Best Campgrounds near Lyme, NH

Large basic cabin that is real rustic.

I have been there earlier this month during a week day for a last minute break from work. Experience was great. Not only the ambiance (one of the rare locations to be just in front of this beautiful river) but also the location that is near all key hiking trails and attractions (ski resorts, breweries and restaurants).

Very nice campground. Plenty of space for 2 vehicles in campsite. Sites are spacious and and shaded. Flush toilets well stocked and clean. Showers available at camp store. Very nice and helpful staff. Surprising that campground does not allow pets. The campground is close to main road and was noisy at night. Visitor center and Flume Trail are nearby.

Access to campground is on a gravel road but my van did okay. It is small and primitive and there is a camp host who is very nice. Within walking distance from the campground are accesses to hiking / biking trails. Sites are spacious and shady.

We stay here a couple of times a year. It is our first stay of the season and our last. Very quiet, sites are large and staff is friendly. I am disappointed that the new owners have changed the campground to seasonal instead year round. My children are grown but would think not much for them to do there. For children I would think Clearwater campground across the street would be better. (Same owners)

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

Nice and quiet

small number of sites and a bit hard to find

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.

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.

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

I've camped here a few times in the past, and at other sites in the area.  Due to flooding and the abundance of campers abusing the roads these sites are no longer accessible unless you have a lifted full-size jeep or 4-runner type vehicle.  I drive a Subaru Wilderness and have been able to access all of the sites for years, this year I cannot.  I had to back down the road.

Rangers have already started to move boulders into place to block off some of the other sites.

It won't be long before the Rangers close this area down due to abuse.  Please stay away.

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.

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.

Came into the area after 7 PM on a Tuesday and found several open sites. We stayed one night in campsite 9. This site is about 90 yards from the fire tower trailhead.

Site #9 goes back about 70 to 80 feet back off the road. There appears to have been a longer site, but the Forest Service placed boulders blacking vehicles from going further. Just past the boulders is a large fire circle with room for 6 to 8 campers to sit around the fire.

We were able to collect sunlight onto our solar panel from the site.

The camp site are all disbursed enough that we did not hear any other camping sounds at all. It was so quiet I could hear the sound of crow wings flapping as they flew by.

We enjoyed a spectacular view of the Blood Super Moon from the campsite. Overall the site was open to the sky nea3 the road yet protected from the wind.

The only downside was the lack of any other amenities. As far as disbursed camping in the national forest, this place is not a decent unpaved road and our campsite was only about 3 miles from the highway.

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.

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.