If you're looking for a place to pitch your tent near Etna, look no further. Finding a place to camp in New Hampshire with your tent has never been easier. You're sure to find the perfect tent campsite for your New Hampshire camping adventure.
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.
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.
Just like the Long Trail, the Vermont Appalachian Trail has shelters that can be used by hikers. Winturri Shelter, Stony Brook Shelter, Thistle Hill Shelter, and Happy Hill Shelter are all available on a first come, first serve basis for hikers to spend the night.
Group Use: Groups hiking this portion of the Appalachian Trail may need an Outfitter Guide Special Use Permit from the Green Mountain National Forest. Gilford Woods State Park Campground, where the Appalachian Trail crosses VT 100, and Silver Lake State Park Campground, north of the AT off VT 12 in Barnard, are available for base camp hiking. Please refer to our Groups Hiking Page for more information.
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.
$12 - $33 / night
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
here are nearly six dozen Long Trail overnight sites spaced no more than a moderate day’s hike apart. These range from fully enclosed lodges to three-sided lean-tos and tenting areas. All sites, although primitive, have a water source nearby (purity and reliability cannot be guaranteed) and a privy (outhouse). Visitors must carry their own food, backpacking stove, and overnight gear.
Sites Along the Long Trail: Tenting area: Wooden tent platforms. Shelter: Usually three sided with a sloped roof. Fit 6-10 people. Lodge: Usually four-sided with wooden bunks. Fit 10-24 people.
Backcountry Campsites How many sites on the Long Trail? Over 70! Are there amenities? Established backcountry sites are all located by a primitive water source (untested) and a privy. There are no wood stoves. Are they by reservation? No, all sites are first-come, first-served. Is there a fee? A moderate fee ($5) is charged at overnight sites with GMC caretakers in the summer and fall. This fee funds a small portion of the Caretaker Program, which is an integral part of maintaining and protecting the Long Trail. The sites with caretakers require consistent maintenance of the site and the surrounding trails. (GMC members get to stay free!) How long can I stay? We request you stay no more than two consecutive nights. Do I still need to bring my tent if there is a shelter at the site I plan on spending the night? YES! Shelters are first come, first served, and during peak hiking season they are usually full. It is important to have your tent, tarp, or other shelter with you.
There are nearly six dozen Long Trail overnight sites spaced no more than a moderate day’s hike apart. These range from fully enclosed lodges to three-sided lean-tos and tenting areas. All sites, although primitive, have a water source nearby (purity and reliability cannot be guaranteed) and a privy (outhouse). Visitors must carry their own food, backpacking stove, and overnight gear.
Sites Along the Long Trail: Tenting area: Wooden tent platforms. Shelter: Usually three sided with a sloped roof. Fit 6-10 people. Lodge: Usually four-sided with wooden bunks. Fit 10-24 people.
Backcountry Campsites How many sites on the Long Trail? Over 70! Are there amenities? Established backcountry sites are all located by a primitive water source (untested) and a privy. There are no wood stoves. Are they by reservation? No, all sites are first-come, first-served. Is there a fee? A moderate fee ($5) is charged at overnight sites with GMC caretakers in the summer and fall. This fee funds a small portion of the Caretaker Program, which is an integral part of maintaining and protecting the Long Trail. The sites with caretakers require consistent maintenance of the site and the surrounding trails. (GMC members get to stay free!) How long can I stay? We request you stay no more than two consecutive nights. Do I still need to bring my tent if there is a shelter at the site I plan on spending the night? YES! Shelters are first come, first served, and during peak hiking season they are usually full. It is important to have your tent, tarp, or other shelter with you.
There are many general forest areas available on the Green Mountain National Forest for rustic or dispersed camping. These areas provide a place to camp and enjoy nature’s solitude at no charge. Visitors can camp anywhere on the forest unless the area is posted closed to camping. Camp in existing sites or stay the strongly recommended 200 feet from roads, streams, trails, and bodies of water to disperse impact. Do not cut any vegetation. There is a camping limit of 14 days in any 30-day period on the Forest. Please leave the campsites clean by using Leave No Trace Principles, such as carry out what you carry in.
Forest Road 35 in Pittsfield, off of State Route 100, provides many camping opportunities in the woods and along Michigan Brook. The road is not recommended for low clearance vehicles.
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.
Legend
Note: This is a back country shelter site that is hike-in only on the Appalachian Trail. There can be seasonal water sources but water is not guaranteed.
I had a great night here tent camping while doing a week-long section hike of the AT.
The shelter is a standard three-sided shelter. There were a host of large, flat tent sites around the shelter, and I tented in one of these.
The shelter did stand out with a bench overlooking a clearing in the brush with a view (see photos) which was a great place to enjoy my freeze dried dinner.
The privvy was also new and very spacious.
All-in this was a great place to stop along the Appalachian Trail but I wouldn't consider it worthy of a destination hike.
Legend
Note this is a back country campsite that is 100% hike in, with no guaranteed water. I tent camped here in August while doing a section hike of the Appalachian Trail.
The shelter had a ground floor and a loft but each floor could maybe fit 4-5 people comfortably, but I decided to tent camp. There were a bunch of level tent camp sites around the shelter. The loft was nice since folks could decide to sleep up there while others were down below, either cooking, arriving, or departing.
The privvy was relatively new and in great shape.
There wasn't any water at the source while I was staying here and it looks like a seasonal source.
There were no views here except for the beautiful surrounding forest.
This was a great place to stop along the Appalachian Trail but I would not consider it a destination shelter.
Legend
I tent camped here before doing a section hike of the Appalachian Trail and it was one of the best campgrounds I’ve stayed at before.
The sites have some privacy and woods in between, though the tent sites vs. shelters and cabins were mostly closer to the access road. All sites were super clean and had a picnic table and fire ring. Most sites had a built in cooking fire structure (vs. a fire ring) they looked great for camp cooking, though my site (T01) seemed to be the only without it.
The facilities were well-maintained, there were water spigots everywhere, and though I didn’t get a chance to enjoy, there were lots of activities right there (volleyball lawn, the AT running right through the campground, mountain bike trails).
I didn’t stay in them, but the cabins and lean-tos looked great for group or family options.
Kent Pond was also just across the road for water activities, and I saw at least one fly fisher out.
Killington was also right nearby for restaurants and other needs.
I will definitely be coming back to explore more!
Guide
This campground overall is very nice. The camp store has most everything you could need, and the campground is gated so you have to make sure you keep your key card with you whenever leaving in order to get back in. Most of the sites are out in the open though, or very close together. Not so bad if you're camping in trailers or RVs, but if tent camping you won't really have any privacy in those locations. I recommend the sites back in Breezy Knolls (K01-K17 I think?) and then I believe sites 203 and 205 were nice and tucked away in the trees as well. There is a zip line course and a metal "slide" or coaster behind the Breezy Knolls area which can get kind of noisy between the sounds of the gear and the kids screaming. Lol. But it didn't really bother me personally. The wooded area back there is beautiful though so the sites definitely made up for it. Campground has a fenced in dog park, playground, showers, clean bathrooms, and laundry facilities. Would definitely camp here again. I just prefer the wooded/shaded tent sites...which are limited at this place.
Legend
I tent camped here while doing some fishing in the area.
Baker Rocks had a host of different camping options onsite including tent platforms, yurts, and cabins. I booked one of the tent platforms.
The site had a large tent platform they could fit multiple tents, a brand new picnic table, a fire ring (with a free bundle of firewood), two chairs by the fire ring, and even a few strings of solar lights around the camp area.
The tent sites are within the wooded area around the property and felt very secluded. There was a bit of road noise overnight.
The facilities here were great. There is a full bathhouse with individual rooms for showers and sink/toilets, with running water.
Around the campground there was a little beach along the Baker river. I only caught a few minnows when fishing but that may have been more to do with the angler. Along another bend of the river were two chairs for taking in the scenery.
Check-in was super easy with the camp hosts who were very flexible with timing and wanted to make sure I had a great stay. The property and individual sites are deliberately designed with guests in mind.
I would definitely stay here again if I’m in the area and might try some of the glamping options as well.
Scout
The owners here will meet your with rudeness and disrespect when enforcing their rules for newer people. And yes, new campers… the owners will haze those who do not plan to give them revenue as a long term rv. The drinking water was terrible… I filled a glass at night and by morning debris collected at the bottom of the cup, I think it was sand?? I do not know but I was relieved to drink bottled water rather than the smog. Their pool was disgusting and the bathrooms smelled like urine. Their is limited space to stay due the crowded rv spaces. The long term campers are loud at night and have very messy grounds that leach into other areas. I recommend finding a better place to camp especially if you are camping in a tent and not long term like using an rv
Legend
I tent camped here during a section hike of the AT. The shelter was a one-story standard AT shelter with a fire ring and a bench for seating.
I got to the shelter late in the day so my view on the tent camping might be biased, but it seemed to have smaller spots for tent camping that were somewhat sloped.
There was a decent privvy (see photos) and water during my stay, though it was right after a smaller storm the previous evening.
There aren't any views from this shelter, but it was a peaceful place to stop in the woods!
Traveler
My first time in camping in New Hampshire, the whole area is spectacular and I felt lucky to find a spot in this campground next to the stream. There was a microburst over the campground the night I was there but the water drained down into the stream so I was not sleeping in a puddle. My site was in the row closest to the road where there was truck noise for much of the night. I recommend getting a site as far away from the road as possible.
Guide
Adorable little camp! In New Hampshire; Vermont is across the river on the north side of the property. Nice bathroom, showers, laundry room, library. Spacious lots with tables and fire rings. Some long time campers are set up.
Legend
Note: This is a back country shelter on the Appalachian trail that doesn't have consistent water.
I stopped here on a section hike of the Appalachian trail. The shelter is on the larger side and could fit maybe 6-8 folks. There were lots of tent camping spots as you worked up the hill perpendicular to the shelter.
Water was running when I was there in mid-August from a spring close to the shelter.
There was a decent privvy onsite.
The shelter was fairly standard but this stop had a great amount of tent camping around in spaces with decent privacy.
Legend
My wife and I spent 10 days at this remote tent site. Our site was on the far western end of Kettle Pond and the only tent site in the remote camping area. A trail that goes around the pond is easily accessed from site 10. We were able to watch the Loons teaching it's chicks to hunt for food. A bit of work to get to this site but every bit worth the trade off for peace n quiet!
Scout
We pulled in and went right to the office. The man was very nice and gave us a map to our tent site. We bought some wood from the campground. The tent site has water, electric, and a fire pit. They brought us a picnic table to use for the night. The tent was on a nice smooth spot, which was comfortable. The camp sites were very close together, but there was enough space to fit everything. We were there with only a few other campsites in use, but it would be kind of tight when full.
Guide
Great tent camping area with good privacy at sites. Would be tough for any but the tiniest RV. No water. Well maintained, and nice access to trails right from the campground.
Traveler
Site wise it’s more of a rv camp but they do have some tent sites. I would recommend mosquito repellent.
ScoutSmaller more seasonal place for RVs, some tent sites way in back. No playground except for some old broken plastic things, the grassy knoll where the playground is really is the sewage tank buried with lots of ants!! The shower house was broken so we used the one in the office which was filthy and small. The tent area abuts private property so we heard chainsaw noise until 10pm each night. The tent sites were close but we only had one neighbor. Walk to spigot. The kids loved the pool which was well maintained and clean with floats. This was the best part! The office staff were nice and the cost is reasonable.
Guide
Nice and big tent sites. Pool and playground were a big hit. Everyone was so friendly. We will be back for sure!
Scout
A great place. Peaceful and quiet, camp sites are well maintained, great fire pits. Plenty of different tent sites available, a nice walk down to the lake. Enjoy.
Ranger
Nice little weekend getaway. Clean bathrooms, roomy tent sites, nice staff. Fun playground and nature area for kids. Very family friendly place with beautiful hikes to Hamilton falls.
Scout
We really enjoyed our stay here - we prefer tent camping and like to be secluded; we are not into RV parks. This was fantastic. Beautiful trails, excellent kayaking, quiet and serene. We will revisit again soon.
ETA: The composting toilets were clean
Guide
family camping Kabins, rv, and tent sites, arcade, store, ice cream, and Lake Bomoseen. Easy to get to, close to Castleton, Rutland, and Hubbarton Battlefield. Great spot for a family get-a-way.
Traveler
Awesome owners with a small campground! Swimming pond and pool. Small Playground. Pull through, back in, tent sites.. we go here every memorial day for their 1 set of awning to awning sites with our camping buddies!
Scout
Amazing campground. Staff are amazing, super nice people. There is only maybe 8 tent sites? They have 2 cabins to rent. And the rest is rvs. The bathrooms are the cleanest campground bathrooms I've ever been to. Everyone is so nice and welcoming.
Guide
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.
Scout
Excellent Campground. Good location. Pretty sites with plenty of room. Good sites for both large and small campers. Our site was an easy pull through, wooded site, close to bath house, plenty big enough for our T@B 320. Tent sites looked very nice as well. Clean bathrooms.
Scout
I stayed at Hancock campground in mid April this year. Great clean accessible bathrooms, beautiful grounds and large campgrounds. Leashed dogs are allowed. There are both walk-in and drive up tent sites. The walk-in sites are directly next to the beautiful Pemi River. Great overall would return again.
Guide
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...
Nestled in the scenic landscapes of New Hampshire, Etna offers a variety of tent camping options that cater to outdoor enthusiasts looking for adventure and relaxation.
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