If you're looking for a place to dispersed camp near White Mountain National Forest, look no further. Dispersed camping means that no facilities or amenities are provided, so that you can truly disconnect and get back to nature. You're sure to find the perfect dispersed campsite for your New Hampshire excursion.
The 6,700-acre Stillwater Reservoir is located in the western Adirondacks, and provides undeveloped, remote camping on both islands and along the shoreline. The Reservoir offers a multitude of recreational possibilities including remote wilderness camping, canoeing, boating, fishing, hunting, snowmobiling, and cross-country skiing. The area receives considerable use during each of the four seasons.
During recent years, popularity of the Stillwater Reservoir has greatly increased. In an effort to alleviate some of the problems and preserve remote camping opportunities, campers are now required to use only designated sites, along the shoreline or to camp at least 150 feet inland from high-water mark. The high-water mark is generally that point where the sand beaches end and the forested or vegetative area begins.
Camping on sand beaches is no longer permitted. Camping within 150 feet of the high-water mark is limited to 46 sites designated and marked by the department. Camping beyond the 150 feet limit, as in past years, is relatively unrestricted. The intention here is to move camper use back from the water's edge to less fragile sites. The only exception is to the north of the Reservoir, which is in the Five Ponds Wilderness, where group sizes are limited to nine people or less.
Camping beyond the 150-foot perimeter remains relatively unrestricted, except for five Ponds Wilderness. That is, persons may use any site or open area for camping, provided it is more than 150 feet from the high-water mark, roads, trails or any other body of water. Furthermore, campers must comply with department regulations governing the use of state lands. These regulations will be posted at the registration booth at the Forest Ranger Headquarters and may also be found on the reverse side of the Interior Use Camping Permit. As the designated sites become filled, users are urged to camp within the Independence River Wild Forest Area on the south.
Campfires are allowed, but only dead and downed fuel may be used. The use of trail stoves is encouraged because of limited supplies of wood.
Scout
Took me five hours to drive there but finally made it. It was nice and peaceful. I will go there again
Scouta 20 mile ride of just woods on a bumpy road. Pretty cool! Surprisingly the place wasn't that populated as I expected it to be. I went to a accessible campsite near the dam so I can pull stuff i needed from my car. The restaurant in the town had great food, the staff were nice, and had two cute dogs!
TravelerHaving both camped, and trained with my SAR Unit, on Stillwater Reserve, I must say it's a wonderful place to "get lost" (voluntarily at least)!
GuideWas a great camp site very big and had a trail that lead down to the water. This campsite is right down the road from the fire tower trail.
GuideMy wife and I kayaked to Long Island and stayed for a weekend. It was quiet and had the whole island to our self. Would recommend if you want to break away from technology because you get zero service out there
ScoutI came here a couple days ago only to realize that all except one campsite needs a boat to be reached. It's first come first serve so best to find another place if you intend to drive up to your campsite. The drive up campsite had an outhouse though so that was nice
Ranger
Primitive site on the beautiful south eastern end of Stillwater. A short hike in to a great beach for swimming or paddling.
We’ve stayed here many times in tents and hammock tents. The swimming is fantastic- water is clean and clear.
Because you can’t make a reservation here sometimes there’s competition for a spot. There is a good fire circle with space all around. The trail down to the beach is only about a hundred feet, but it is downhill.
This site is close to the trailhead for the Stillwater firetower, an original Adirondack firetower.
Ranger
This is a small primitive site. No services, but a very beautiful spot. There’s a small fire ring, and access to the lake for swimming or fishing.
Sunday lake has always been lovely and quiet and a great place to take youth campers.
Take Stillwater rd. to McCarty road, the trail is 0.3 miles To Sunday lake. Space to park two cars or a small RV off the road.
Traveler
Beautiful campgrounds... clean.. friendly..
amazing lake for kayaking and boating.
sites not crowded together.
RangerEven in cold rainy weather we had a phenomenal time at Stillwater. Our spot had gorgeous waterfront to it, a stone fire circle where someone had left extra fire wood, and ample trees. The season had had unusually low water all over and it left a really unusual landscape on the beach to explore. We can’t wait to come back!
Travelerjust returned from our annual week at the reservoir, such beauty! We saw Bald Eagles and Loons, enjoyed swimming, canoing and paddleboarding with the family. It was so peaceful with our site #37 accomodating 20 members of tge family plus 3 dogs!
LegendWe spent 3 nights backcountry camping on Catamount Island in Cranberry Lake and absolutely loved it! The sunsets from the island were truly incredible. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring. Ours had an extensive pile of dry wood, too. There is a decent privy tucked back in the woods. Bring your own TP though! Also, you will either need to bring your own potable water or filter from the lake, so don’t forget your water filter.
In addition to many cool places to kayak from the island, there are a few hiking trails where you can land your boat and hike for a few hours. The Curtis Pond hike was our favorite and there are some incredible beaver dams along the way. While the mosquitoes weren’t bad at the campsite itself or while kayaking, they are terrible on the trails this time of year; so bring your bug spray, or better yet, bug shirts! The millions upon millions of dragonflies help make up for the mosquitoes!
The Village of Cranberry Lake (which is accessible from the lake) has some supplies, but not much except the very basics at the general store. You’ll need to head to Star Lake or Tupper Lake for anything of significance.
Backcountry camping is first come, first served…no reservations necessary or even possible. No permit is needed. The only fee is if you want to park your vehicle in the state park while you are camping on the island, it is $8 per day.
GuideThis was my 3rd trip to Stillwater in 3 yrs and it gets better each time!
Our first trip was an overnight to test some backpacking gear, it was September and the weather was perfect! We hiked into our site, not easy because almost everything is meant to be accessed by boat so we were guessing our course! Cooler weather meant no bugs to contend with
Next year we took a canoe to our site, it was July, warm weather, warm water and the bugs were not terrible, we were at Site 1, secluded in a cove, not a lot of traffic but there is a hiking trailhead near the site so there is potential for visitors.
Our latest trip was to site 10, an island site with a large sandy beachfront, we borrowed a motor boat to get there this year and brought plenty of gear for 4 days. Weather was great again, some rain each day but we had time to get setup and get shelters to keep dry.
Camping if free here but it is first come first serve but with 40+ sites you can almost always get something. There is a small store at the boat launch to get provisions if you need, public restrooms and wifi. Very limited cell service.
You should bring water or something to filter it from the reservoir. I believe all the site have privy boxes on them.
There are opportunities for fishing, a few local attractions, a nice restaurant at the launch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near White Mountain National Forest?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near White Mountain National Forest is Stillwater Reservoir with a 4.9-star rating from 9 reviews.
What is the best site to find dispersed camping near White Mountain National Forest?
TheDyrt.com has all 5 dispersed camping locations near White Mountain National Forest, with real photos and reviews from campers.
