Looking for the best campgrounds near White Mountain National Forest, NH? White Mountain National Forest is filled with the activities, sights, and experiences to make everyone in your crew a happy camper. At The Dyrt, campers like you share their favorite spots, plus tips and photos. No matter where you're headed in White Mountain National Forest, you'll find the best spot for you and your camping crew.
$15 / night
"We actually stayed on one of the wood platforms since the hut was already full. It is a great site and worth staying at to see all the peaks in the area."
"Bond cliff trail wooden platforms and a three sided cabin (fills up quickly) at 4360 ft. Getting to the sites is pretty strenuous, but totally worth it!"
$35 - $45 / night
"We have stayed at Moose Brook State Park a number of times over the years to gain easy access to the hiking trails in the White Mountains."
"We were welcomed by a lovely little house used as the Ranger station. A fire kept it warm and cozy. The ranger was very pleasant."
"Located between the Ellis River and the Saco River, this campground offers so many fantastic amenities."
"This was our first time to this place and we were very pleased with the friendly staff and sites. Great store and pavilion with wonderful plans of expanding and adding water slides."
$30 / night
"It is a great location relative to activities in the White Mountain National Forest."
"Gread drive up tent sites with some within a few steps to the Kangamangus. Sites good distance apart but not entirety secluded. Great for little kids!"
$20 / night
"This campground is right on one of the main roadways leading into the heart of the White Mountain National Forest (which is why I only gave if 4 stars as it can be quite noisy in the summer)."
"Close to a lot of hiking trails and other areas. One main drawback close to the road so a decent amount of road noise. No Verizon and starlink was spotty."
$38 - $50 / night
"Self check-in, no alcohol allowed and quiet hours start at 10:00 p.m. and fires out by 11:00 p.m. Who I believe to be the owners working in the store at the entrance were super friendly and helpful."
"The campground is located along the river, but not all sites have easy access to the river, making it something pretty to look at, but harder to get to. Sites are generally level with easy access."
$29 - $38 / night
"Tent sites in the K row are near the road, so although you don't get much campground noise, you do hear road traffic."
"Great location and pretty central to Santa's Village, the Cog Railway, the Flume Gorge and Basin. Can walk to a general store down the street. Bath house was super clean and hot showers."
$24 / night
"A path leads straight down to the river, which we can hear running from the tents at night. The caretaker is one of the friendliest I’ve met, and he keeps the sites and bathrooms very clean."
"The campground is nestled in the white mountains near beautiful waterville valley. Theres not much for other camping right here unless your going backcountry."
"Although sites are near and often open to each other, the campground is quiet. There's a great playground for younger kids and ducks just waiting to be fed."
"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"
"canoe and kayak rentals on site along with shuttle rides."
"Bath house was extremely clean and tidy. Staff was friendly and helpful. Pool was closed but river access and stores were open and great. Quiet and friendly. Great for the family fun"
LegendWhite Ledge Campground is in the White Mountain National Forest and should not be confused with nearby White Lake State Park. Located a few miles south of the Kancamagus and Conway, you have ready access to the Carter Ledge trail up Mt Chocurua or shorter loop trails.
The sites are generally large and wooded. Designated tent sites are not suitable for RVs/trailers because the site may require a short walk or steps. Facilities include potable water and vault toilets. There are no hookups and no dump station. The lack of amenities contributes to the low fee of$20/night, though online reservation fees will add somewhat to that. If you want a shower, they are available at Jigger Johnson campground along the Kancamagus Hwy, about 20 minutes away.
If you head up on a holiday weekend, get an early start or be ready for traffic. The loop for sites 14-28 parallels NH16; you WILL hear and even see road traffic and Rte 16 is busy. Sites 2-5 are more open, larger, and suitable for RV or tent. Site 10 is a nicely wooded, level site for tent or RV. About half the sites are reservable. The campground is open Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend.
GuideWe had a beautiful waterfront campsite (Site 113). The lake is gorgeous. Rocks make direct access to the water from the site difficult, but there is a beach for water access not too far away. The staff was extremely nice and helpful. The only cons: The sites are a little small and do not have any trees between them to shield you from those next to you. It appears that a majority of the tenants who were there during our visit were long term tenants so it has a bit of a different feel than some of the other campgrounds we’ve visited. Also, the road is tight so be prepared to drive close to trees. :) You’re within 30 minutes to White Mountain National Forest, which is gorgeous!
LegendThis campground is right on one of the main roadways leading into the heart of the White Mountain National Forest (which is why I only gave if 4 stars as it can be quite noisy in the summer). The campground has pit toilets that may or may not have TP so be sure to bring your own. There are a few picnic tables floating around and fire rings.
One of the best things about this particular spot is that it is a highway leading into the Whites. You can hike a short 2+ miles into the Zealand Falls Hut (managed by the Appalachian Mountain Club) if you would like to see and/or stay in one of those facilities. Zealand Falls is near the hut and a nice spot, but even more stunning a bit further into the forest is Thoreau Falls.
There is also climbing near hear so no matter what you're looking for this campground may very well be the perfect spot for your adventure. The terrain into the woods here is quite flat and takes you through a really scenic and active beaver bog.
There are other near by summits like Sugarloaf that you can also access from the campground.
TravelerOur family of 4 visited Baker Rocks during a very rainy week and still had an amazing time. The campsites are private and spacious, the property is large and beautiful, close to the river. The owners are so kind and accommodating. We stayed 2 nights in the double bell tent with two clean full size beds and a 3rd night in the yurt both were spacious and wonderful, among tall trees and pines. Definitely will be back next summer! They even have animals to visit like bunnies and goats (far away from the campsites).Do bring bug spray, the mosquitoes at certain times of day were aggressive, as to be expected.
GuideWe stayed here during the COVID-19 pandemic and campgrounds were just starting to cautiously open up. There were some rules in place in order to ensure social distancing and reduce risk to ourselves and to the staff. Therefore a lot of the facilities and amenities were not available to us during our stay. No pavilion, arcade, playground, etc.
But the point of our stay was just to get away, get outside and have some fresh air and new scenery.
The waterfront site we had (site 38) was very nice, it's pretty spacious. The deck had furniture on it and a grill. The campground is well maintained, nice, clean. The furniture was in good shape, the grill was an older weber grill that worked great. Our site had a concrete fire pit, it looks like lots of them had a similar setup.
Waking up to the sound of the loons in the morning was wonderful.
Our site was labeled as a 50 amp connection, but it wasn't, it was 30 amp. So double check that. Most of the waterfront sites are back in, and the only level part of the site is away from the deck and water. My wife wanted to get the camper up close to the deck so our area under the awning was close to that, which meant I had a lot more leveling to do. And when I say a lot, I mean my 5" drive on leveling blocks weren't enough and I had to put them on top of a 2x8 to level the camper out.
The wifi actually was decent at this site - I'm surprised because 8 out of 10 campgrounds I go to that claim wifi, its slow and unusable.
The firewood was kind of pricey. You get it for $6.50 a bundle if you buy at least 2 at a time.
The first 2 nights there were really weird noises that woke us all up. The first night it sounded like a large Diesel engine or something was running in the distance. Kind of a low frequency sound that carried through the campsite and was hard to pinpoint. The second night, it sounded like an electrical short happening right across the street at a campsite. I was never able to figure out the source of these 2 events.
LegendThis is one of the rare New Hampshire campgrounds that is open year round. For years I drove by this campground deterred by the run-down, deserted red building next door that is NOT associated with the campground. On a last-minute whim I called and snagged one of the final two sites for the holiday weekend, spending 3 nights here. I wanted to be someplace where I could track the baseball playoffs, so finding a place with wifi (fair, better closer to the bath house) and 2-3 bar 3G/4G Verizon access was a plus. This campground has a large number of seasonal sites, but also has sites available for the occasional camper, with discounts available if you stay for a week.
Sites are wooded, generally moderately sized, though the seasonal sites are much larger. Tent sites do not have hook-ups, but they have small shelters that provide additional protection fro the weather. Some of the tent sites are sloped. They also tend to be long and narrow, opening up to a wider area with the picnic table, fire pit and tent pad. Tent sites in the K row are near the road, so although you don't get much campground noise, you do hear road traffic.
The bathhouse is clean, well-lit, and heated (a treat on those cold autumn mornings). There's also a laundry room with 4 washers and dryers if you need to clean up or dry out after a rough day on the trails. Sites are close to each other. They've separated sites with fence panels in some places to provide some privacy. There's an inground pool, a large playground, and a horsehoe pit.
Activities in the area include very convenient access to hiking trails ranging from family friendly Surgarloafs to classic 4000-footers along Franconia Ridge, and peaks along the northern ridge of the Pemi Wilderness (Garfield, Galehead, Twins), trails to Mt Washington and the Presidentials, as well as numerous peaks and waterfalls in the Crawford Notch area. Cog railway is just a few miles down the road if you want to catch an early ride. Trails for ATVs and snowmobiles are also nearby.
LegendWe have stayed at Moose Brook State Park a number of times over the years to gain easy access to the hiking trails in the White Mountains. The campground is well run, manned by easy going Rangers, and is hassle free. The sites are large, with a choice of wooded, partially wooded, or open. Sites are level, with the fire ring on the correct side for people with campers. The price is good and on a number of occasions we have seen moose or bear in the area.
LegendWe stayed at Covered Bridge one night. It is a great location relative to activities in the White Mountain National Forest. Extra bonus is the Boulder Loop Trail that is attached to the campground(it’s relatively short, offers several great vista views, and you can walk there from the campground and not have to deal with parking). The campground is clean and well kept. Pit toilets don’t bother me- they were very clean but if you struggle with using a pit or not having a shower, this isn’t your campground. The sites are quite large and have a good amount of space between them. Picnic tables and firepits are in great shape.
GuidePROs: Small and typically quiet (always depends on the neighbors you get) Right on the lake with great views of the mountains Easy access to the adjoining state park beach Always a nice breeze Full hookups (W,E,S) at each site Sites are level and mostly grassy Sites are more spacious than some RV campgrounds we’ve been at
CONs: Do not have fire rings/grills at sites, although some are available at the waterfront area No Pets allowed Little to no shade No privacy between sites, very open. Showers are currently not in service
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near White Mountain National Forest is Guyot Shelter - Dispersed Camping with a 4.8-star rating from 9 reviews.
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