The Dyrt is here to help plan your best camping near Jay Peak. Jay Peak is filled with the activities, sights, and experiences to make everyone in your crew a happy camper. Find the best campgrounds near Jay Peak, VT. Read helpful reviews and tips to find the perfect camping option for you and your crew.
This popular state park, located in Vermont, is a narrow passage that leads through the Green Mountains. In 2003, the park was relocated to allow room for expansions, including an updated campground and sites featuring alternative energy. Despite this, great care was taken to relocate and restore the original structures that were built there by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The site originally housed the many young men looking for work during the Depression era, so it was important for their work to be preserved as much as possible.
Visitors report satisfaction with the new renovations, as the new campground has sites that allow for much more room than before, and ample thought was given to the facilities operating on alternative energy. Campers can now enjoy hot showers, firewood and ice for sale, as well as a new location that provides easy access to Bingham Falls.
Before planning a stay at the park, travelers should be aware that most sites in the park are first come first serve, and not easily accessible by vehicle. Because of the limited space and narrow geography, there are only a small number of sites that can accommodate a trailer or RV. Animal lovers are welcome to bring their furry pals for a visit to the park as well.
Day use of the park consists of a variety of recreation and fun. There's a wetlands boardwalk near what's called the Barnes Camp Visitor Center. Bouldering and cave exploring commonly take place here as well, and when the weather allows it, some try their hand at ice climbing. Day use of the park comes with an entrance fee of $4 for adults, $2 for kids 12 and younger, and children ages 0-3 enter the park free of charge.
$20 / night
$29 / night
Welcome to Grand Isle State Park, located on South Hero Island in Lake Champlain. The Island, also known as Grand Isle, is 14 miles long and over 3 miles wide, making it the largest in Lake Champlain. It contains the towns of Grand Isle (on the northern half) and South Hero (on the southern half). The North and South Hero Islands are named in honor of early pioneering Vermonters who served in the American Revolution.
Grand Isle State Park is the most-visited campground in the state park system. With 4,150 feet of Lake Champlain shoreline, Grand Isle is popular with many destination campers who spend their entire vacation here. At the same time, the park location on US Route 2 attracts a high number of one-night campers, while proximity to population centers in Burlington, Vermont and Montreal, Quebec make it an easy destination for the weekend or spur-of-the-moment camper. Park property extends all the way west to Route 2, where part of the land is being kept open by agricultural lease, and some of what was pasture thirty years ago has reverted to woodland.
$6 - $28 / night
Little River State Park, which is part of Mt. Mansfield State Forest, is home to central Vermont's largest and most popular campground. The campground has 81 tent/RV sites, 20 lean-tos, and five cabins. Restrooms have flush toilets and hot and cold running water, and three of the four restrooms have coin-operated hot showers. A sanitary dump station is available, but there are no hookups. Within the campground, there are swimming beaches, play areas, a boat launch, ball fields, and boat rentals for campers (for day use boat rentals and swimming, see Waterbury Center, State Park). Adjacent to the park are miles of hiking trails for campers and day use visitors that take in the rich cultural and natural history of the area.
Remote camping: The remote campsites can be reserved online or through the Reservation Call Center at 1-888-409-7579 starting May 19. Those not reserved are first come/first served. Information about open campsites may be found at each access area. Simply find a vacant designated campsite, pitch in and the park ranger will come by to get you registered. Campsites may be used by any single party for up to 7 days with no fees. Every remote campsite has a maximum occupancy of 6 people, unless otherwise posted. There are privies at these sites, but there is no potable water. View remote camping page here.
Today, Little River State Park is one of the most popular parks in central Vermont. Waterbury Reservoir is particularly favored for boating with a portion of the reservoir devoted to quieter uses. Angling for bass and trout is as popular here as water-skiing.>
Enjoy swimming beaches, play areas, boat rentals and a launch, and miles of hiking and mountain bike trails in the adjacent Mt. Mansfield State Forest. Self-guided history and nature trails are located close to the camping area.
$19 - $28 / night
$33 - $75 / night
Stowe area Camping on the Lamoille River. Enjoy. Relax. Explore.
Mountain View campground offers many great luxuries to make your camping experience easy and relaxing.
picnic table & Fire Ring provided at every site. FREE WiFi available throughout campground!
Welcome to Brighton State Park, located on the shores of Spectacle Pond. The outstanding attraction of this area is its remoteness: mountains with tree-covered slopes, fast running streams, and clear lakes. It is common to hear loons calling at night. The wild lands to the northeast and southeast of the town of Island Pond are suited to the angler, the hunter, or the outdoor lover who likes to roam away from developed roads or towns. Logging roads into the deeper reaches of this area offer adventurous side trips.
Island Pond enjoyed a heyday from the late 1800's until the Depression years, along with the fortunes of the Grand Trunk railroad between Montreal, Canada and Portland, Maine. Island Pond was the site of the first international railroad junction in the United States. At the height of the town’s population, its streets were lively with railroad men and loggers, most of whom rode in on one of the 13 rail tracks that passed through town. A mere two tracks remain today. The unique wooden bridge, which once held all 13 tracks, is gone, but the heritage of railroading is still evident in the well-kept train station and a few associated structures at the north end of town.
Cabin at Brighton State Park The park has five cabins available to rent There are 5 cabins, 54 tent/RV sites and 23 lean-to's. All three restrooms have flush toilets, hot and cold running water and coin-operated hot showers. A sanitary dump station is available, but there are no hookups. There are hiking trails, a campers' beach with boat rentals, a nature museum, an amphitheater, a garage theater, and a play area. At the nearby day use area (at the southern end of Island Pond) there is a long, sandy beach, a bathhouse with restrooms, and boats available to rent.
There are 5 cabins at the park that are available to rent. They are all located near the waterfront.
$20 - $50 / night
The Town of Lake Elmore calls itself “The Beauty Spot of Vermont.” Located in the southeastern part of Lamoille County, Elmore is mostly forested and agricultural land. Lake Elmore and Elmore Mountain, which rise almost from the lake’s shore, are prominent features of the town.
Lake Elmore is 219 acres, lies northwest of the village, and empties into the Lamoille River through Pond Brook. Elmore Mountain is in the "Worcester Range" and its timber is mostly hardwood. The mountain has an elevation of 2,608 feet.
The park had its beginning in 1936 when the town of Elmore and local citizens made a gift of 30 acres on Lake Elmore to the state of Vermont. With modest means, a picnic and beach area was created. Today, with more than 700 acres, Elmore State Park has become a popular, developed recreation facility.
The park has a campground with 44 tent/RV sites and 15 lean-to sites with 2 campground bathrooms with flush toilets, hot and cold running water, and coin-operated showers.
$19 - $28 / night
$37 - $100 / night
Located directly across the street from Lake Willoughby.
$35 - $75 / night
This popular state park, located in Vermont, is a narrow passage that leads through the Green Mountains. In 2003, the park was relocated to allow room for expansions, including an updated campground and sites featuring alternative energy. Despite this, great care was taken to relocate and restore the original structures that were built there by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The site originally housed the many young men looking for work during the Depression era, so it was important for their work to be preserved as much as possible.
Visitors report satisfaction with the new renovations, as the new campground has sites that allow for much more room than before, and ample thought was given to the facilities operating on alternative energy. Campers can now enjoy hot showers, firewood and ice for sale, as well as a new location that provides easy access to Bingham Falls.
Before planning a stay at the park, travelers should be aware that most sites in the park are first come first serve, and not easily accessible by vehicle. Because of the limited space and narrow geography, there are only a small number of sites that can accommodate a trailer or RV. Animal lovers are welcome to bring their furry pals for a visit to the park as well.
Day use of the park consists of a variety of recreation and fun. There's a wetlands boardwalk near what's called the Barnes Camp Visitor Center. Bouldering and cave exploring commonly take place here as well, and when the weather allows it, some try their hand at ice climbing. Day use of the park comes with an entrance fee of $4 for adults, $2 for kids 12 and younger, and children ages 0-3 enter the park free of charge.
$20 / night
$29 / night
Welcome to Grand Isle State Park, located on South Hero Island in Lake Champlain. The Island, also known as Grand Isle, is 14 miles long and over 3 miles wide, making it the largest in Lake Champlain. It contains the towns of Grand Isle (on the northern half) and South Hero (on the southern half). The North and South Hero Islands are named in honor of early pioneering Vermonters who served in the American Revolution.
Grand Isle State Park is the most-visited campground in the state park system. With 4,150 feet of Lake Champlain shoreline, Grand Isle is popular with many destination campers who spend their entire vacation here. At the same time, the park location on US Route 2 attracts a high number of one-night campers, while proximity to population centers in Burlington, Vermont and Montreal, Quebec make it an easy destination for the weekend or spur-of-the-moment camper. Park property extends all the way west to Route 2, where part of the land is being kept open by agricultural lease, and some of what was pasture thirty years ago has reverted to woodland.
$6 - $28 / night
Little River State Park, which is part of Mt. Mansfield State Forest, is home to central Vermont's largest and most popular campground. The campground has 81 tent/RV sites, 20 lean-tos, and five cabins. Restrooms have flush toilets and hot and cold running water, and three of the four restrooms have coin-operated hot showers. A sanitary dump station is available, but there are no hookups. Within the campground, there are swimming beaches, play areas, a boat launch, ball fields, and boat rentals for campers (for day use boat rentals and swimming, see Waterbury Center, State Park). Adjacent to the park are miles of hiking trails for campers and day use visitors that take in the rich cultural and natural history of the area.
Remote camping: The remote campsites can be reserved online or through the Reservation Call Center at 1-888-409-7579 starting May 19. Those not reserved are first come/first served. Information about open campsites may be found at each access area. Simply find a vacant designated campsite, pitch in and the park ranger will come by to get you registered. Campsites may be used by any single party for up to 7 days with no fees. Every remote campsite has a maximum occupancy of 6 people, unless otherwise posted. There are privies at these sites, but there is no potable water. View remote camping page here.
Today, Little River State Park is one of the most popular parks in central Vermont. Waterbury Reservoir is particularly favored for boating with a portion of the reservoir devoted to quieter uses. Angling for bass and trout is as popular here as water-skiing.>
Enjoy swimming beaches, play areas, boat rentals and a launch, and miles of hiking and mountain bike trails in the adjacent Mt. Mansfield State Forest. Self-guided history and nature trails are located close to the camping area.
$19 - $28 / night
$33 - $75 / night
Stowe area Camping on the Lamoille River. Enjoy. Relax. Explore.
Mountain View campground offers many great luxuries to make your camping experience easy and relaxing.
picnic table & Fire Ring provided at every site. FREE WiFi available throughout campground!
Nice and quiet
I scouted this area a couple of years ago and stayed in one of the lean-tos, this is a great area in the winter when no-one else is around.
There is a parking lot near the main road where you can park. The hike around the pond is nice, but wet, rocky and you need to be a sure-footed person. Views are great, the pond is amazing, and the campsites are well maintained.
Most sites have a lean-to and a well-built fireplace as well as an outhouse. Keep in mind this is a pack in pack out location. You are not allowed to cut wood, and only fallen dead is available for use.
I just found out that Onion River Camground just willingly hosted a MAP(minor attracted person aka pedofile) meeting at their campground. I am so disgusted the owners of Onion River Campground that hosted this meeting allowed my family with two young girls to BOOK a campsite the SAME WEEKEND as this meeting with no warning of what was going on!!!! By the grace of God, we cancelled two weeks ago(for other reasons) and rerouted to another state. I’m sitting here reading this imagining my beautiful kids walking around a campground innocently with nasty individuals looking at them in a sexual way without my wife or I ever knowing what was going on right under our noses. It’s digusting and appalling that the campground owners support these pedofiles and would let ANY family book a stay there without making us aware. I HAD NO IDEA THIS WAS SOMETHING I NEEDED TO LOOKOUT FOR BUT I THINK OTHERS SHOULD BE AWARE OF THIS. I don’t agree with supporting MAPs at all but if you are then make it an adult only campground for heavens sake.
You deserve to be run out of business for even considering hosting such a disgusting function.
Nothing fancy but great location. The campground is right on the bike path and very close to Burlington.
Pretty pond, good lean-to's, nice toilets, central put-in for canoes and kayaks, friendly people. Big groups in one area, individual remote sites far enough away to be private. Nicely maintained, friendly staff when you do see them. Went September 6 and 7 2024. Only 3 hours from Boston.
Great spot, especially for families, it is a bit expensive, at $30 for tent spot and $40 for lean to. the staff was helpful and kept the grounds clean. We ended paying more for the lean to because it was more secluded and quiet, the rest of the park was busy.
Our spot was right on the brook which was peaceful and beautiful. It also had a fire pit with a grill grate and they sold firewood at the front gate.
We stayed for two nights to visit Burlington and lake Champlain.
It was not our favorite campground. The site are open, so no privacy and the sites are fairly small.
Toilets and showers are ok but nothing fancy. A bit worn.
This easy-to-access campground has made it on my list of places to stay.
There are two loops of sites, some deep in the woods with great-looking trees, others in a field, and some in between. There are even sites with stalls if you're into horses.
The bathhouse looks typical and clean.
Not much cell service, but some in places.
Easy access to a lake and a picnic pavilion.
Noticed more than a few sites that I could hang at.
This is a small campground, really it's an extension of Stillwater just up the road. Check-in happens at Stillwater, purchase your firewood and drive the 2 min down to Big Deer.
For Vermont, these sites felt close, but we could still get privacy. We did have to change sites due to our neighbors yelling at their kids and using less-than-appropriate language to do so. We could still hear them on the other side of the campground :(
The site itself was nice, even though it lacked privacy.
Boulder Beach Road is an easy dirt road access to these campgrounds.
We had 1 bar of AT&T service.
The bathrooms were adequate, nothing special
But we made a last-minute decision to camp and this was a decent location for that. I would camp here again, but it wouldn't be my first choice.
Our first time in Vermont, we were coming from Montreal, Quebec. And while there are many nice campsites to visit in Quebec... we've done them all, within a 2-hour radius. Well, guess what? Lake Carmi in Franklin (Enosburg?) Vermont, is less than 1 1/2 hours from Montreal! I think it must be the closest campsite to Quebec, in Vermont. The drive there was really pleasant too. It wasn't all highway. It took us mostly through very scenic routes in both Quebec, and Vermont.
After booking, I had read some bad reviews about the place - which gave me second thoughts. About the staff being very unpleasant, etc. Well I'm happy to say, that turned out to be absolutely untrue! To say that Kathy, Daniel and really, the entire staff that we met, was very friendly to us, is an understatement. They literally saved our bacon!
It's a long story, but in short... our car broke down at one point, and we had to get it towed. Our phone wouldn't work, and it was by the good graces of the Lake Carmi rangers and staff, and the use of their wireless, that we were eventually able to return back home to Canada. I don't know what we would have done, if they weren't there to help us! So - big thanks to the amazing staffers at Lake Carmi.
We had reserved a site by the lake, and saw that the campground itself was quite nice. Just acres and acres of lush green forestation. Clean grounds and washrooms. A beautiful sunset over the lake. No electrical 'pollution'. No noise pollution - except for crickets, in the field. Other than the car trouble - quite a pleasant stay! We'll be returning next year.
We were with RV. Mostly permanent places, showers and toilets are full with mould and not clean as is said on the website. Rates are not transparant. The pool was nice for the kids.
I come back to this area every year; I missed my spring trip this year though. A friend was camping and invited me to join them. We had a site on the B loop, I have only camped on the A loop...
The site was nice with some great rock features, the sites have enough space between them to give privacy, but you know you're not alone. The facilities on the B loop are vintage 1950s, simple clean but not new or the same caliber as the facilities on A loop. Plenty of water faucets on the B loop.
Both A & B are easy to get around on, all of the roads are dirt but well maintained. Both loops have their own Trash and Recyling. The access road into the park is a well-maintained dirt road and about 5 miles long. Look for the bears, and other cutouts creatures in the clearings on the way in.
This campground is remote and it's about 45 min. to the nearest town. There is no cell service, even with a booster. The lake is wonderful.
Spent a few nights here as a base camp while hiking some of the mountains in the area. Camp spots were far enough away from one another, trees helped with privacy, and the tent site had a great area to setup the tent.
Facilities were accessible and clean. Quiet hours were definitely observed. Easily one of the best camp sites I’ve stayed at.
We recently bought a travel trailer and this was our first camping trip with it. Emma and JC were wonderful from start to finish. They own the property and you can tell they take such great pride in this gem. The grounds are beautifully kept and both were very helpful. We arrived much later than expected because of traffic and this being our first time traveling with the travel trailer. They were very accommodating to our later than expected arrival. Once we got all set up at our site, we were very happy. JC is very helpful with helping guide you in to your spot if you need it. There's a nice bath house with toilets and private showers. It was kept very clean and it was nice to know we could use that if needed. There's a beautiful spot to go down by the lake and watch the sunset over Lake Champlain. We absolutely loved our time there and will be happy to return again. JC has quite the sense of humor and my partner and him had fun conversing. Emma was great at communicating from start to finish and made everything easy and convenient.
Great spot near the lake to put up a tent for the night. Very safe and super close to town. Seemed really popular and a little loud until around 11. If you’re a light sleeper then consider bringing some ear plugs.
"Stay campy" is on the brochure for the Campground. The proprietor of the operation is open and friendly and very accommodating. But the whole atmosphere of the place is campy. I had to look that up again. It seems the Campground prides itself on being so bad that it's good. I stayed two nights. Not too bad really, just generally older rigs, no clearly defined campsites, but it does have electric and water. When I arrived, there was a very handicapped person in a wheelchair motoring around in front of the Park office. He seemed to be interested in my being there, but when I asked him where I should check in, he held out a straight arm, pointing towards the distant horizon and moaned. I did not try to connect with any of the other Park patrons. The next morning are slightly more agile character began mowing the lawn and got closer and closer to my rig until I had to jump up and go warn him not to run over my stink cables. I did get a nod and a yeah, out of him. it was noisy and dusty. I suppose even luxury resorts have to mow the grass.
The first thing that happened is you go over the train tracks to go to the office to register and you have to turn your rig around to go to Riverside which the sites are extremely small had a 42 foot fifth wheel and took me 15 minutes to get set so I could disconnect. good thing there was no one next to me on both sides so I had room to move around otherwise I would’ve never made it in there. The view is beautiful. The lake is pretty. They have seasonals set up on the lake and when we were there, they were pretty obnoxious and loud cursing every two seconds no one came around to check anything. They have a lot of rules, but they don’t enforce any of them. If you want to go to pull through you go on the other side of the camp where you have to climb a huge hill and then maneuver around to get into a pull through that’s only about 10 foot wide. So my suggestion would be if you have a small camper great if you have anything over 30 feet find somewhere else.
Pros: Full hookup (sewer, water, 50 AMP) 1.7 mile from #7 Ranked World's Best Disc Golf Course: Fox Run Meadows New fire ring New picnic table Gorgeous Mountain View
Cons: Grass site No amenities No Wi-Fi Soft ground, sinked during setup
This campground is located in a central area between Burlington and north hero. The views of lake Champlain are amazing. Ex check in and plenty of amenities.
These remote sites are so peaceful. Be sure to launch from cotton brook road if your site r11-27. We made the mistake of parking at little River rd the first time and the paddle to r14 from there was way too long. It was about 30 minutes from the cotton brook launch to the site and was much more doable for all the trips we took bringing our gear in. The bathroom is a composting toilet that you’ll share with fishing spiders the size of your hand, slam the lid before use! Also the spot where you set up tent at this site was on a slope, others sites might be better.. still 10/10 will return, these sites are all prime locations!
First of 2 lean-to
On the red trail ...near the split for red-blue options.
With fire pit.
Nice lean-to on the blue trail.
With a fire pit
There are hiking trails right from the campground, which we always appreciate. You can also go down to the water and rent a kayak or canoe from the rangers. Camp fees are $28/night, plus $5/day per adult for state park fees.
There is a dump station and drinking water on site, but the spigots for the water are not threaded. We tried our water bandit, with messy wet results. (Apparently you can’t use those if the other end of the hose is pressurized.) Luckily, we found we could unscrew the head of the hose at the dump station and had no problem filling our tank with potable water.
Each site is so different and may or may not fit an RV. Some sites are so sloped I don’t even know how a car would camp there. Some sites are out in the open grass where you just find a spot within the site that works for you. We saw fresh moose poop on a hike but sadly no moose or other wildlife. There are bears around the area though so please be bear smart when camping here.
Showers are something like $1 for 8 minutes, quarters only. The lean-to sites are really cool, and if I was tent camping I think they’d be so fun to sleep in. They have food compost bins here, but the rangers keep forgetting to unlock the bin, so you just have to ask them. There’s also a book exchange library and adorable little gnome habitats set up in the campground. We had a pleasant stay here.
Great spot if you are looking for a simple place to stay. Amazing location. Can walk right into town and never use your car the entire time you are there. Bike trails are right off the campground.
We generally enyojed our stay. Really nice reservoir. However the campground is a bit pricey and doesn’t offer dishwashing sinks. You need to somehow fill water in some kind of bucket and then make a mess on your campsite..
Nice, wooded sites. Staff was great and very helpful. I didn't see the restrooms with the showers on the one end of the campground, but the restrooms I did see on the end that I stayed were like outhouses but with flushable toilets--kinda meh.
Camping near Jay Peak, Vermont, offers a fantastic escape into nature with stunning views and plenty of outdoor activities. Whether you're looking to hike, fish, or just relax by the campfire, there are several campgrounds that cater to all types of campers.
Camping near Jay Peak, Vermont, offers a mix of adventure and relaxation, making it a great destination for families and outdoor enthusiasts alike.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular campground near Jay Peak, VT?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Jay Peak, VT is Smugglers Notch State Park Campground with a 4.7-star rating from 22 reviews.
What parks are near Jay Peak, VT?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 9 parks near Jay Peak, VT that allow camping, notably Union Village Dam and Green Mountain National Forest.
