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TravelerPawtuckaway State Park Campground
Great spot with all types of different campsites.
Dog-Friendly Camping near Gilmanton, NH
2 campgrounds with availability next weekend
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Gunstock Campground features wooded tent sites suitable for camping with dogs. The campground has pet-friendly accommodations including tent, RV, and cabin options, with pets allowed throughout the property. Large campsites provide ample space for pets to stay comfortably with their owners, and the fenced dog park allows dogs to exercise off-leash. Campers receive key cards for gate access, ensuring security while exploring with pets. The campground staff maintains clean facilities and enforces quiet hours, important for preventing excessive barking. Granite State Campground also welcomes pets with spacious wooded sites that accommodate tents and RVs. Water and electric hookups are available at pet-friendly sites, and campground management has been continuously improving the facilities.
Hiking trails at the edge of Gunstock Mountain Resort provide excellent exercise opportunities for dogs and their owners. The nearby creek offers water access where pets can cool off during summer months. Both campgrounds maintain pet waste stations and require pets to be leashed when not in designated off-leash areas. Sites in Breezy Knolls section (K01-K17) and sites 203-205 offer more privacy and shade, beneficial for pets sensitive to heat or noise. The nearby lake areas provide additional recreation for pet owners. Dog-friendly campsites near Gilmanton fill quickly during peak season, so early reservations are strongly recommended, especially for the more secluded wooded locations.
Best Dog-Friendly Campgrounds near Gilmanton (214)
1. Gunstock Campground
"Large campsites, clean amenities, nice dog park, great store with everything you need and located near like Winni."
"Fairly extensive camp ground associated with Gunstock ski area on central New Hampshire."
Check Availabilityfrom $35 - $80 / night
2. Granite State Campground
"New bath houses, New hook-ups on many sites Close drive to Lake Winnisquam and Winnipesaukee, Close drive to Gunstock Mountain, not far from Laconia, wooded sites, The camp has some seasonal full timers"
"This campground is one of my favorites in the lakes region. Affordable prices, large wooded sites and great staff."
3. Bear Brook State Park Campground
"Tucked away in what feels like the middle of nowhere New Hampshire is it's largest state park. Bear Brook is full of trails, ponds and a fairly large campground."
"The park is very dog friendly for camping as well as hiking. The trails were very well marked and really conveniently close by to the campsites. Will definitely be returning!"
Check Availabilityfrom $35 - $45 / night
4. Lazy River Family Campground
"Having the river right there for the kids to fish and dogs to swim was great. We were all alone at the end of the field, and that was ok with us!!!"
"The family will definitely be making a few return trips, especially with the reasonable drive from the boston area to the grounds."
from $26 - $30 / night
5. Epsom Valley Campground
"First of all, as we were driving we were passing all these other campgrounds that looked pretty run down and trashed. Enter Epsom Valley. What an awesome spot!!"
"I enjoyed the hiking trails in the back and a pretty good amount of things to do near by. Being able to walk to a store and restaurant is great."
Check Availabilityfrom $35 - $165 / night
6. Pawtuckaway State Park Campground
"My first time experiencing a park in the New Hampshire Park system. We went down with a group. Pawtuckaway State Park offers a variety of landscapes, with something to do and see for everyone."
"Driving around this past weekend I did notice that some of the sites had damp spots; site 71 was the worst with deep mud on the long approach."
Check AvailabilityCampground full next weekend
Get a text when availablefrom $35 - $140 / night
7. Paugus Bay Campground
"We seriously lucked out with getting two sites next to eachother over looking the lake though. Pros: -Owners were very friendly and helpful. -Lots of lake activities to do."
"Campground is primarily seasonal sites, however the nightly rentals sites are nicely located near the water."
8. Sun River Campground
"The facilities, which include bathhouses, a laundry room, and a beach situated along a tranquil river, contribute to a harmonious and enjoyable experience for all."
"Pros=rustic tent sites available on a River, very quiet nights, secluded campsites (however the 5 sites near us were empty so that likely has a little to do with noise level & space), playground available"
Check Availabilityfrom $30 / night
9. Harbor Hill Camping Area
"Free DVD and book lending library, so if you aren't enjoying the great outdoors or walking on their nature trails, you can just read or watch. Easy access to the lake or hiking trails in the area. "
"Sinks are located outside and there is a bIgger sink for washing dishes. We were on an electric/water site but they also have a few primitive sites. We loved it here and will definitely be back."
Check Availabilityfrom $3500 - $4500 / night
10. Clearwater Campground
"The lake beach was fantastic, very nicely maintained. Kayak rental was super cheap and easy to do!
The campground is relatively near Meredith town center, and not far from Weirs beach."
Check Availabilityfrom $33 - $56 / night
Drive Time
- 37 min from Manchester, NH
- 1 hr 24 min from Boston, MA
- 1 hr 48 min from Portland, ME
- 1 hr 56 min from Lewiston, ME
Recent Dog-Friendly Camping Photos near Gilmanton, NH
118 Photos of 214 Gilmanton Campgrounds • uploaded by The Dyrt campers
Dog-Friendly Camping Reviews near Gilmanton, NH
1200 Reviews of 214 Gilmanton Campgrounds
Rebecca W.
ScoutBearcamp River Campground
Bearcamp River Campground
Bear camp River campground is a great place to camp for a weekend or be a seasonal. You can walk 6/10 of a mile to the covered bridge nearby and float right down to the beach at the campground or you can start on one side of the campground and float to the other via river for a good 30 minute float!! You get to Camp right on the Riverside. Owners (Mike and Tabby ) are great. Good place for the kids to run around and explore. The Camp store has sweatshirts and sweatpants , candy and snacks ,s’mores kits, and much much more. They also sell wood and ice on site. There is also hot showers for free, and bathrooms. Two thumbs up from this happy camper.
Nancy W.
LegendSea-Vu West Premier RV Resort
Pleasantly surprised.
This campground is mostly seasonal, privately owned park models, but has 45 spaces for RV’s. I was a little skeptical about staying at this campground with so many park models and seasonals but was pleasantly surprised at how nice, clean, and tidy all the sites were. They obviously take pride in how things look because the grounds and campsites were very well-kept.
All campsites are 50/30-amp full hook-up with level gravel pads with grassy patios, a picnic table, and fire pit. We stayed in site#702 which was long enough for our 45’ motorhome and tow car. All the utilities were easy to reach and the electric worked well. The only problem was that we were parked under a large oak tree that was profusely shedding large acorns. There are some sites that are in the open which I would definitely choose, if I came back in the fall. The campground is gated which is a nice feature. It is located a mile or so off Route 1 which means you don’t get the road noise and traffic, but still conveniently located near shops and restaurants.
One nice feature are the shaded walking trails in the park. While they are not super long, it is a nice change from walking the roads (which are paved). Other amenities include a decent size swimming pool (closed while we were there), a basketball court, playground, laundry, and camp store. I thought it was a little expensive at $75/night (for full hook-up) at the end of the season, especially since the pool was closed.
- Nancy W.Legend
Sun Outdoors Wells Beach
Tight sites and expensive, busy area along the Maine coast
We stopped here in the summer to check out the coastal towns in southern Maine. There are many campgrounds in the area and we chose this one because they had a 25% off coupon (on a 7-night stay) which gave us the best nightly price in the area. However, the nightly rate was still$74/night, one reason being they charge a “resort fee” of$15/day which is ridiculous. This is a typical resort-style campground with lots of amenities (most of which we never use). But, for some people, this is a destination campground because of all the amenities- a large heated swimming pool, basketball courts, sand volleyball, bocce, fitness center, two playgrounds, 18-hole minigolf (that you pay extra for), and more.
The campsites in the front of the park are sandwiched between the swimming pool and Route 1 which is very busy and noisy. Campsites in the far back portion of the campground are shaded and a much quieter section. Camping pads and patios are a mix of gravel and sand. Many sites have shade and some have an astroturf patio (I think those are “premium” sites). Our campsite was in the middle section which was fairly quiet but the sites are close together with no privacy. The site was a long and level pull thru with a gravel pad and gravel/sand patio. All sites have a picnic table and fire pit.
There is a tent-only section and they have renal cabins. There is lots to do for families in the area including the beach and amusement and water parks. Restaurants of all sorts are nearby. You can easily walk to Congdon’s Donuts which is a Maine classic.
- Nancy W.Legend
Seacoast Camping and RV Resort
Nice Campground, Love the area!
This is a nice, clean, well-maintained campground for RV and tenting. The campground is located on Route 1 which means you are convenient to a lot of things but there is lots of traffic. Half the campground is seasonal/long term campers and the other side is mostly transients. The roads and campsites are fine crushed gravel with nice grassy patios. The campground is very well maintained (the best part being that the mower collects they cut the grass so no clippings get tracked in your camper). There are some mature trees that provide shade but don’t impede navigating in and out of sites or impacting slide outs.
Campsites range from tent with water/electric to RV water/electric and RV full hook-up 50-amp and full hook-up 30-amp. There are three bathhouses on the property (one of which has a dishwashing sink) and laundry. Tent sites 50-55 are in an are set away from RV sites and more private. They are also close to a large bathhouse with multiple toilets and showers. Tent sites 90-100 are across from a large playground which can be quite chaotic, but if you have kids, this is a great spot.
Our site (#147) was a long pull-thru with a descent amount of space between our neighbors. We got about half a dozen over-the-air channels (one being a major network station) and were able to connect with eastern arc satellites with our Dish Satellite. The 50A electric was good as was the water pressure.
The campground does not have much in the way of amenities except for a game room, basketball court, and playground. The game room is pretty cool with lots of arcade-style games, a pool table, foosball, and table tennis. While we were there, they just finished putting in all new playground equipment and enlarged the size making it really big and a hit with the kids in the park. Once convenience is that maintenance picks up garbage at your site (between 8am– 3pm). Unfortunately, people leave them out after hours and animals got into them and scattered garbage everywhere. We've stayed here before and always enjoy being in the area as it is close to the fun cities of Portsmouth and Newburyport.
Devon B.ScoutCrow's Nest Campground
Play Games
The recreation hall was a nice surprise. We had some rainy weather one afternoon and the kids were able to play games while we relaxed for a bit. Saved the day honestly😂
- KKurt B.Scout
Hampton Beach State Park Campground
Oceanfront camping at its best—full hookups just steps from the beach. Located in popular Hampton Beach, you'll be close to nightly bandshell concerts and vibrant nightlife. There is a lottery system in place for stays during the summer.
Riley B.ScoutCrow's Nest Campground
Spend A Few Days
We came up looking for a campground where we could actually spend a few days without constantly driving somewhere. Ended up fishing, swimming, walking along the river and exploring the area. The campground gave us plenty to do, but it was also nice having the option to just sit at the campsite and do nothing. Would definitley come back.
- RRachel J.Scout
Crow's Nest Campground
A Longer Stay
We have a big RV and had no trouble getting settled in. Having the full hookups made things super easy, especially for a longer stay.
Guide to Gilmanton
Gilmanton's pet-friendly camping options sit between the Lakes Region and New Hampshire's central forests. Most campgrounds in this area rest at elevations between 500-900 feet, with summer temperatures averaging 75-85°F during day and dropping to 50-60°F at night. Fall camping season typically extends through mid-October with peak foliage color occurring around the first week of October.
What to do
Mountain biking trails: Bear Brook State Park offers extensive trail systems suitable for dogs and owners. "The biking trails were a blast. We'll definitely be back again," notes one visitor to Bear Brook State Park Campground. The park contains over 10,000 acres of forest with multiple trail difficulty levels.
Kayaking and fishing: Clearwater Campground provides affordable watercraft rentals with lake access. "Kayak rental was super cheap and easy to do!" according to a camper at Clearwater Campground. The lake offers calm waters ideal for beginners and fishing enthusiasts.
Winter camping: For those seeking off-season pet-friendly options, Meredith Woods offers heated facilities. "Snow ploughing happens regularly and reliably. Indoor pool and hot tub are amazing on a snowy frigid winter day," reports a winter camper at Meredith Woods. Several campgrounds in the Gilmanton area maintain year-round operations with varying levels of service.
What campers like
Waterfront access: Pawtuckaway State Park features shoreline campsites that accommodate pets during permitted seasons. "The sites on the water book up quickly but they're perfect for fishing and boating. Also, the view!" shares a camper at Pawtuckaway State Park Campground. Waterfront sites typically require reservations 6-9 months in advance.
Secluded tent areas: Sun River Campground offers more private tent options along the river. "Rustic tent sites available on a River, very quiet nights, secluded campsites," explains a visitor at Sun River Campground. Most riverside sites feature natural shade and moderate separation from neighboring campers.
Campground amenities: Epsom Valley provides entertainment options beyond hiking. "Me and my boyfriend camped here after trying to find a spot up in the white mountains without any success. The owner was amazing, friendly and super accommodating! We played the mini golf in the front and had so much fun!" reports a camper at Epsom Valley Campground. Many dog-friendly campgrounds near Gilmanton maintain recreation areas separate from designated pet areas.
What you should know
Reservation timing: Most dog-friendly campgrounds fill quickly during peak season. "I usually use #reserveamerica to book camp sites ahead of time and I mean months in advance," advises a visitor to Lazy River Family Campground. Waterfront sites across all area campgrounds typically book 3-6 months ahead for summer weekends.
Campsite variety: Campgrounds near Gilmanton offer significantly different site layouts and privacy levels. "Some of the sites are a bit too close to each other but there are some that are nice and private," notes a visitor to Bear Brook State Park Campground. Research specific site numbers before booking as terrain varies considerably between loops.
Pet policies vary seasonally: Some campgrounds restrict pet access during peak summer months. "Tried to plan ahead this year and get a prime site to learn they don't allow dogs anywhere in the campground during summer months," reports a camper regarding Pawtuckaway State Park. Always confirm current pet policies when booking.
Tips for camping with families
Playground access: Epsom Valley Campground offers structured recreation for children. "They have a nice little play ground witch is always the first thing my little buddy asks to go find," shares a visitor at Epsom Valley Campground. Most family-oriented campgrounds maintain designated kid-friendly areas separate from pet zones.
Swimming options: Several campgrounds provide multiple water recreation areas. "The indoor pool on the other side of the road at the sister campground Meredith Woods was splendid. I love the idea of being able to go swimming even if the weather is a bit crummy," notes a camper at Clearwater Campground. Swimming areas typically operate from Memorial Day through Labor Day weekend.
Campsite selection: Different sites offer varying levels of shade and privacy. "Site 5 was our spot for Memorial Day Weekend, level, partial shade, partial sun, large site. Easily fit our large tent, screenhouse, area to park our truck and still move around comfortably," explains a visitor to Paugus Bay Campground. Families with dogs should request sites with adequate space for pet containment.
Tips from RVers
Site access considerations: Some campgrounds have challenging navigation for larger rigs. "My biggest complaint is the narrow roads in the campground," reports an RVer at Paugus Bay Campground. Calling ahead for turn radius information and site dimensions helps avoid complications during arrival.
Hookup locations: Water and electric connections may require extended hoses or cords. "Water hook up was on the opposite side of the site of where the camper needed to be, no sewer hook ups," notes a camper at Paugus Bay Campground. RVers should travel with extension hoses and adapters when visiting older campgrounds in the area.
Winter RV options: Year-round camping availability varies significantly. "We stayed for a winter weekend, they have a few transient sites that can accommodate RV's year round," explains a visitor to Meredith Woods Four Season Camping. Off-season RV camping typically requires advanced preparation for freezing conditions even at campgrounds with winter services.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dog-friendly
campsite near Gilmanton, NH?
Which is the most popular dog-friendly campsite near Gilmanton, NH?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Gilmanton, NH is Gunstock Campground with a 4.5-star rating from 17 reviews.
What is the best site to find
dog-friendly camping near
Gilmanton, NH?
What is the best site to find dog-friendly camping near Gilmanton, NH?
TheDyrt.com has all 214 dog-friendly camping locations near Gilmanton, NH, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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