In the heart of Franconia Notch State Park, Lafayette Place Campground is the camping and hiking hub for the park. It provides a great base from which to enjoy hiking, biking, fishing, swimming, and many attractions in the White Mountains. Information about hiking trails, safety, and the natural and cultural history of the park is available at the cabin near the campground entrance. A lodge houses a registration desk and offers a selection of camping supplies. Each campsite is wooded and has a picnic table, car parking, and an open fireplace. There are coin-operated showers and a camp store. Lafayette Campground provides 97 wooded tent sites - 88 are by reservation only, 1 is for youth group reservations, and 7 are for first-come/first-served campers. Self-service/self-pay camping with limited staffing and facilities is available during the off-season.

Lafayette Place Campground — Franconia Notch State Park

The best reason to stay here is if you are planning to hike in the Franconia Notch area, esp. if you want to hike Franconia Ridge, doing the loop up Falling Waters and down Bridle Path. You won't have to fight for a parking spot and it will be easy to get an early start, which is particularly important if you plan to do this hike on a pleasant weekend day! On the same side of the park are trails to Lonesome Lake and on up to Cannon and the Kinsman range. The Pemi River and Trail run through the campground as does the paved multi-purpose trail, so if biking's more your thing, it's a nice way to explore attractions through the Notch.

It's sandwiched between the mountains and the highway, so sites are close together and you WILL hear traffic, but it offers bathrooms with flush toilets and hot showers ($) and dishwashing sinks. The majority of the sites are reservation only and summer weekends you'll want to plan ahead. There's a camp store with a few camp essentials, dry firewood, souvenirs, and a table to sit and explore hiking plans, etc. They post weather information out front and there is a hiker information center out front as well.

Some of the sites along the river are better suited to tents than trailers, with the tent/table/fire on a pad closer to the river. Most sites are wooded, though there are a few (15 &amp; 16) in an open grassy area in a separate loop that is up the hill behind the camp store.

Fantastic base for day hikes in Franconia Notch

Nice campground and close to some good hikes. Our site was nestled in the woods and it was much better than our other night spent in the park. There was a bear problem while we were there but otherwise a well kept campground.

Nice

Lafayette campground was perfect in the woods, the camp sites perfectly spaced out to not hear your neighbors at night. The hikes were spectacular with an amazing view for a prize. Besides the Bears that may come and visit, which they usually don't, this campground was fun and exciting with a mountain shop to sum it up

Exciting 

The White Mountains stretch quite some distance. While the Presidential peaks are often considered the jewel of this range, I find the Franconia Ridge just as beautiful and stunning. From this location you can head up the ridge or toward Lonesome Lake, where you will find AMC run huts once up a bit higher.

This is a great valley spot that gives you access to several New Hampshire gems. The Pemigewasset River is beautiful and provides an easily accessible destination for the less adventurous. So whether it's 4,000 footers, pristine wilderness or a wild river, this campground provides access to all of these.

Other spots to explore while you're in the area include the historic Old Man in the Mountain site (even though he isn't there any more), The Basin, Kinsman Falls and The Flume Gorge!

This is a popular spot in the summer to book your spot well in advance!

Gateway to the Whites

It had been on my list to hike the Franconia Ridge for years, and it did not disappoint when I finally made a point to go! There are five peaks total, however, we only did 3 - up Mt. Lincoln, across to Little Haystack, and then Mt. Lafayette with a stop at Greenleaf Hut for our descent. Lafayette, the highest peak on this trail, is over 5,000ft. It was overcast on an August day during our trip, but had no effect on enjoyment. Incredible views all around; half expecting to see a ranger, bearded dwarf, and elven archer chasing a horde of orcs (please catch my Lord of the Rings reference).

Franconia Ridge

Lafayette Campground sits at the base of Mount Cannon in Franconia Notch State Park. Sadly my visit was brief and rainy, but Franconia Notch is beautiful nonetheless in all it’s gargantuan splendor! The site was on the smaller side, but shaded. Most of the sites were relatively private. The roads could get a bit confusing and maze-like, but was generally relaxing to stroll through once you get your bearings.

I came with friends in June 2017 to hike Mount Cannon. Feels good to say I did it, but the hike is definitely not for novices. It’s exhausting for a pro, which both my friends were, but I was far from that. It was a long haul up and down and took between 6-8 hours in the rain. Ended up breaking a finger and hurting my foot, but I survived. My entire body hurt for days afterwards.

Despite the bad hiking experience, I’d love to visit the grounds at least and explore more of the area. It truly is gorgeous.This time though, I’d be looking forward to a more laid back experience.

Lafayette-Franconia Notch State Park

If you're looking for easy to strenuous hikes that can be accessed from one place, this is the spot! You can access at least 6 of the NH48 from this campground, numerous waterfalls, two AMC huts, and several ponds and lakes all within hiking distance.

The only downside is that it is right next to I-93 which certainly echoes. The traffic noise was a little distracting and took away from the peacefulness of being outside but again, once you get on your hike, you can't hear it at all.

I'll also say that the camp store is stocked very well and the Rangers are knowledgeable, accommodating, and pleasant!

Incredible location to a variety of hikes. 

We had site 57, near the small creek. Should have been great sleeping with the babble of the brook, but it was drowned out by the drone of trucks on the freeway. The bathrooms are heavily used and not very clean. There are some nice things to see in the park, but you do have to pay $16 to hike on the Gorge trail.


Nice campground with highway noise

A huge campground with showers, camp store, RV sites, and tent sites. During the summer months there are regular nature programs through Discover the Power of the Parks. Bike trail that runs the length of the park can be accessed here, as well as trails to Lonesome Lake, Kinsmen Mountain, Canon Mountain, and the Franconia Ridge Loop which includes Mt. Lafayette. 

A Big Camp for a Big Park

This is one of the most beautiful hiking and camping areas and well worth checking out. I did the ridge hike while in college and stayed here with friends. It was wet and foggy so good thing we had a map but still some of the most incredible views.

Amazing Hiking

I did a loop hike in this park and stayed at several of the backcountry sites with friends a few years ago. There are so many amazing peaks an the views are incredible it is well worth the challenge of the hike. The important thing is to make sure to plan in advance since the terrain is challenging and some of the trails can be confusing. It is worth your time to purchase a good map and plan out water fill ups as well as campsites long in advance. Also check out if you need permits and such since that is important. This area can get very cold in the winter, when we did it, so be prepared for surprise snow if you do in certain times of year.

Several Amazing Hikes

This campground is the perfect location for those wanting to explore the Franconia Notch State Park in New Hampshire. The bathrooms and showers were clean and the staff very helpful and friendly. I would like to point out that one of the park’s trails (Lonesome Lake Trail) cuts through this campground, so when making reservations to camp here you will want to avoid campsites near this trail. In some cases, the trail was within 3 feet of certain campsites and it is a somewhat active trail. We loved our stay and hiked both the Flume and the Basin trails.

Perfect Location in the Notch

Right in the middle of Franconia notch; you can get to many trails from here; and there's a bike path that's paved, so is good for kids as well

Central to everything!

As far as the individual sites go, they are fairly standard. Roomy enough with a picnic table and fire ring and most are reasonably spaced far enough apart with trees to provide privacy. However, the noise from Highway 93 is intolerable! 18-wheelers blowing by at all hours of the day and night, making it very difficult to enjoy a restful sleep. I had reserved site 46 because it was across the street from the Pemigewaset River but I could not hear the river over the highway noise. You can hear the highway noise from all the sites, but I think 33, 34, and 35 are the quietest. The Lonesome Lake Trail runs right through the campground which is good news/bad news. Easy access to the trail but there are a number of sites that directly border the trail, which could impede privacy. No cell service. There is a store, and two restrooms with pay showers; one of these also has a dishwashing sink, and washer and dryer, a nice perk. Franconia Notch State Park has a lot to offer and this campground is centrally located. If it wasn’t for the horrible highway noise, I would give this campground 4 stars; however, it is the ONLY campground in the park, so I guess that’s that!

Centrally located campground in Franconia Notch

If you’re planning on hiking the notch or the ridge loop, this is about as good as it gets for a jumping off point. Beware the Leaf peeping crowds in the fall.
Standard amenities, playground and paved paths, good for families or small groups. 

Hikers dream

We had an idyllic trip to Franconia Notch in July 2020. We camped here as a jumping-off point for the popular Lincoln-Lafayette-Little Haystack loop, which is walking distance from the campground. The trail gets crowded and trailhead parking runs out, so camping is a perfect way to access the hike. And it's totally worth the trip! We were equally impressed by the gentler hike up to Lonesome Lake and the eponymous AMC hut, an incredibly gorgeous spot.

  

The camp store was closed due to Covid-19, and staff have been checking in campers through the windows. You can still buy merchandise without going inside.

  

Our site (022) was great for tent campers, with a large terrace area, but wouldn't have worked for a larger vehicle. I would recommend this site for its incredible views of the mountains! Note that the sites in the "circle" across from 022 (see photo) are  in the middle of a grassy field without much shade or privacy, although most sites outside of this area are wooded. We had a lot of hoverflies (the little yellow and black guys), but they don't sting or bite, and they don't even seem particularly attracted to food. We didn't encounter more problematic insects at our campsite, although there were mosquitoes on one walk we took on the Pemi trail near the highway.

  

There was a bit of a party atmosphere during our visit, but in a nice way -- we didn't encounter loud late-night drinking or yelling.

  

Restrooms and the dish-washing area were very clean. We didn't use the showers, which are coin-operated.

  

The highway noise was annoying at night, as other reviews have mentioned. Earplugs would be a great investment!

  

PLEASE practice bear safety-- and protect both bears and humans-- by storing all food and scented items in your vehicle. We had to scare a large black bear away from our neighbor's tent around 5 am.  

  

Despite some of the imperfections mentioned above, we had a wonderful time on this trip. The access to amazing hikes is unparalleled, and the campground was a fun place to spend the rest of our time.

Fabulous view of the mountains you probably want to climb

It's a nice camp ground, but its a little more of  resort camping than I normally go for.  Don't get me wrong!  It's beautiful!  But i probably would try somewhere else next time.  Plus side, it's near to a lot of attractions! Covered bridges, waters falls!  Thats what makes this place worth it

A little more resort then I like

We spent two night here on June 23 &amp; 24 of 2021.   We had a great time.  It got c o l d at night (went down to 38 the first night!)  so that was ... a thing.    However, we still had a wonderful time. 

  

  

**Pros**

*   Great Camp Store (where you check in) is well stocked and staffed with very kind / helpful staff. 
*   Sites are well maintained with very large picnic table and fire ring.
*   Bathroom and showers were clean and well maintained (water pressure in shower is strong and wonderful)
*   Sinks for dishwashing were also clean and well maintained
*   Excellent access to incredible hiking trails of all levels / experience. 

  

**Cons**

*   The size and scale of the sites varies greatly.  We (site 42) camped with friends and they were in the site next door (41) and their site was at least double the size of ours if not more. 
*   As you will see in other reviews:  the highway noise is real and late at night is mostly 18 wheel trucks...which are ...loud. 
*   Our site was very not level (it was technically an RV site and so that may be a factor?) but it's was as if we were camping on a gentle ramp.

Great Campground ... very close to highway.

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. 

Beautiful Campground

Friendly staff and good facilities. A little bit less privacy compared to other campsites in the area.