Best Tent Camping near White Mountain National Forest

White 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.

Private Field and Woods Camping in New Hampshire is a true paradise for lovers of nature and secluded recreation. After spending several days here, I was delighted with the beauty of nature and the comfort that this unique camp offers. The first thing that catches your eye is the amazing landscape.

Situated deep in the forests, the camp is surrounded by spacious fields and wild nature. Sunrises and sunsets at this place are a real miracle that makes you forget about the hustle and bustle of everyday life and enjoy the moment. The camp itself provides unique opportunities for close contact with nature.

The opportunity to locate your tent camp in a private field surrounded by forest creates a unique atmosphere of comfort and privacy. The absence of city noise and light pollution allows you to enjoy the silence and sounds of nature. The camp infrastructure also deserves the highest praise. Ecologically built showers and toilets provide everything you need for a comfortable stay away from civilization. Fire pits and cooking areas allow you to enjoy delicious meals cooked outdoors.

Private Field and Woods Camping in New Hampshire is the perfect place for those who want a real getaway in nature, far from the hustle and bustle of the city. I left this place with a feeling of complete relaxation and deep gratitude to the team who created this unique corner of nature.

Note: This is a back country shelter site that is hike-in only on the Appalachian Trail. There can be seasonal water sources but water is not guaranteed.

I had a great night here tent camping while doing a week-long section hike of the AT.

The shelter is a standard three-sided shelter. There were a host of large, flat tent sites around the shelter, and I tented in one of these.

The shelter did stand out with a bench overlooking a clearing in the brush with a view (see photos) which was a great place to enjoy my freeze dried dinner.

The privvy was also new and very spacious.

All-in this was a great place to stop along the Appalachian Trail but I wouldn't consider it worthy of a destination hike.

This Camping Park has something for just about everyone. Whether you have an RV (small, medium or large), tent, are looking for a cabin or want a little more of a wilderness feel, this place has something to offer. 

While the campground looks to be primarily RV camping from the road, there are many tent sites tucked away in the trees and even two sites that are walk-in only and are situated right on the Androscoggin River. Additionally, the campground has several nice cabins available as well.

Let's start with the RV sites: there are a bunch! This campground also hosts many seasonal campers who have sites situated around the perimeter of both sides of the campground (split by Route 2). Seasonal campers have some pretty sweet set-ups for sure. The only downside to some of the RV spots is that they can be in the sun almost all day which can be a bit much in the heart of the summer. Otherwise, sites are well maintained and have all the normal hookups for RVs.

Tent sites are well spaced and almost all of them are in the shade which is a huge bonus! Each site has a picnic table, fire ring and nice level spot to pitch your tent. Bath houses are conveniently located throughout the campground and are well maintained. 

The two walk-in tent sites are very secluded and offer fire rings, picnic tables, a bear box and one of the two sites has a wooden tent platform. The second site's tent platform is currently being built (July 2020) and should be at the site and ready for use soon. These sites sit right on the beautiful Androscoggin River, offering a serene backdrop for your camping adventure.

The campground is situated in-between two large tracts of the White Mountain National Forest. Great hiking is available at the campground as well as a short drive away. If hiking is a hobby of yours, look no further! This is a great location to base yourself out of to get some solid miles under your belt. There is a campground office that has a small store as well as laundry facilities. They also offer an AT Hiker Hostel. They also have a nice heated swimming pool, playground and many other amenities. When there isn't a global health pandemic, they have a bouncy house for the kids. They often show movies on the lawn when the weather cooperates. They also rent kayaks and you can launch from the campground or they will shuttle you some place near by.

It really is a campground with a little bit of everything! Owned by locals of the community who have run the place for over 25 years.

This campground overall is very nice. The camp store has most everything you could need, and the campground is gated so you have to make sure you keep your key card with you whenever leaving in order to get back in. Most of the sites are out in the open though, or very close together. Not so bad if you're camping in trailers or RVs, but if tent camping you won't really have any privacy in those locations. I recommend the sites back in Breezy Knolls (K01-K17 I think?) and then I believe sites 203 and 205 were nice and tucked away in the trees as well. There is a zip line course and a metal "slide" or coaster behind the Breezy Knolls area which can get kind of noisy between the sounds of the gear and the kids screaming. Lol. But it didn't really bother me personally. The wooded area back there is beautiful though so the sites definitely made up for it. Campground has a fenced in dog park, playground, showers, clean bathrooms, and laundry facilities. Would definitely camp here again. I just prefer the wooded/shaded tent sites...which are limited at this place.

I tent camped here while doing some fishing in the area.

Baker Rocks had a host of different camping options onsite including tent platforms, yurts, and cabins. I booked one of the tent platforms.

The site had a large tent platform they could fit multiple tents, a brand new picnic table, a fire ring (with a free bundle of firewood), two chairs by the fire ring, and even a few strings of solar lights around the camp area.

The tent sites are within the wooded area around the property and felt very secluded. There was a bit of road noise overnight.

The facilities here were great. There is a full bathhouse with individual rooms for showers and sink/toilets, with running water.

Around the campground there was a little beach along the Baker river. I only caught a few minnows when fishing but that may have been more to do with the angler. Along another bend of the river were two chairs for taking in the scenery.

Check-in was super easy with the camp hosts who were very flexible with timing and wanted to make sure I had a great stay. The property and individual sites are deliberately designed with guests in mind.

I would definitely stay here again if I’m in the area and might try some of the glamping options as well.

Beautiful Campground near a stream. Has a nice store and giftshop, lots of spots for water fill up and two bathhouses so you're always close to one. Also close to tons of activities near White Mountains National Forest.

With very few sites, the Dry River Campground is one of our favorite places to camp.  The location is the White Mountain National Forest is spectacular and allows easy access to the trails.

The rangers are friendly and helpful, but mostly leave you alone.  

Facilities are basic but well maintained.  Hot showers are welcome after a long day on the trail!

We pulled in around 7:30 pm on a Sunday night and there were plenty of open spots. We took a huge one. Found a fairly flat area and stayed for the night.

Just enough t-mobile / starlink signal to watch streaming and message, but wouldn't be enough for remote work so we went to the White Mountain National Forest Picnic area off the main road about 5 minutes away and had great signal

This 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.

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. There was a microburst over the campground the night I was there but the water drained down into the stream so I was not sleeping in a puddle. My site was in the row closest to the road where there was truck noise for much of the night. I recommend getting a site as far away from the road as possible.

We went the last weekend they were open for the season (sometime in October) and it was a blast! Tent sites were spacious and had a decent amount of privacy. Electric and water hookups at tent sites. General store and amenities were clean and well taken care of! A lot of families around but it wasn’t distracting since the sites were private enough. Definitely recommend!

First time tent camping in the most beautiful place! Would highly recommend if you are looking for a place to recharge.

We 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.

Sawyer Pond was my introduction to backpacking more than 40 years ago. We approached it from the Kancamagus side, which necessitates a crossing of the Swift River early in the hike and may be dangerous if the river is high. The easier access is from the Sawyer River Rd, though until the road opens after mud season, it will be a longer hike. Check the White Mountain National Forest website for information about road openings in the spring and fall. Either approach, but particularly the one from Sawyer River Rd, is family friendly. It's easy access means it can also attract weekend partiers. 

This is open year round and each season offers something different. It's a nice snowshoe hike in winter. I've ice-fished on the pond. Sites are first-come, first-serve with a tent platform and fire pit. Plan to hang your food due to bears. No cell service. Autumn colors across the pond are pretty.

Just a few miles from the AT and about 10 miles west of North Woodstock, convenient for heading up to Mt Moosilauke or up the Kinsman Ridge. Other activities in the area are Clark's Trading Post, Franconia Notch State Park, all the hikes and adventures along the Kanc.

There's potable water available and pit toilets. Sites are large and level, as they usually are in the White Mountain National Forest campgrounds. Some of them are better suited to tents than trailers/RVs.

Sites are first-come, first served, and because it's on a less-traveled stretch of 112, I suspect it fills later than other campgrounds. Cell phone coverage is poor to absent. You can hear some road traffic, but not as much as other campgrounds in the Woodstock/Lincoln/Franconia area. Fees were only $18 summer of 2018; an extra car was $5 more. Campground is open May-October, closing at noon on Columbus Day.

My wife and I spent 10 days at this remote tent site. Our site was on the far western end of Kettle Pond and the only tent site in the remote camping area. A trail that goes around the pond is easily accessed from site 10. We were able to watch the Loons teaching it's chicks to hunt for food. A bit of work to get to this site but every bit worth the trade off for peace n quiet!

We pulled in and went right to the office. The man was very nice and gave us a map to our tent site. We bought some wood from the campground. The tent site has water, electric, and a fire pit. They brought us a picnic table to use for the night. The tent was on a nice smooth spot, which was comfortable. The camp sites were very close together, but there was enough space to fit everything. We were there with only a few other campsites in use, but it would be kind of tight when full.