved road.
Legend
There are a handful of sites to camp at along the river here, each offering a slightly different experience. The dirt road along the river is an easy drive, though it is single lane in a few locations, so be aware of oncoming traffic. Some of the sites are drive in, some are walk in, but all are primitive.
There is no electricity, no cell coverage, not outhouses in this area. Be prepared to pack out everything you bring in.
This area is being heavily use and some spots are being shut down from abuse, please be aware that you have a lot of impact, and that impact can be positive or negative. Choose Positive!
This area is closed in the winter due to snow, by the GMNF
Scout
I strongly urge anyone considering Getaway Mountain Campground to stay far away. Our experience here was nothing short of appalling. From the moment we checked in, the owners were extremely rude and unwelcoming. After staying for the weekend, we extended our stay due to the campground’s cleanliness, thinking it would be perfect for our family, including our three children with special needs and our service animals.
Unfortunately, the owner’s behavior quickly escalated. One day, the man running the office drove by on his golf cart and began yelling and swearing at me, accusing us of not picking up after our dogs. I explained that we always clean up after them, but he refused to listen. We decided to leave for the weekend to avoid further conflict, but when we returned, we found piles of dog poop deliberately placed near our motorhome. Things worsened when one of our children, who is nonverbal, picked up a pile of the mess.
When we addressed the issue with the office, the owner’s wife not only refused to acknowledge their behavior but also accused us of lying. The man’s hostile behavior escalated again, yelling and swearing at us in front of our children. He threatened to have us thrown out by the police, which he followed through on. The officers who responded could see that this was a personal issue and were baffled as to why they had been called. We were told to leave, but not before being denied a refund for the remaining days we had already paid for.
To make matters worse, we’ve since learned that the owners of Getaway Mountain Campground have been actively calling around to other campgrounds, slandering our name. They falsely claim we don’t pick up after our dogs and that my husband chased the owner with a 2x4—an outright lie. The current campground we’re staying at informed us of this and has stated that they’ve seen no issues with us or our pets. In fact, the surrounding campers have no complaints, and the campground owner is willing to write a statement about the situation, including notifying the authorities of this baseless harassment.
The entire experience left us feeling targeted and mistreated. We have traveled extensively throughout the U.S. and have never encountered anything like this. Save yourself the trouble and avoid this campground at all costs.
Verdict: AVOID Getaway Mountain Campground.
Traveler
I found this place on The Dyrt app, so I came to check it out, I made a reservation online just to make sure I guaranteed my spot when I arrived, which I didn’t had to worry about either way because there was lots of empty spaces, but you never know, even though I made my reservation my spot didn’t have my name on it or any information about when I was suppose to arrive and leave, there was nobody there, but made me wonder if there was someone already there, besides that, it’s a great place to camping, clean, quite, bathroom was close by, shower and everything, besides all that I was able to use my phone with no problems, I have AT&T btw, there is a Dunkin, General store and a gas station like 3 minutes driving, which is great in case you forgot to buy something or are too lazy to make coffee and breakfast, I stayed for 2 night, can’t complain, and will come back for sure, I highly recommend this place, although I recommend to get the side from 33 to 57 it’s on the other side and not too close from the highway.
Scout
I just found out that Onion River Camground just willingly hosted a MAP(minor attracted person aka pedofile) meeting at their campground. I am so disgusted the owners of Onion River Campground that hosted this meeting allowed my family with two young girls to BOOK a campsite the SAME WEEKEND as this meeting with no warning of what was going on!!!! By the grace of God, we cancelled two weeks ago(for other reasons) and rerouted to another state. I’m sitting here reading this imagining my beautiful kids walking around a campground innocently with nasty individuals looking at them in a sexual way without my wife or I ever knowing what was going on right under our noses. It’s digusting and appalling that the campground owners support these pedofiles and would let ANY family book a stay there without making us aware. I HAD NO IDEA THIS WAS SOMETHING I NEEDED TO LOOKOUT FOR BUT I THINK OTHERS SHOULD BE AWARE OF THIS. I don’t agree with supporting MAPs at all but if you are then make it an adult only campground for heavens sake.
Ranger
Came in on a Wednesday afternoon in late September and found several available camp sites.
There are no amenities at this campground. It is an open field on the left side of the road with two or three sites on the right side of the road that are walk in sites.
The scenic beauty of this place is amazing. There was some color in the forest but most of it was still green. There are wide open views of 3 mountain ranges. There are many flowering plants, wild apple trees on the right side of the road. Lots of birds, butterflies, and bees (they were not agressive).
The campground was very quiet at night except for an occasional owl hoot.
We were fortunate to have perfect weather for our stay. This would be an awesome place to see the fall colors.
ScoutYou deserve to be run out of business for even considering hosting such a disgusting function.
Guide
August stay very nice site 210 facing east with views of loon mountain area. These sites are w/E/S. Second stay mid September site 225 good easterly view. Quiet and peaceful. Lower sites by river with wooded sites of all categories. Tenting to small RV’s.
GuideStayed here in August for a few nights now booking in September for three nights. Like sites on Harley road, with views of loon mountain and surrounding vistas. Very nice campground with lots of wooded sites some with river frontage. Very well appointed store. Lots of sites have electric and water. No RV over 32’ in lower sites over lost river bridge. Also cabins available throughout the grounds for those without RV/Tent. Close to town with stores , restaurants, gas stations
Scout
My family and friends were drawn to this campground for its exciting pool and convenient location, and those aspects definitely lived up to expectations. However, our campsite was not level, and the sites were very close together with little privacy. We were tent camping but the area we were in, while a tent site, is best for RVs.
The bathroom facilities could also use some attention– a loose toilet and a broken hand dryer weren't ideal. Overall, we enjoyed our stay, but these conditions kept it from being great.
ScoutPretty pond, good lean-to's, nice toilets, central put-in for canoes and kayaks, friendly people. Big groups in one area, individual remote sites far enough away to be private. Nicely maintained, friendly staff when you do see them. Went September 6 and 7 2024. Only 3 hours from Boston.
Ranger
I was lucky to snag one of the couple remaining campsites on a Saturday afternoon. The sites are spacious, the bathrooms with flush toilets are clean enough, and the river nearby is a great spot to rock-hop if you're not too busy hiking the many amazing trails in the area.
Traveler
Great campsite!
Bear box, food area, water source, cabin, Privy, and platforms.
Scout
In addition to the descriptions of this campground in other reviews, I add charm and utility of site design, and the friendliness and intelligence of the staff. Enjoy the serenity of the forest surrounding you, while you glimpse stars, and warm your innards beside a fire.
Scout
Owners were very welcoming and helpful. The bathrooms were cleaner than mine at home. Nostalgic feel with playground, pool, and rec hall.
Traveler
Nicely spaced sites, level and welcoming hosts. There are a few trails around the campground and it is close to Mt Ascutney which if you are feeling a bit lazy there is an auto rd that goes about 3/4 of the way up. 3 mi. Away Springfield as all the services you might need.
Guide
Great spot, especially for families, it is a bit expensive, at $30 for tent spot and $40 for lean to. the staff was helpful and kept the grounds clean. We ended paying more for the lean to because it was more secluded and quiet, the rest of the park was busy.
Our spot was right on the brook which was peaceful and beautiful. It also had a fire pit with a grill grate and they sold firewood at the front gate.
Legend
This easy-to-access campground has made it on my list of places to stay.
There are two loops of sites, some deep in the woods with great-looking trees, others in a field, and some in between. There are even sites with stalls if you're into horses.
The bathhouse looks typical and clean.
Not much cell service, but some in places.
Easy access to a lake and a picnic pavilion.
Noticed more than a few sites that I could hang at.
Legend
This is a small campground, really it's an extension of Stillwater just up the road. Check-in happens at Stillwater, purchase your firewood and drive the 2 min down to Big Deer.
For Vermont, these sites felt close, but we could still get privacy. We did have to change sites due to our neighbors yelling at their kids and using less-than-appropriate language to do so. We could still hear them on the other side of the campground :(
The site itself was nice, even though it lacked privacy.
Boulder Beach Road is an easy dirt road access to these campgrounds.
We had 1 bar of AT&T service.
The bathrooms were adequate, nothing special
But we made a last-minute decision to camp and this was a decent location for that. I would camp here again, but it wouldn't be my first choice.
Traveler
We had a great stay at white lake state park. I was surprised that there was only a large log separating our site from the next one but luckily it was just my brothers family so it wasn’t awkward. Our sites (2-11 and 2-11a) survived a 2 hour monsoon with some water running through but other sites had some major flooding so just something to be cognizant of.
Camping near Dorchester, New Hampshire, offers a mix of beautiful landscapes and family-friendly activities. Whether you're looking for a peaceful retreat or an adventure-filled getaway, there are plenty of campgrounds to choose from.
Camping near Dorchester, New Hampshire, offers a variety of experiences for everyone. From scenic views to family-friendly activities, there's something for every camper to enjoy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Dorchester, NH?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Dorchester, NH is Baker Rocks with a 5-star rating from 3 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Dorchester, NH?
TheDyrt.com has all 52 tent camping locations near Dorchester, NH, with real photos and reviews from campers.
