Best Campgrounds near Sandown, NH

Campgrounds near Sandown, New Hampshire range from state parks with developed facilities to private campgrounds with cabin options. Pawtuckaway State Park Campground, located about 10 miles northwest of Sandown in Nottingham, offers tent sites, RV spots, and cabins with access to a lake for paddling and swimming. Bear Brook State Park Campground in nearby Deerfield provides similar accommodation types with additional hiking and biking trails through New Hampshire's largest state park. The camping landscape includes both public lands with basic amenities and private campgrounds featuring full hookups, organized activities, and seasonal availability typically running from May through October.

Road conditions throughout the region remain accessible for most vehicles, though some campground approach roads may narrow with tree obstructions that challenge larger RVs or trailers. Most campgrounds require reservations, particularly for weekend stays during the summer months when sites fill quickly. "The sites are super private, the rangers are friendly, and the mosquitoes are ferocious, but I can't give a campground a bad review because of the mosquitoes," noted one visitor about Pawtuckaway State Park. Weather conditions vary seasonally, with comfortable temperatures from late spring through early fall, though New Hampshire's notorious black flies emerge in May and June. Cell phone coverage varies throughout the region, with Verizon users reporting 1-2 bars in more remote camping areas.

Waterfront camping receives consistently high ratings from visitors to the area, with several campgrounds offering direct lake or pond access. Campers particularly appreciate the wooded privacy at Pawtuckaway State Park, where many sites provide views of the lake while maintaining natural separation between neighbors. According to reviews from The Dyrt, Bear Brook State Park offers "extremely family-friendly" camping with amenities including "trails, play structures, camp store, beach, and even a small baseball diamond." The camping experience in this region balances natural settings with convenient access to small towns and attractions. Most developed campgrounds provide basic amenities like picnic tables, fire rings, and access to bathhouses with showers, though primitive sites with fewer facilities are also available for those seeking a more rustic experience.

Best Camping Sites Near Sandown, New Hampshire (150)

    1. Pawtuckaway State Park Campground

    44 Reviews
    Raymond, NH
    10 miles
    Website
    +1 (603) 895-3031

    $35 - $140 / night

    "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."

    "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."

    2. Bear Brook State Park Campground

    28 Reviews
    Candia, NH
    15 miles
    Website
    +1 (603) 485-9869

    $35 - $45 / night

    "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."

    "Site 91 is near the entrance, but large and set back from the camp road, so it offers some extra seclusion. It’s across the street from the playground."

    3. Wakeda Campground, LLC

    16 Reviews
    Exeter, NH
    14 miles
    Website
    +1 (603) 772-5274

    $48 - $97 / night

    "We had bathrooms located near our site. They were four separate bathrooms that had a sink and toilet and were clean. They did offer showers in another area but I did not use them."

    "Our full hookup site was very close to other sites, so unfortunately we had to deal with some noise issues."

    4. Tuxbury Pond RV Campground

    14 Reviews
    South Hampton, NH
    11 miles
    Website
    +1 (888) 707-1477

    "entrance (seems to happen frequently, I guess)."

    "We went just for one night with a tent because our 5 years old loooves camping, so we reserved this at the last minute, and when we get there, well, the tent sites are way too close to each other, thank"

    5. Calef Lake Camping Area

    7 Reviews
    Auburn, NH
    7 miles
    Website
    +1 (603) 483-8282

    $20 - $40 / night

    "Beautiful location in southern NH! Located Beside a lake, The water is great for swimming, and the playground is absolutely perfect for kids and adults alike."

    "They originally booked us on a site so small, our tent wouldn’t even fit so we weren’t going to be able to have a fire because our tent was so close to it."

    6. Salisbury Beach State Reservation

    25 Reviews
    Salisbury, MA
    20 miles
    Website
    +1 (978) 462-4481

    $28 - $38 / night

    "The electrical post and water hookup were placed way behind our site and we could not reach even with our 40’ electrical cord."

    "The feel here is electric, and positive. Lots of RV’s that stay here all summer long. Feels like you are in a tight-knit community, very friendly folks, packed tightly together."

    7. Lorraine Park Campground — Harold Parker State Forest

    32 Reviews
    North Reading, MA
    23 miles
    Website
    +1 (978) 475-7972

    $17 - $35 / night

    "You could be tucked away from everyone or closer together depending on the site you choose but they are all pretty decent in size. All sites have water which is a plus."

    "The bathroom was right next to us. Very clean with a sink outside and shower inside. Overall very great campsite. Would definitely go there more often."

    8. Hidden Valley RV and Golf Park

    4 Reviews
    Derry, NH
    3 miles
    Website
    +1 (603) 887-3767

    9. Exeter Elms Campground

    7 Reviews
    Exeter, NH
    12 miles
    Website
    +1 (603) 778-7631

    $45 - $59 / night

    "Site across the path was a little loud, but we were too I imagine... bet it'd be lots of fun for the kiddos."

    "Sites weren’t bad, clean campground, pool & canoe rentals, family activities offered, short drive to the beaches. Primitive camping, waterfront sites & cabins available :)"

    10. Beach Rose RV Park

    13 Reviews
    Salisbury, MA
    19 miles
    Website
    +1 (978) 463-0226

    "Simple, clean, perfect pool set up, quiet and close to beaches and New Hampshire coastline."

    "Beach Rose RV Park in Salisbury, Massachusetts is a small, friendly, family-owned campground near the beach."

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Recent Reviews near Sandown, NH

707 Reviews of 150 Sandown Campgrounds


  • JThe Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 6, 2025

    Beach Rose RV Park

    Nice park

    Owners were helpful on arrival, level concrete pad full hookups. Sites close together but quiet.

  • Utshob A.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 2, 2025

    Bear Brook State Park Campground

    Convenient and fun

    The park was easy to get to, only about half an hour from Manchester. It has kayak rentals and a very well stocked camp store, that was close to the camp sites. Our campsite was only about a hundred feet away from the camp store but still felt private.

    Our campsite also had a fire pit and a picnic table which were great.

    The size of the sites varies quite a bit though as well as their isolation, some were out in the open.

    For cell service: ATT seems to have pretty decent coverage but not Verizon.

  • S
    Aug. 23, 2025

    Cold Springs Camp Resort

    All Around Exceptional

    This place is just great! They have clean, flat sites, easy to navigate and get our fifth wheel in. The facilities are spotless. There are numerous pools and hot tubs, activities and the people that work there are just the nicest! Our kids were never scolded for being loud and neither were the adults. We have booked our return trip already and can't wait to go back!

  • d
    Aug. 19, 2025

    Cape Ann Camp Site

    25 cents for a shower

    The aerial photos of this place are very deceiving. This camp ground is the foreground of the main house which, is situated on the top of the hill. The sites are all dirt. There is no concrete pads. There is no WIFI. There is no sewer hook up however, near the street there is a "dump station."  The camp ground is run down and unmaintained. Our site had a fire ring which, was filled with ash. Our first night we woke up to a trailer filled with smoke because, someone near by had a fire in 92 degree heat. Most campers are full time residents. There is no sight of them during the day light hours but, at night they are up and about on bikes and mingling with each other. 

    25 cents per 5 minute hot shower is offered in the public restroom. Some shady people immediate started to hover near the public restroom once we drove up the hill to use the public restrooms. For $70/nite for a view it's not worth it. I was glad to leave- very creepy.

  • Rachael K.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 17, 2025

    Lake Dennison Recreation Area Campground

    Really pretty and chill

    This campground is pretty and offers many private site options. We didn't use the bathrooms so can't speak on that. But overall it's a clean campground.

    There are two loops. The loop closer to the entrance has a lot of private sites. Although if you have one closer to the main road, it is quite noisy with road sounds. But many of the sites in the middle are more quiet. The sites by the lake are really pretty, but there's not much privacy. All of the sites are good size and the fire pits are placed well.

    The other loop farther away from the entrance has a lot more lakeside sites. But there's very little privacy. The sites with higher numbers by the lake are all on top of each other with little to no trees or shrubs between sites, and you can't really decipher where one site ends and the next begins. We would not stay on that loop if we visited again. Unless it was site 101 which seemed more private for that loop.

    Sites 1 through 5 on the first loop are pretty quiet and peaceful. We stayed at site 4 and we think that it was one of the best sites in the campground. We didn't have neighbors on either side of us. We only had neighbors across from us. The site was spacious , peaceful and pretty. There was a little trail from our site that went down to a marsh. That was absolutely beautiful.

    We will definitely stay here again.

  • gabe N.
    Aug. 16, 2025

    Lake Dennison Recreation Area Campground

    What a gem

    We camped here one night on a pit stop and it exceeded our expectations! We camped on the north shore; sites were big and offered immediate access to and view of the lake. However, there is limited privacy between sites so hope for good neighbors :) also cell service was fine with AT&T.

  • R
    Aug. 15, 2025

    Sun Outdoors Wells Beach

    Zero wifi or cell signal

    Stayed back in 2023 with travel trailer and experienced almost zero wifi signal as well as verizon cell signal. Returned this past week and found no improvement whatsoever. This on back half of property. Manager stated they are awar and working on it. (For 2 years?). Could not plan anything, check weather unless you walked or drive up front. Light globes at various sites next to campers lit all night and were annoying so covered with bag. Some sites are just bad..huge pine tree at 428 caused camper to park his angled. Fire wood being sold is all pine & burns up immediately.

  • Cassie G.
    Aug. 12, 2025

    Winding River Campground

    Fun laid back place. This campground has a lot of potential. Some info on their website and Facebook isn’t accurate.

    I would like to share my experience this past weekend at Winding River in Exeter NH. My family of 3 Stayed at tent site 523 in the Oak area. We also had family at 553 and 554 and Cabin 2.

    About site 523: I clearly had one of the largest and most private tent sites. It was set back with a long driveway tucked between 522 and 524. It’s a very steep drop into the river making most sites a little nerve wracking with a little one. Online it said water available nearby. Most sites had a hookup but there wasn’t a one on my site. It looked like there may have been one to share on the road, but I didn’t end up needing to figure that out.

    Tent sites 522 and 524: Along with most of the tent sites these sites were very close to each other, much smaller and closer to the road. I wished my family members had gotten 552 and 553 as they blended together nicely if you are tenting in side by side spaces. The ground was very rocky making staking tents down difficult. They were right next to the bathroom which was convenient but loud. Ventilation in the bathroom was not good so the doors were propped open much of the time and loud hand dryers.

    Shower:

    • This is the smaller of the two bathrooms in the campground. There are 2 showers there. Each with a single insufficient curtain and no hooks on the wall or bench to place things down. Water was hot enough, pressure was ok if you set it to the high power massage-like setting.
    • The showers in other bathroom (near the town center area) had a door and two curtains. Some had hooks (some of which were broken). I almost tripped going in and out of these bathroom stalls because they are raised up but there is no marking on the ground to indicate that.

    Cabin 2: Ac worked well. There was a good sized bed downstairs, smaller beds in two lofts. I was surprised the couch didn’t pull out. Fridge and all dishes were nice and clean. All the cabins seem to have different back porch setups. This porch was smaller than C1. There was a propane grill that smelled rancid with sooo much caked on The burners. The location of the ceiling fan under the other lights in the ceiling gave them a flashing effect that really bothered me.

    Pros:

    • Lower price compared to other campgrounds (but I don’t feel like I got everything advertised on the website)
    • Two playgrounds, both were nice.
    • Water slide was fun
    • We arrived Thursday at the gate and were told how to get to our site, to set up and then come over to the office which was nice.

    Cons:

    • The river is very low and yucky so none of the boating or fishing advertised was possible. likely causing the massive amount of mosquitos.
    • The whole arcade building was was “out of order”
    • The laundry room had two washers (one was broken) and two dryers 2.50 each per load. Not sufficient for a campground this size (especially when people leave their clothes in the machine for 30 mins after they’re done!)
    • Camp store was poorly stocked (multiple empty coolers).
    • Ice $3 per SMALL bag.
    • Wood $10 per bundle and rules say you can’t bring from off-site. I saw people with huge metal bins of wood but was never offered that option when I payed for multiple bundles.
    • Camp store closes at 3 on Sunday and doesn’t open until 11 am during the week (which is also checkout). This made it a little confusing when I wanted to return the golf cart. They have a small area with icecream that is scooped and maybe a kitchen. I never saw it open but I think the sign said open morning to 12 and then again in the evening.
    • The pool was green and cloudy on day 3. I called the office and was told they had just shocked it and that was a result of the copper. I am not informed enough on pool safety so I opted out of swimming on the hottest day of our stay. My son was bummed.
    • Planned activities were only scheduled for Friday and Saturday, when online mentions “daily”. During adult kareoke there were plenty of kids and really poor wifi (wasting so much time between songs).

    And just to add:

    • Staff I encountered was friendly enough, but It would be nice if they wore shirts to identify themselves.
    • Golf cart was great, but cost more than the site per night.
    • Pedal go-carts were available for rent (I didn’t ask a price).

Guide to Sandown

Camping near Sandown, New Hampshire, offers a mix of beautiful landscapes and fun activities for everyone. Whether you're looking for a peaceful retreat or an adventure-filled getaway, there are plenty of campgrounds to choose from.

What to do:

  • Kayaking and Canoeing: Many campgrounds, like Pawtuckaway State Park Campground, provide easy access to the water. One camper mentioned, "Lots of great spots on the water, easy to put a kayak in from."
  • Hiking: Trails abound in the area. A visitor at Bear Brook State Park Campground noted, "There are hiking trails throughout the campground," making it a great spot for nature lovers.
  • Beach Activities: If you enjoy the beach, Salisbury Beach State Reservation is a fantastic option. One reviewer said, "The ocean is absolutely gorgeous, clean, beautiful."

What campers like:

  • Spacious Sites: Campers appreciate the roomy sites at places like Greenfield State Park Campground. A long-time visitor shared, "If you like large sites in a wooded setting with many private ones, this is the place."
  • Clean Facilities: Many campgrounds pride themselves on cleanliness. A reviewer at Normandy Farms Campground said, "The bathrooms/showers are spotless with piped-in music and hairdryers."
  • Family-Friendly Amenities: Campgrounds like Sandy Pines Campground offer great amenities for families. One camper noted, "Lots of family-friendly amenities."

What you should know:

  • Limited Pet Access: At Pawtuckaway State Park Campground, pets are only allowed on hiking trails and not in the campground or beach area during the summer. A reviewer mentioned, "Pets are NOT permitted in the campground or beach area during the summer season."
  • Crowded on Weekends: Some campgrounds can get busy. A visitor at Greenfield State Park Campground said, "The weekend was packed! Our neighbors were playing karaoke till 11pm."
  • No Hookups at Some Sites: Campers should be aware that not all sites have electric hookups. A reviewer at Bear Brook State Park Campground noted, "No electric hookup, but the sites are spacious."

Tips for camping with families:

  • Choose Campgrounds with Activities: Look for campgrounds that offer playgrounds and organized activities. A parent at Normandy Farms Campground said, "It has so many things for the kids to do."
  • Pack for the Beach: If you're heading to Salisbury Beach State Reservation, bring beach toys and sunscreen. One camper mentioned, "Great place to go camping; everything you need is right there."
  • Plan for Mosquitoes: Be prepared for bugs, especially near water. A visitor at Greenfield State Park Campground warned, "Watch for ticks."

Tips from RVers:

  • Bring Leveling Blocks: Some sites may not be level. A reviewer at Normandy Farms Campground advised, "Bring plenty of leveling blocks!"
  • Check Site Size: Make sure your RV fits the site. A camper at Minute Man Campground noted, "Some of the FHU sites are pretty tight."
  • Call Ahead for Reservations: For the best spots, it's recommended to call instead of booking online. A visitor at Saco Old Orchard Beach KOA said, "CALL instead of booking online to get a good spot."

Camping near Sandown, New Hampshire, has something for everyone, from families to solo adventurers. Just remember to plan ahead and enjoy the great outdoors!

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular campground near Sandown, NH?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Sandown, NH is Pawtuckaway State Park Campground with a 4.2-star rating from 44 reviews.

What parks are near Sandown, NH?

According to TheDyrt.com, there are 14 parks near Sandown, NH that allow camping, notably Hopkinton-Everett Lake and Edward MacDowell Lake.