A
Amber G.
Scout
ScoutTripoli Road
So much fun!
Went on a weekend and it was still very peaceful! Lots to do on such a beautiful back road. We stayed at two different sites each night we were there and both were equally beautiful and peaceful
Camping near Lincoln, NH
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SUMMARY PRESENTED BY
Campers visiting Lincoln, New Hampshire can access several good camping spots that serve as jumping-off points for White Mountain adventures. The DyrtTentrr Signature Site - Grandmother Maple Camp has large sites near hiking paths that many campers like. Another option is Beverly Beach State Park Campground, which sits close to water and has nice views of the surrounding area. Most camping areas have basic needs covered with toilets and drinking water available. You'll typically find fire rings and picnic tables at the campsites, which works well when camping with family. The summer months fill up fast, so you should reserve your spot early if you're planning to visit then. White Mountain National Forest surrounds the area with plenty of trails to hike on during your stay. If you like fishing, you can try your luck in several streams and ponds near the campgrounds. Lincoln town is close enough for quick trips to grab food or supplies when needed. Mountain weather changes quickly here, so checking the forecast before you go is smart. Lincoln makes a good base camp whether you're there in summer or coming to see the leaves change color in fall.
Best Campgrounds near Lincoln (280)
1. Lafayette Place Campground — Franconia Notch State Park
"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."
"The White Mountains stretch quite some distance. While the Presidential peaks are often considered the jewel of this range, I find the Franconia Ridge just as beautiful and stunning."
from $35 / night
Check Availability2. Lost River Valley Campground
"The last few years, they’ve added a light display near the entrance at night, which make that last trip to the bathroom before bedtime fun!"
"This campground is in a fantastic location."
from $62 - $209 / night
Check Availability3. Hancock Campground
"Hancock Campground is one of 6 national forest campgrounds along the Kancamagus Highway. Campsites can't be reserved and the campground does fill up on the weekends."
"Most of the reviews talk about the walk-in tent sites, but there's more to this campground that is located along the Kancamagus Highway just before the Lincoln Woods Visitors' Center."
from $30 / night
Check Availability4. Russell Pond Campground
"Camp sites are huge and surrounded by trees. The water faucet is all over the loop, but you can't connect a hose. No dump station for the RVs either."
"We had a great time here for fall camping, we were able to drive up and get a site that day."
from $30 / night
Check Availability5. Tripoli Road
"You can pick any spot, each one has a different variety wIth size and how deep into the woods you want to walk. No showers or bathrooms, a porter potty at the entrance but that’s about it."
"Great spot for the weekdays, hardly anyone around and got a great site right by the river (mid-sept.)."
from $20 - $30 / night
Check Availability6. Moose Hillock Camping Resort
"Both times were very different experiences, but overall very positive. Just because there are a few, I will mention the cons first."
"Plenty of walking for dogs with a natural pool for them to swim in and the large pool with pirate ship is perfect for little kids with the beach entry. easy location to get to with a travel trailer too"
from $49 - $129 / night
Check Availability7. Country Bumpkins Campground and Cabins
"Great little campground spots for both campers and tents right along the river
ample parking with great surrounding sights of New Hampshire as well as being next door to Clark’s trading post, a New Hampshire"
"Centrally located to Franconia Notch SP, Woodstock and Lincoln. They also have individual anions for rent. This is a great little spot to enjoy all of the amazing outdoor activities in the area."
8. Dry River Campground — Crawford Notch State Park
"Cool location right on the edge of the Dry River Wilderness. Great Basecamp for lots of hikes in the area. Some spots are right on the highway with not much tree cover in between so can be loud."
"This state park campground located between Rte 302 and the Dry River in Crawford Notch is a great location for exploring family friendly trails to (Sawyer Pond, Arethusa Falls, Willard Cliffs to name a"
from $35 - $40 / night
Check Availability9. Crawford Notch Campground
"Our site was big and walking around the grounds the other sites appeared to all be pretty good sized as well. They are not lying when they call their sites secluded either!"
"Cabins and RV sites with hookups are closer yo the entrance, store and road. That latter feature is a bit if a bummer bc the noise from cars and trucks zipping by on route 302 is loud."
from $25 / night
Check Availability10. White Mountain National Forest Wildwood Campground
"This is a great spot away from crowds. Good location for hiking, and short drive to Lincoln, NH. Sites are nicely wooded and not on top of you neighbor. Camp hosts are very friendly."
"The tent only sites require a short walk from the parking area."
from $24 / night
Check Availability
Drive Time
- 1 hr 8 min from Manchester, NH
- 1 hr 57 min from Burlington, VT
- 2 hrs 6 min from Lewiston, ME
- 2 hrs 18 min from Portland, ME
Recent Camping Photos near Lincoln, NH
731 Photos of 280 Lincoln Campgrounds • uploaded by The Dyrt campers
Country Bumpkins Campground and Cabins
Maple Haven CampgroundJ
Russell Pond CampgroundJ
Hancock Campground
Lost River Valley CampgroundJ
Tripoli Road
Lafayette Place Campground — Franconia Notch State Park
Big Rock
Lumen Nature Retreat
Elbow Pond Road Dispersed SiteD
Lincoln / Woodstock KOA
White Mountain National Forest Wildwood CampgroundJ
Recent Reviews near Lincoln, NH
1232 Reviews of 280 Lincoln Campgrounds
- MMarie S.Scout
Gunstock Campground
Apparently Your Reserved Site Is More of a Suggestion
⭐**Gunstock Campground: Apparently Your Reserved Site Is More of a Suggestion**
I don't believe I have**ever** left a negative Google review. I generally think that when something goes wrong, you contact the business, give them an opportunity to make it right, and most businesses are genuinely interested in doing exactly that.
Gunstock Campground has cured me of that quaint notion.
I reserved a full-hookup campsite for two nights. I was unable to make it there the first night, but arrived shortly after 7:00 a.m. the next morning. The camp store, where registration takes place, wasn't open yet, so I headed out for my planned hike— about six miles through the Belknaps, including summiting Rowe twice and Gunstock.
By the time I returned, I was utterly exhausted, starving, and actually feeling weak. My ambitions for the afternoon were modest:**eat something, take a shower, and collapse at the campsite I had paid for.**
The staff at the camp store greeted me warmly, checked me in, and sent me on my way.
I drove to my site. There was already a camper in it. Not merely*parked* there, mind you. They had apparently moved right in. They were hooked up to**my site's water and electric**, with water spraying from their ill-fitting hose connection and forming a rather impressive puddle underneath the camper.
I returned to the camp store to report that someone had apparently activated Gunstock's new**"Choose Any Site You Like"** camping plan. A staff member went down to speak with them and came back to tell me they were "packing up." Excellent! My mistake was assuming" packing up" meant**leaving**. It did not.
Apparently these campers had actually reserved a site**two rows away** that had**no water or electric**. Yet somehow, sometime after arriving the previous night, they had accidentally found themselves two rows over, in my clearly different site, connected to utilities their reservation didn't include.
We've all made mistakes. I've occasionally parked one space away from where I intended. I've never accidentally parked**two rows away, hooked myself up to someone else's electricity and water, and spent the night.**
But perhaps I lack imagination.
After they had now consumed about an hour of my afternoon— which, incidentally, is an hour I normally bill at attorney rates— I went back toward my site expecting to find it finally vacated.
And it was! Because Gunstock had moved these folks to another site**two spaces away from me**, apparently allowing them to pay for the upgrade they had already been test-driving. So the people who knowingly or unknowingly occupied my reserved full-hookup site, used the utilities, and delayed me from getting into the site I paid for were rewarded with...a nearby full-hookup site.
They never walked over to apologize. At that point, I no longer felt comfortable staying. It's difficult to relax at a campground when you've just discovered that site assignments appear to operate somewhat on the honor system— and that when someone helps themselves to your reserved site and utilities, management's solution is apparently to make sure *they* remain comfortably accommodated nearby. So I left. On my way home, I called Gunstock and asked for a refund. Surely, I thought, this would be the easy part. After all, I had paid for two nights, hadn't used the first, couldn't get into my site when I arrived for the second, waited while unauthorized occupants vacated it, and ultimately left because the entire experience had become so unpleasant.
Nope. Instead, the staff member **defended the other campers**. I was told they arrived late and "mistakenly" took my site. I was even told they supposedly **hadn't used the utilities**. This was particularly fascinating information for me to receive because **I PERSONALLY SAW THEM HOOKED UP TO THE WATER AND ELECTRIC.** I also took photographs. Including the enormous puddle underneath their camper from the leaking water connection. But apparently my eyewitness account and photographs were no match for the alternative version of events.
For my inconvenience, however, Gunstock did give me a coupon for a **free Bavarian pretzel**. So there is that.
I paid for a full-hookup campsite. Someone else occupied it and used the hookups. I lost roughly an hour waiting to access what I had reserved. The other campers were accommodated with an upgraded site nearby. I left because I no longer felt comfortable staying. And when I asked Gunstock to make the situation right, they refused to refund me and instead argued with me about things **I had personally witnessed and photographed**. The most disappointing part isn't that another camper took my site. Campers can behave badly. Businesses can't control everything their customers do. **What a business CAN control is how it responds when that happens. ** Gunstock had every opportunity to turn this into a mildly annoying story about a camping mix-up. Instead, they turned it into my first negative Google review.
But hey... **I do have that free pretzel coupon.**
- KKrista R.
TravelerMoose Brook State Park Campground
Like Dispersed Camping... For $42
Pros: We have the p lube nearly to ourselves, thus it was very similar to dispersed camping. Nice little campground with two small ponds (One for fishing, the other for swimming). Nothing very remarkable, though.
Cons: As others have mentioned, if you want flush toilets and pay showers, you have to either stay at the more crowded, larger loop or walk across the highway to get to those amenities.
Jen P.TravelerTwin Mountain Campground
Lovely and peaceful
It was everything we were looking for, right on the river, quiet and clean, the section we stayed in was all tent camping so we weren’t sandwiched in between a bunch of RVs blocking the view. There was no lights, generators or loud music. Alcohol wasn’t permitted so that really cuts down on a lot of unnecessary nonsense. Pets are permitted and our dog loved it. It was very pleasant and relaxing. Can’t wait to go back.
- JJose L.Traveler
Town Hall Road Dispersed
Dispersed it is!
Stayed 8 nights with complete solitude. Bugs weren't too bad. There were plenty of dead birch trees and beech trees for firewood. Not any evergreens though. Site 16 has two campsites. I took the further one with plenty of room. Good size fire pit, but people before me left some large pieces of wood not completely put out along with lit coals.
Nikki M.ScoutCherry Mountain Road Dispersed
Dispersed camping in white mountains
We stayed in site #5. It was grassy and had a little creek running next to it that was lovely to listen to.
- Amy D.Traveler
Ellacoya State Park Campground
Pretty ok!
No major complaints. Beautiful location, easy to get to, convenient RV hookups. Goose poop everywhere so watch your step. Showers are relatively expensive. Sites are very very close together.
- Amy D.Traveler
Jericho Mountain State Park Campground
Warning to RV drivers!
Honestly a wonderful place, gorgeous little lake and beach, incredibly helpful and friendly staff. Note though if you’re staying in one of the new RV sites, it is nowhere near the bathrooms or bathhouse - like a 10+ minute walk, and I wouldn’t want to do it at night. The RV section is clearly still very very new, and they’re working out the kinks, so only go here if you’ve got a self-sufficient RV and don’t need bathrooms. There are all 3 hookups, though the sewer hookup was so far back our short hose did not reach. But they do sell extensions at the visitors center, and there is a dump station, though we had to call to have them unlock it. Overall a great place, but be aware if you’re looking for a place with both full RV hookups and bathrooms, this is not it!
- RRebecca L.Traveler
Fransted Family Campground
My New Favorite
We just got home from our week at Fransted Family Campground and am already looking forward to returning next year. The location of the campground was perfect - especially for exploring the Franconia Notch region. There is a nice mix of RV and tent sites. The tent sites are well shaded and felt spaced out compared to other places I have camped. We had a site on the stream which was nice. Fell asleep each night listening to the water. I only used one of the bathhouses, but it was clean. Showers were clean (separate rooms). Customer service was off the charts. So friendly and helpful. There was a number we could call to get firewood if the store was closed and they were also so nice about it too. There is free WiFi, but it really only works up near the front office. But there is a beautiful pavilion with nice furniture to relax on if you needed to go and use WiFi (or just relax for that matter). We didn’t have kids with us, but there are a lot of lawn games, a playground, courts and field available. Overall, very quiet but Al family friendly. I will definitely be back.
Guide to Lincoln
Camping opportunities in Lincoln, New Hampshire cluster along the scenic Route 112 corridor and Kancamagus Highway, with elevations ranging from 800 to 1,500 feet. White Mountain National Forest surrounds the area, creating consistently cooler temperatures than lower-elevation regions—often 10-15 degrees lower than southern New Hampshire. Lincoln NH campgrounds typically experience chilly nights even in summer, with overnight temperatures frequently dropping into the 40s.
What to do
Hiking Mount Osceola trail: For serious hikers camping at Russell Pond Campground, this campground serves as an ideal base. "This was an ideal location to hike Mt. Osceola the next day, then drive the Kancamagus Highway and camp at the other end of the White Mountain National Forest," notes camper Melissa W.
Waterfall exploration: Multiple waterfall hikes begin near Lincoln area campgrounds. At Dry River Campground, campers can access falls directly from their site. "Hiked the Arethusa Falls and Frankenstein Cliff Trail right from the campground!" shares Michele S., who appreciated the convenient trail access.
Stream and river play: Many Lincoln NH camping options feature water access. At Country Bumpkins Campground, "Most of the sites are along the river which makes it such a relaxing place to be!" according to Angela A., who visits multiple times annually despite the somewhat hard ground for tent camping.
What campers like
Natural swimming spots: Hancock Campground offers a natural swimming hole that draws praise from campers. "There is also a fabulous swimming hole. Clear, cold and deep just off the car camping area," notes Tara S., who recommends seeking waterfront sites for the best experience.
Private wooded campsites: Many Lincoln area campgrounds offer secluded sites. At Lost River Valley Campground, "Every site is surrounded by trees, most near a creek too. Very friendly and clean facilities," according to Sarah S., who recommends asking about grouped sites when camping with friends.
Year-round access: Unlike many New Hampshire campgrounds that close for winter, some Lincoln area options remain open. "Open year round!! I have stayed here many times, three times in the winter (it is so nice to have an open bathroom in the winter!) and a few times in the summer," explains Kim O. about Hancock Campground.
What you should know
Limited amenities at national forest sites: Many White Mountain campgrounds offer basic facilities only. At Wildwood Campground, "Fees are now up to $20/night, still a bargain, but it comes with only the most basic amenities, i.e. vault toilets, running water at faucets, picnic tables and fire rings," explains Jean C.
Cell service dead zones: Many Lincoln area campgrounds have limited or no connectivity. At Moose Hillock Camping Resort, "No WiFi or cell service except by the pool which can be hard if you need to be contacted," notes Lauren Q., explaining the challenges of staying connected.
Bear activity requires precautions: Bear activity affects several campgrounds near Lincoln. At Tripoli Road camping area, "You need to be aware that bears are in the area... the camping area was closed after bears visited campsites and got into food that was left in the open," warns Jean C., emphasizing the importance of proper food storage.
Tips for camping with families
Water features for kids: Moose Hillock Camping Resort receives high marks from families for its swimming amenities. "This campground was clean, nice sites, private, amenities galore, friendly staff and AMAZING pool!!!!! Will definitely be back annually," raves Jennifer E.
Playgrounds and activities: Several Lincoln NH campgrounds include play areas for children. At Country Bumpkins, "There is a small arcade game room, WiFi at each site and an outdoor play area for kids," notes Sawyer G., who appreciated the family-friendly atmosphere.
Site selection for families: Some campsites work better for families than others. "If you're looking for easy to strenuous hikes that can be accessed from one place, this is the spot!" advises Chelsea M. about Lafayette Place Campground, noting it has "playground and paved paths, good for families or small groups."
Tips from RVers
Site leveling challenges: Some Lincoln area campgrounds present leveling difficulties. At Country Bumpkins Campground, "It was slightly uphill, so we had to pull the RV all the way to the front of the site to be able to level," notes camper C.O., who still found the location convenient for accessing nearby attractions.
Limited RV sites at some campgrounds: Not all Lincoln NH campgrounds accommodate larger rigs. At Russell Pond, "Most of campsites are not rv/trailer friendly since they are tucked into the hillside and usually have a few stairs either up or down to the tent sites and the few that are trailer/rv friendly are small, wont fit much more than a pop up," explains J.W.
Hookup availability varies: Many White Mountain National Forest campgrounds lack hookups, while private campgrounds offer more services. "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," observes Lauren Q. about Moose Hillock, showing that even full-service campgrounds have trade-offs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are the best campgrounds in Lincoln, NH?
Where are the best campgrounds in Lincoln, NH?
The Lincoln area boasts several exceptional campgrounds. Big Rock is particularly convenient, located just 8 minutes from Lincoln with 28 wooded sites along the Kancamagus Highway, making it perfect for accessing town amenities. Hancock Campground is another excellent option along the Kancamagus Highway, featuring walk-in tent sites and remaining open year-round with plowed access in winter. For hikers, Sugarloaf 2 Campground offers clean, wooded campsites with access to some of the best hiking trails in New Hampshire. Each campground has its own character, with options ranging from convenient road access to more secluded natural settings.
Are there private campgrounds available in Lincoln, New Hampshire?
Are there private campgrounds available in Lincoln, New Hampshire?
Yes, Lincoln offers several private campground options. Private Field and Woods Camping provides a secluded nature experience with beautiful landscapes and comfortable amenities for those seeking privacy. Country Bumpkins Campground and Cabins is another private option located near Clark's Trading Post, a popular New Hampshire attraction. These private campgrounds typically offer more amenities than public sites, including facilities like showers, laundry services, and sometimes hookups for RVs. Many private campgrounds in the Lincoln area stay open longer into the shoulder seasons, providing camping opportunities when public sites may be closed.
Can I find riverside camping options in Lincoln?
Can I find riverside camping options in Lincoln?
Yes, the Lincoln area offers excellent riverside camping opportunities. The Pastures Campground is a charming option situated along a river, with Vermont visible across the water on the north side of the property. This campground features spacious lots with tables and fire rings. Jigger Johnson Campground on the Kancamagus Highway also provides riverside sites with swimming opportunities. Many riverside campgrounds in the area offer the soothing sounds of flowing water right from your campsite, creating a peaceful atmosphere. These waterside locations are particularly popular in summer months, so arriving early or making reservations where available is recommended.
How close is Lafayette campground to Lincoln, NH?
How close is Lafayette campground to Lincoln, NH?
Lafayette Place Campground is approximately 8 miles (about a 15-minute drive) north of Lincoln on I-93 through Franconia Notch State Park. This campground offers spectacular scenery with sites situated next to streams and easy access to the surrounding natural attractions. During winter months, the campground switches to walk-in access only as it isn't plowed. For a different backcountry experience near Lincoln, Garfield Ridge Campsite and Shelter can be accessed by hiking up from Lincoln Woods, offering platform sites and a shelter along the Appalachian Trail. Lafayette's proximity to Lincoln makes it a convenient base for exploring both the town's amenities and the wilderness of Franconia Notch.
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