Best Glamping near White Mountain National Forest

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.

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.

This National Forest campground in Albany, NH is just west of Conway on the Kancamagus, which means it's a great location for hiking, tubing (Saco Rv in Conway), fishing, and even shopping; the choice is yours. To reach it from the Kanc, you'll need to cross the covered bridge where there's a height restriction. If your rig is >7'9" you'll need to enter via Passaconaway Rd via West Side Rd in Conway [heading north on 113/Main St, turn left just before the library and then after going through the Swift River covered bridge, turn left again on Passaconaway Rd].

Some of these sites are reservable online, but others are first-come, first-served. If you're in a tent, the sites along the back side of the loop, up the hill, offer some extra privacy. These sites won't work for an RV, but the other sites will. This campground is a bit quieter than others along the Kanc because it is set apart by Passaconaway Rd. For services you have water and vault toilets; no hookups. Nearest showers are down the road at Jigger Johnson campground, but not until Memorial Day. For cell service, you'll need to head back into Conway; it is absent for most of the Kanc. If it's open and you're passing by, you can also get cell service near height of land on Bear Notch Rd, but this is closed until late spring.

Lower Falls and Rocky Gorge are nearby. If you're going to be in the area for a while, stop by the Saco Ranger Station and purchase a weekly parking pass for all the White Mountain National Forest parking areas/trailheads. Hiking opportunities abound. Popular nearby hikes include Champney Falls/Mt Chocura. Potash Mountain and Hedgehog Mountain are hikes with nice rewards for moderate effort. The Russell Colbath House offers ranger talks during high season.

My family loves this camp ground right on the CT River. It has RV sights and cabins they keep the campers busy with fun activities for kids and grown ups. This is what I would call a Glamping campground then a roughing it campground but it’s still amazing.

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.

This is a glamping campground and so much going on for kidd and adults. The pond is amazing. The store is huge! The sites are huge! We always get the same HHK. But they offer everything from a basic site to cottages. Nightly events for adults kids and family. Kayak/canoe rentals an anzing beach. Guided hikes. If you bring yoyr own kayaks there is a ruver with a take out close to the campground. U could walk back or drive in with a truck for pick up! This place is amazing! Will continue to go every year!

We stayed in the MainelyGlamping Camper Glamper which is a mobile glamping unit for hire. It was Memorial Day Weekend and we had a three night night stay. We loved the campground and it is great for our eight year old daughter who can safely ride her bike around with the other kids at the campground, enjoy the beach and enjoy the playground, but it still provides my husband and I with some relaxing/peaceful time together in the woods or sitting on the beach. We had two paddleboards which are add-ons with the MainelyGlamping package and we spent some time on one of the calm clear mornings paddling around the lake which was amazing.

Campground Review

Friends and I have started a Memorial Day weekend camping tradition and during a visit here last fall two of us decided this would be our destination. White Lake has large sites, a gorgeous lake with a pair of resident loons, and proximity to the White Mountains National Forest (hiking galore, river, history), the Saco River (tubing, etc.), and Conway/North Conway tourist attractions.

The lake is clear, the swimming area is shallow for quite a distance so you can feel comfortable with kids, and there is a separate boat launch area. If you don’t have your own boats, they offer rentals of kayaks and paddle boats. On the day you leave, you can enjoy the beach, but you will have to park in the registration parking lot. You may want to bring bicycles or plan to walk a lot to get to and from the beach.

There are multiple loops, some offering water views. The water view sites are just that…views. There are some short trails leading to the lake from the sites, but for most of them they are down a little hill. A few of them even offer lean-tos.  Most of them can accommodate smaller RVs as well as tents. There are no hookups, but there is a dump station. Sites are close together. There are also a group camping area and a few family camping sites. Although many of the sites are reservable online, some of them are held back for walk-ins. Our sites are now first-come, first-served, but we reserved them last year. Memorial Day weekend, there were still vacancies, but during my Labor Day visit last year sites were full very early Friday morning. Quirky thing about the sites...the maps and the posts in loop 1 just show the basic number, but in the reservation system, loop one numbers are in the 100s (i.e. site 44 becomes site 144) No pets.

The bathrooms at the beach include flush toilets, but no showers. In the campground there are coin-operated (2 minutes/$0.25), hot and clean showers.  I also noticed that showers are available in the bathroom next to the campground store/office, but they are locked when the office is closed, so I didn’t get a chance to check them out. The bathroom serving our area (we were in A loop, sites 44 & 46) could use some maintenance. The toilets don’t flush well at all; the flushing mechanisms need to be replaced. They need to fix this (it was a problem when the season closed last fall, too) to earn that 5th star)

Our neighbor ran his generator ALL.NIGHT.LONG. the first night, but a ranger spoke with him the next day and he shut it off. He ran it during the 5-8pm time slot after that, but we didn’t have to deal with it overnight again. Glad that they addressed it. Your noise experience will vary depending on your neighbors. There are a lot of families here.

Our sites were large and level, but after we pitched our screen tent we realized there were ground nesting bees all over. They didn’t bother us, but it was disconcerting to see them lining the edge of the screen. A little online research showed us that they nest in the spring. It was late spring, so black flies were our biggest challenge! Plan accordingly.

There are some small stores, a gas station, and a Dunkin Donuts just outside the campground. Full shopping needs can be met in Conway and North Conway. During my two stays here (as an adult; apparently our family camped here when I was a kid, too), we kayaked, swam, hiked to Champney Falls, and another hike in the Ossippee area, and went tubing on the Saco (do this earlier in the year when there’s plenty of water on the river!). Mt Chocura is a great nearby hike.

Product Review: Midland Radio  X-Talker T75VP3 Two-Ray Radio.

As a ranger for the Dyrt, I sometimes  have fun opportunities to try out equipment while camping. For this particular trip, I was camping with several others and we anticipated times when we’d split up for a bit or hike at different paces, so it seemed like a great opportunity to test the Midland Radio X-Talker T75VP3 Two-way radio. I found it more challenging than I anticipated just to decide which radios to test. I had to learn a whole new vocabulary to understand the implications of the different specifications; once I received it, I needed to read the manual to figure out the various menu options and how to make the changes. I have a copy of the manual downloaded to my phone for easy reference!

Here’s why I chose this package:

• 1. I liked that the radios have rechargeable batteries and a charging base, both via USB. If the battery dies and you need a back-up, you can use AAA batteries. They charged quickly and I found the battery life was quite long on stand-by.
• 2. They have long-range capability with high and low power settings, though you need ideal conditions to maximize this.
• 3. I could use it on low power without a license.

4. Weather: you can find the local weather forecast as well as receive weather alerts. I may not have cell service everywhere, but I can generally get the radio feed.

Real life:

It worked well over a mile with a combination of lake and trees. I arrived before others and went off to explore, so I left a radio at camp and asked them to radio me when they arrived. When we went hiking in the White Mountains, part of our group went faster than the others, so to radio allowed us to keep in touch even while traveling separately. These are not the staticky transmissions of my childhood walkie-talkies; messages are transmitted clearly and easily. We didn’t encounter any traffic on the radios, so we didn’t bother with the privacy codes.

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 Tradition

We did the yurt for 2 nights. Man was it amazing. The north country and wandering back roads to find cool waterfalls and lakes.  Everyone at the campground was super nice, from John the park manager to other campers, spent one night hanging with another yurt group checking out the views from their spot over cold beers. The fire tower at the top allows perfect views of the area

the sites were all very private, the yurt was great, the bathroom was just a pit toilet

We just spent 5 days at this wonderful campground. They have paid attention to all of the finer details. Beautiful landscaping, well leveled sites, very clean and neat. The staff is wonderful. My only disappointment with the camp is that there are only a few sites with sewer hookup. However, the dumping station is conveniently located, so if you have a small tank, daily trips are not a problem. There is plenty to do in the area - Littleton is a beautiful little town. The old houses in are incredible. New Hampshire is not a dog friendly state, but a short Drive into Vermont gets you access to many fine restaurants where you can bring your dog. Be sure to visit Dog Mountain in Vermont- a truly touching memorial to departed pets.

Ashley here with The Dyrt. We're so happy to have this sweet Yurt on our platform. This property is remote and serene while still offering access to downtown. Spend your days adventuring and come back here to relax and unwind. Give them a try and leave a review!

Our 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.

This state park is located in the small town of Gorham, New Hampshire. One of the best parts about this place is its location...it isn't any where near the hustle and bustle of touristy North Conway (no offense). It sits on the northern side of Mt. Washington but not in the national forest like many of the camping areas in the vicinity. Because of this, it is often less crowded than other camping areas (like Dolly Copp and others along the Kancamangus Highway).

This state park has well maintained campsites and the group sites are in a different location, on the opposite side of the road, from the main campground which is nice. Sites have fire rings, picnic tables and nice areas to pitch tents.

There are facilities, a fishing pond and separate swimming pond where the water is quite chilly and refreshing on a summer's afternoon. There are also many hiking trails in the park and a ton of great mountain biking terrain in the park and accessible from the park. The local Coos Cycling Club maintains the trails and is constantly improving and creating more terrain. Also accessible from the park is the Presidential Rail Trail and several other ATV/Snowmobile trails. FYI, the Rail Trail is NOT open to ATVs. So hop on the moderate grade crushed gravel trail and head all the way to Pondicherry, a wildlife preserve, about 18 miles from the park. The way back is downhill.

While the campground is closed in the winter, the trails are open to fat biking, snowshoeing and cross country skiing!

The scenery at this park is beautiful any time of year!

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 family (my wife, two young sons and I) recently stayed here for a short getaway. As a side note, we had planned to stay here last year, but had to cancel. Having said that, I am more than happy with our choice to come to this jewel of a campground. 

Located between the Ellis River and the Saco River, this campground offers so many fantastic amenities. One of the biggest ones that we took lots of advantage of is the swimming and tubing on the Saco River. Our campsite was located fairly close to the river and where you could put in to tube down river. One of the fun things about this is that at the far end of the campground is a place to take out. They have tubes to rent right there which was very handy. The campground also boasts a swimming pool, beach area along the Saco River, free mini golf, playground, golf cart rentals, a fully outfitted camp store and more. Typically when we camp in the White Mountains we like to get out and explore a lot; this is the first time we never left the campground. 

The sites were nice and big, we reserved one that had water and electric as we have some new camping gear we wanted to try out. The campground itself was well maintained, plenty of restrooms and shower facilities spread throughout. The camp staff were very pleasant and knowledgeable. In fact after checking in, one of the camp staff came by because they had forgotten to remind us to take care of our food and gear at night as there are black bears in the area. I appreciated the extra care taken to pass along that information. 

The campground switched over from a local family owned place to be under the Jellystone family. They have lots of activities to do during the day, especially for the kids. There are a lot of campgrounds in the area that bill themselves as family campgrounds, but really aren't. This is place truly is a great family campground.

As a side note, I want to also make a note about COVID-19 safety practices. There were lots of signs reminding campers to keep socially distant and recommended face masks. However, there were many folks who did not have masks on, including staff. New Hampshire doesn't have a mask mandate at the time of this review. I will say that our family felt safe and took our own precautions, but the campground has done a lot as well. This does not impact my overall review of the campground, I simply wanted to share this piece as it is relevant for those who may want to know.

Great campsite!

Bear box, food area, water source, cabin, Privy, and platforms.

An amazing spot. Pretty remote and all the better for it. Similar to other AMC sites... check out their for current info.