271 campgrounds · Check availability for any dates.
Bradford, Vermont and the surrounding area offer campgrounds ranging from tent and RV sites with electric hookups to rustic tent camping areas, all within a 30-minute drive. Developed campgrounds like Jacobs Brook Campground in Orford and Willoughby Farm Animal Rescue offer cabin accommodations alongside tent and RV sites. The Connecticut River valley features several family-friendly campgrounds with riverside access, while the nearby White Mountain and Green Mountain National Forests contain more primitive camping options. Many campgrounds in the region operate seasonally, typically from May through mid-October.
Camping facilities around Bradford vary in their accessibility and amenities. Most established campgrounds maintain gravel roads suitable for passenger vehicles, though some forest service roads may require higher clearance, particularly in spring. "Clean, quiet wooded sites" characterize many of the smaller family-owned campgrounds near Bradford, as one visitor noted about Jacobs Brook Campground. The camping season typically runs from Memorial Day through mid-October, with some locations opening as early as late April depending on snow melt and mud conditions. Cell service can be spotty throughout the region, with coverage improving near larger towns. Many campgrounds provide electric hookups, drinking water, and toilet facilities, though amenities decrease at more remote sites.
The White River and Connecticut River watersheds define much of the camping experience in the Bradford area. Riverside campsites are particularly popular during summer months, offering swimming and fishing opportunities. As one camper observed at a nearby Vermont state park, "The sites are fairly private without being built too close together. Lake is clean and has a great concrete dock that the kids love to jump off." Family-friendly facilities predominate at developed campgrounds, with playgrounds, swimming pools, and recreation fields available at many locations. Visitors seeking more solitude can find it at primitive sites in the national forests or at smaller state parks in the area. Night skies are notably dark at campgrounds away from town centers, making stargazing a highlight for many campers.
"Both times were very different experiences, but overall very positive. Just because there are a few, I will mention the cons first."
"Plenty of walking for dogs with a natural pool for them to swim in and the large pool with pirate ship is perfect for little kids with the beach entry. easy location to get to with a travel trailer too"
from $49 - $129 / night
Check Availability"Nice campground located in the valley of mountains. Wooded sites but close to your neighbors."
"On our walk our daughter found a lost “moose” who got away from the camp store. Once returned she was able to pick a prize. They also had a tinker bell walk and other activities."
from $62 - $209 / night
Check Availability"Only one of the sites is located along the brook (45), but there's an easy path down a hill. "
"Off the beaten path so its peaceful. Sites are a little small but great if you're camping with a group so your close together. Plenty of sites/types to choose from."
from $30 - $50 / night
Check Availability"We camped here as a jumping-off point for the popular Lincoln-Lafayette-Little Haystack loop, which is walking distance from the campground."
"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."
from $35 / night
Check Availability"This campground is easy to access, though owing to that one can hear traffic on the nearby road. The lake is beautiful, clear and clean, and there is a beach with sand for swimming."
"The campground has a small beach, boat launch and it's right on the Cross Vermont Trail. I stayed in October and it was really quiet and relaxing."
from $19 - $110 / night
Check Availabilityfrom $45 - $58 / night
Check Availability"In New Hampshire; Vermont is across the river on the north side of the property. Nice bathroom, showers, laundry room, library. Spacious lots with tables and fire rings."
from $25 - $35 / night
Check Availabilityfrom $15 - $75 / night
Check Availability"This is a great spot away from crowds. Good location for hiking, and short drive to Lincoln, NH. Sites are nicely wooded and not on top of you neighbor. Camp hosts are very friendly."
"Positive vibe. Showers of any kind would earn it five stars."
from $24 / night
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ScoutReally enjoyed the setting at Crow’s Nest. There are lots of trees and having the Sugar River running alongside the campground gives the whole place a nice New Hampshire feel. We were mostly looking for somewhere to disconnect for a couple of days, cook outside, fish a little, and enjoy being away from home. Crow’s Nest was a great fit for that.
ScoutWhat we liked most about Crow’s Nest was being able to choose between doing absolutely nothing or heading out and exploring. One day we stayed around the campground, went swimming and relaxed by the river. The next day we got out and explored more of the Lake Sunapee area. It made a really good home base and it was always nice coming back to our campsite at the end of the day.
ScoutVery Disappointed With the Changes
Crown Point Campground used to be a wonderful place to camp. Unfortunately, since Happy Grounds purchased the campground, we have seen a significant decline in the overall experience.
I do want to make one thing very clear: the woman managing the campground is absolutely wonderful. She genuinely cares about the campers, is kind, helpful, and does her best to make people feel welcome. Our frustrations are not directed toward her. She deserves recognition for the effort she puts in, especially given the circumstances.
Unfortunately, there are serious concerns with the direction the campground has taken. There is no reliable Wi-Fi or cell service, which is especially concerning because there is no dependable way to call out in the event of an emergency. We have also seen a significant change in the atmosphere and clientele. Drugs have been found on the premises, including needles, which is extremely concerning for the safety of campers, especially families with children.
The campground has also become increasingly overcrowded. Tent sites have had upwards of 10 people on a single site, creating a very different camping experience from what many long-time campers originally signed up for.
Seasonal campers were told that there would be a gradual increase over two years to bring rates up to the new “going rate.” However, when the new contracts came out for next year, the price had increased by approximately $900. That is a substantial increase for a campground that, in our opinion, has continued to decline rather than improve.
What was perhaps most disappointing was how campers' concerns were handled. When people questioned the increase and expressed their frustrations, the response from the corporation was, and I quote:
“Get out and leave. I’ve heard enough complaints. Just leave if you don’t like it.”
That is an incredibly disappointing way to speak to people who have supported this campground for years.
It is heartbreaking to see what Crown Point Campground has become. There are good people here, and the campground itself has so much potential. Most importantly, the manager genuinely cares about the campers, and she deserves credit for that.
Our hope is that Happy Grounds will listen to the people who have invested years of their time and money here, address the safety and overcrowding concerns, and bring back the sense of community that once made Crown Point such a wonderful place to camp.
Scout⭐**Gunstock Campground: Apparently Your Reserved Site Is More of a Suggestion**
I don't believe I have**ever** left a negative Google review. I generally think that when something goes wrong, you contact the business, give them an opportunity to make it right, and most businesses are genuinely interested in doing exactly that.
Gunstock Campground has cured me of that quaint notion.
I reserved a full-hookup campsite for two nights. I was unable to make it there the first night, but arrived shortly after 7:00 a.m. the next morning. The camp store, where registration takes place, wasn't open yet, so I headed out for my planned hike— about six miles through the Belknaps, including summiting Rowe twice and Gunstock.
By the time I returned, I was utterly exhausted, starving, and actually feeling weak. My ambitions for the afternoon were modest:**eat something, take a shower, and collapse at the campsite I had paid for.**
The staff at the camp store greeted me warmly, checked me in, and sent me on my way.
I drove to my site. There was already a camper in it. Not merely*parked* there, mind you. They had apparently moved right in. They were hooked up to**my site's water and electric**, with water spraying from their ill-fitting hose connection and forming a rather impressive puddle underneath the camper.
I returned to the camp store to report that someone had apparently activated Gunstock's new**"Choose Any Site You Like"** camping plan. A staff member went down to speak with them and came back to tell me they were "packing up." Excellent! My mistake was assuming" packing up" meant**leaving**. It did not.
Apparently these campers had actually reserved a site**two rows away** that had**no water or electric**. Yet somehow, sometime after arriving the previous night, they had accidentally found themselves two rows over, in my clearly different site, connected to utilities their reservation didn't include.
We've all made mistakes. I've occasionally parked one space away from where I intended. I've never accidentally parked**two rows away, hooked myself up to someone else's electricity and water, and spent the night.**
But perhaps I lack imagination.
After they had now consumed about an hour of my afternoon— which, incidentally, is an hour I normally bill at attorney rates— I went back toward my site expecting to find it finally vacated.
And it was! Because Gunstock had moved these folks to another site**two spaces away from me**, apparently allowing them to pay for the upgrade they had already been test-driving. So the people who knowingly or unknowingly occupied my reserved full-hookup site, used the utilities, and delayed me from getting into the site I paid for were rewarded with...a nearby full-hookup site.
They never walked over to apologize. At that point, I no longer felt comfortable staying. It's difficult to relax at a campground when you've just discovered that site assignments appear to operate somewhat on the honor system— and that when someone helps themselves to your reserved site and utilities, management's solution is apparently to make sure *they* remain comfortably accommodated nearby. So I left. On my way home, I called Gunstock and asked for a refund. Surely, I thought, this would be the easy part. After all, I had paid for two nights, hadn't used the first, couldn't get into my site when I arrived for the second, waited while unauthorized occupants vacated it, and ultimately left because the entire experience had become so unpleasant.
Nope. Instead, the staff member **defended the other campers**. I was told they arrived late and "mistakenly" took my site. I was even told they supposedly **hadn't used the utilities**. This was particularly fascinating information for me to receive because **I PERSONALLY SAW THEM HOOKED UP TO THE WATER AND ELECTRIC.** I also took photographs. Including the enormous puddle underneath their camper from the leaking water connection. But apparently my eyewitness account and photographs were no match for the alternative version of events.
For my inconvenience, however, Gunstock did give me a coupon for a **free Bavarian pretzel**. So there is that.
I paid for a full-hookup campsite. Someone else occupied it and used the hookups. I lost roughly an hour waiting to access what I had reserved. The other campers were accommodated with an upgraded site nearby. I left because I no longer felt comfortable staying. And when I asked Gunstock to make the situation right, they refused to refund me and instead argued with me about things **I had personally witnessed and photographed**. The most disappointing part isn't that another camper took my site. Campers can behave badly. Businesses can't control everything their customers do. **What a business CAN control is how it responds when that happens. ** Gunstock had every opportunity to turn this into a mildly annoying story about a camping mix-up. Instead, they turned it into my first negative Google review.
But hey... **I do have that free pretzel coupon.**
ScoutCrow’s Nest was a really convenient stop for us while traveling through New Hampshire. Getting our RV situated was easy and we had everything we needed for a comfortable stay.
TravelerIt was everything we were looking for, right on the river, quiet and clean, the section we stayed in was all tent camping so we weren’t sandwiched in between a bunch of RVs blocking the view. There was no lights, generators or loud music. Alcohol wasn’t permitted so that really cuts down on a lot of unnecessary nonsense. Pets are permitted and our dog loved it. It was very pleasant and relaxing. Can’t wait to go back.
ScoutWe brought the kids here for a few days and they had a blast. Between swimming, exploring around the campground, and just riding around and making friends, they always had something to do. For us, it was nice being able to actually relax while the kids stayed entertained. We cooked at the campsite most nights and spent the evenings around the fire. Great family trip.
ScoutThe Sugar River was probably our favorite part of staying here. There is something really relaxing about waking up, making coffee, and being able to walk down by the river first thing in the morning. We spent our days fishing, hanging around the campground, and exploring the area. Crow’s Nest has a classic New Hampshire campground feel and we would definitely come back.
ScoutWe stayed in site #5. It was grassy and had a little creek running next to it that was lovely to listen to.
Bradford's camping scene ranges from riverside settings on the Connecticut River to mountain-based sites in the surrounding Green and White Mountain areas. The region sits at elevations ranging from 400 to 1,500 feet, creating distinct microclimates within short distances. Winter conditions often extend through April with late spring mud season affecting campground access and amenities.
Pirate-themed swimming: Moose Hillock Camping Resort offers one of the region's most unique pool experiences. "The pool is the main attraction and really great but gets very very busy. No one was controlling the slides so kids were going down in multiples and not making sure no one was at the bottom," notes Lauren Q.
Farm animal experiences: Willoughby Farm Animal Rescue combines camping with rescued animals. "I even got to feed the alpaca," shares Robin R., who appreciated the direct animal interactions available to campers.
Kayaking calm waters: At Ricker Pond State Park, non-motorized water activities dominate. "A quiet camp ground on Ricker Pond, a motor free pond, is a wonderful way to spend the weekend. The pond is serene and a great place to swim, paddle, explore, and fish," describes Hannah H.
Riverfront access: River Meadow Campground offers direct Connecticut River frontage. "It's right on the CT river and they have canoes to rent. My friend and I took my son fishing and we landed some nice size fish big enough it scared my 7 year old son and he made me real it in," reports Chris H.
Large, private sites: Many campgrounds prioritize spacing between sites. At Lost River Valley Campground, "Wooded sites but close to your neighbors. We had site 41 & unfortunately we were unable to use the fire pit due to being so close to our 19 foot camper," mentions Heather O., pointing out that site selection matters.
Dark skies: White Mountain National Forest Wildwood Campground provides minimal lighting, creating excellent stargazing. "This is a great spot away from crowds. Good location for hiking, and short drive to Lincoln, NH. Sites are nicely wooded and not on top of your neighbor," says Erin B.
Cell service limitations: Most campgrounds have spotty or no connectivity. "No cell service, however the lady in the site across had one of those cell extenders and said she had 2 bars of 4G service," notes Jamie D. about Wildwood Campground.
Reservation changes: Campground policies vary regarding site availability. "I didn't realize this and when I arrived late Friday afternoon I had 5 or 6 campsites to choose from that could accommodate my small teardrop camper," reports Jean C. about reservation systems at Wildwood.
Highway noise concerns: Some campgrounds experience traffic noise. At Lafayette Place Campground, "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," cautions Lee D.
Water features: Ponds and pools are family favorites. "If you paddle or swim to the other side of the camp ground, there is a huge rock with a rope swing," shares Hannah H. about Ricker Pond State Park.
Site location strategy: Choose sites thoughtfully at larger campgrounds. "The hilly terrain is insaneeee! If you have never been before, book a sight as close as possible to the pool and office, because the further you get, the higher the altitude," advises Jessica W. about Moose Hillock.
Playground access: Consider proximity to amenities. At River Meadow, "It has RV sights and cabins they keep the campers busy with fun activities for kids and grown ups," reports Chris H., noting organized activities supplement natural features.
Site leveling challenges: Many campgrounds require leveling equipment. "Some of the sites were not really level," notes Sara D. about Moose Hillock, a common issue across the region's campgrounds.
Hookup variety: Electric service varies by campground. The Pastures Campground provides "Lots of room; nice pool and a playground; right on the Connecticut River," according to Jake H., with full hookup sites available.
Seasonal campsite options: Many RVers choose seasonal arrangements. At River Meadow, "My family loves this campground last 4th of July week we booked it for this 4th of July week and got out on the seasonal camping wait list," mentions Chris H., highlighting the popularity of extended stays.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Bradford Island located and how do I access it?
Bradford Island is located in Vermont near the Vermont-New Hampshire border. The easiest way to access Bradford Island is through nearby access points like those at Silver Lake Campground, which offers water access to the surrounding area. For those approaching from New Hampshire, Jacobs Brook Campground is conveniently located less than 2 miles from I-93 exit 13 near Fairlee, providing a good starting point for exploring the Bradford region. Check with local authorities about specific water access points if arriving by boat, as access may vary seasonally.
Do I need a permit to camp at Bradford Beach?
Yes, you typically need a permit to camp at Bradford Beach. Vermont's state parks and beaches generally require camping permits that should be secured in advance. Wilgus State Park Campground, which opens early in the season (before Memorial Day), demonstrates the permit system common in the region. For private options with different permit requirements, Art and Health Chill Camping offers various camping options on private land. To avoid disappointment, check with the Bradford Recreation Department or Vermont State Parks for current permit requirements and reservation procedures before your trip.
What camping facilities are available at Bradford Park?
Bradford Park offers several camping facilities including designated tent sites, picnic tables, and fire rings. For more developed amenities nearby, consider Mount Ascutney State Park Campground, which provides clean facilities and access to mountain biking trails. Alternatively, Moosalamoo Campground offers a more rustic experience with basic amenities including picnic tables and fire rings, plus natural attractions like cascading waterfalls and mountain views. Most facilities in the Bradford area are seasonal, typically operating from late spring through early fall, with some sites requiring reservations.
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