Basin Campground, near White Mountain National Forest, is a cozy spot that offers a peaceful escape for campers looking to unwind in nature. With a handful of sites tucked away in a loop, it’s perfect for those who appreciate a quieter camping experience.

The campground features clean, well-maintained facilities, including flushing toilets, which visitors have praised. Many campers enjoy the proximity to Basin Pond, where you can take in stunning views and even dip your toes in the water during the summer months. As one happy camper noted, “What a perfect fall morning,” highlighting the beauty of the area.

For outdoor lovers, the campground is a gateway to fantastic hiking trails in Evans Notch, making it an ideal base for exploring the Wild River Wilderness. Reviewers have mentioned the surrounding forest roads as fun to explore, and the starry skies at night are a real treat for stargazers.

While the campground is small and lacks some amenities like electric hookups and showers, it’s the charm and tranquility that keep visitors coming back. If you’re looking for a laid-back camping experience with access to nature’s wonders, Basin Campground is definitely worth considering.

## Overview

 Basin Campground is located in a rustic, remote part of White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire, about 15 miles north of Fryeburg, Maine. It is a small facility with access to hiking and mountain biking trails and proximity to a small pond for fishing and canoeing. The White Mountains boast pristine forests, clear mountain streams and rivers and the tallest peaks in the Northeast. The forest encompasses nearly 800,000 acres in New Hampshire and western Maine, and is one of the most popular in the country.
## Recreation

 Hikers will enjoy exploring the 4.5-mile Basin Trail, which leaves from campground, and numerous other hiking and mountain biking trails within a short drive. Trout fishing is available in Basin Pond. The pond's calm waters are also ideal for canoeing. The area hosts four alpine and five nordic ski areas, which provide year-round recreation opportunities such as skiing, hiking, mountain biking, outdoor concerts, interpretive trails, special events and regional and national skiing and snowboarding races. [Learn more][1] about recreation in the national forest.
## Natural Features

 The campground is in a pleasant mixed hardwood forest a short distance from the 23-acre Basin Pond. The national forest is home to many species of northern wildlife, including moose, white-tailed deer and black bear. Almost 200 species of birds, including the rare Bicknell's Thrush, live in the White Mountains. 
## Nearby Attractions

 The town of Fryeburg, Maine has groceries, restaurants and gas. Campers might enjoy a scenic day trip to the Presidential Range, which consists of the tallest mountains in the forest, including the 6,288-ft. Mount Washington, the highest peak north of the Smoky Mountains and east of the Mississippi River. 

[1]: http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/white_mountain/recreation/

Basin Campground

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I love this little campground. A great basecamp for many hikes in Evans Notch. All the sites are large, flat and the ones on the outer perimeter are vey private as they abut the woods. The fireplaces have a cool double decker grill for cooking. It was very quiet as most people are there to hike and fish. I'm definitely planning another trip back. Sites 9-10 had a little trail down to the pond.

Perfect little campground

Absolutely beautiful spot! This campground has a day use area with a boat launch and picnic area on the right as you drive in. Non-motorized boats are allowed on the water and it’s a great swim spot in the summer. The water is surrounded by beautiful cliffs with hiking opportunities readily available. The water is a short walk from all of the sites, some are obviously closer than others. 

  

The sites are well spaced and quite large. I greatly appreciated the crushed rock vs. sandy soil especially given the amount of rain we got during our stay. The camp hosts were helpful and definitely out and about throughout the day. 

  

Sites have fire rings and large picnic tables, as well as flat space to pitch a tent or two depending on the size. There was some variance in the size of the sites, some of which required walking up a few steps from the parking spot to the site. Not a big deal but helpful to know if negotiating stairs is an issue for you. 

  

Fresh water spigots are spaced between sites and there is one bath house with flush toilets. Note: there is no soap or paper towels/hand dryer in the restroom. Be prepared and bring your own.

Stunning Scenery & Swimming!

We loved it here. It was super quiet in late May. There were tons of dragonfly larva emerging from the pond and drying their wings. We also saw lots of trillium and lady slippers on a nearby hike. Really outstanding view right at the campground picnic area.

Very quite peaceful location

another gem of a WMNF campground.  very clean and quiet, hosts are very pleasant, close to all the hiking of Evans Notch.  No cell service, at least not AT&amp;T or Verizon.  if you need it, a short drive down the road gets you service.

clean and quiet

These campsites are small and perfect. Tucked away in a beautiful area of the Whites this site is for all hikers. With trails leading to the Wild River Wilderness right from your campsite plus lots of other gems along the road. What a perfect fall morning.

Day at Basin Pond

Site 6 is a great site for a pop-up or small trailer, relatively private with small wooded areas separating you from the other sites. There are no hookups at this particular site but some of the others sites offered electricity and water. The bathrooms are a short walking distance away and they are flushing toilets with sinks (bring your own soap). The sites are clean and well maintained by friendly hosts.

Beautiful star filled sky at night!

Nice Tucked Away Campground


Basin Campground is a very small primitive campground with 20 campsites, off of a residential road turned forest road on the border of New Hampshire and Maine.  The closest large grocery store is a considerable drive from Basin and there is no cell service within several miles in any direction.

The remoteness of this campsite being the case, I actually expected it to feel more remote than it did.  There were plenty of other campers to remind you that you weren’t alone, and there appears to be a homeless encampment set up by the reservoir, at the entrance to the campground. 

Our campsite was number 10- it was a nice campsite, but we did have a neighboring camper lose control of their dog and run into our site- since our dog is extremely reactive towards other dogs, we ended up not feeling completely comfortable at our campsite and ended up deciding to explore the area rather than hang out there.  This is not the fault of the campground and the person didn’t mean to let their dog off leash- they did apologize.  We just weren’t completely comfortable given that event.

The campground is quiet, with no road noise.  The surrounding forest roads were fun to explore, and we enjoyed driving into Maine to look at the mountains.

Not our favorite campsite, but also not the worst.  We might have enjoyed it more under different circumstances.

Small, quiet campground on the border of Maine and New Hampshire

These sites are set up in a loop with one bathroom facility. It’s located in Evan’s Notch, so close to many wonderful hiking trails and next to lovely Basin Pond. So quiet! 

Photos of Basin Campground

Real photos from real campers