If you're searching for a place to camp with pets near Newport, look no further. Find the best information on pet-friendly camping near Newport, including sites, reviews, and tips for getting the most out of your RVing experience. These scenic and easy-to-reach Newport campsites are perfect for camping with dogs.
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
$33 - $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
$42 - $100 / night
Will-O-Wood is a family campground located in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom overlooking Lake Willoughby.
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!
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
Legend
General: Large state park with two loops, both of which are lakefront. A mix of primitive sites (no w/e/s), lean-tos, and two cabins, one in each section. Sites/lean-tos are designated premium (lakefront) or non. There is also an ADA-accessible lean-to. Upon check-in, you are given a gate code to enter.
Site Quality: Our site, like all others, was generous in size and a back-in site. Most sites don’t have clearly defined camper pads, and the surface is grass/dirt (or mud if it has rained recently). A large wooden picnic table and fire ring complete the site. There are plentiful trees, so each site has at least some shade and some are very shaded. Lakefront sites have a filtered view of the lake through the trees.
Bath/Shower House: The one closest to us was very clean. Three stalls and one shower. Cold water only at both the sinks and the shower (at least I didn’t get any hot water). The showers do take quarters and although you get five minutes for each quarter (up to 15 quarters, although I can’t imagine taking that long of a shower), it was quite possibly the wimpiest shower I’ve experienced in quite some time. But, after I finished, I saw my quarter had been returned. The toilet paper was so thin, it was nearly transparent!
Activities: Although swimming is allowed, the “beaches” are very small and there was a bacteria warning in place when we were there advising against swimming. There are two boat launch areas, one in each loop. Great for kayaks, and canoes, and we saw what looked like a fishing boat. There was one very annoying motorboat revving its engine while doing circles in the lake. The day-use area has a small, dated playground, fire pit, horseshoe pit, and volleyball net. There is a short nature trail and one other small walking trail. Nearby is access to the Missisquoi Rail Trail.
A surprise was a family of ducks who visited our site when I was outside reading! Our stay was very quiet during the week after Labor Day, but I imagine the vibe is quite different during summer weekends, especially given the sign in the restroom stating that quiet hours are strictly enforced. We were annoyed by one loud boat so I can’t imagine what it would be like if the lake was filled with boaters. This is why we prefer shoulder-season camping!
Scout
I stayed at Art and Health Chill Camping recently, and it was a truly relaxing experience—just nature, art, and fresh air all around. The only thing I’d advise is to come prepared if you're concerned about health safety. When camping in remote areas, it's always wise to have a few essentials, especially if you’re camping with a group. Personally, I’d recommend taking a rapid STD/STI test on https://readyhelp.it/rapid-std-sti-test/ beforehand. It’s quick and easy, giving some extra peace of mind.
Legend
Nice and quiet
Legend
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.
Scout
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.
ScoutYou deserve to be run out of business for even considering hosting such a disgusting function.
ScoutPretty 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.
Guide
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.
Legend
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.
Legend
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.
ScoutOur 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.
Legend
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.
Scout
We spent the night at this beautiful campsite with a magnificent view of Mount Mansfield. The small amount of camping space made the experience quite unique and private. The host, Dianne, was really friendly. Many amenities such as wood, water and outhouse nearby. Very nice experience.
Scout
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.
Ranger"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.
Guide
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.
Legend
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
Guide
Couple-owned and very attentive. He assisted me backing into a spacious wooded site. You can also be on a nice field or on the edge. Pool was damaged during winter and not available. 2024
Traveler
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!
Guide
There are a number of nice campsites right on the lake, but even if you don’t have a waterfront site, there is a public boat launch. There is a dishwashing station, laundry facilities, showers, and bathrooms, all very clean. Perfect for fishing, hiking, and kayaking.
ScoutBeen camping here since I was a kid and will forever continue the tradition! So peaceful and beautiful
LegendThere 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.
Scout
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.
Traveler
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..
RangerNice, 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.
RangerNice, wooded sites. The restroom is a bit dated and dingy, but clean. The shower is coin-operated and could offer a bit more privacy (the stall wall is quite low and right next to the door entering the restroom.)
Guidewe camped here in early October and it was gorgeous. Well spaced out sites. Friendly staff , flush toilets, showers, Quiet and peaceful. Good spot to summit Mansfield from.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dog-friendly campsite near Newport, VT?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Newport, VT is Brighton State Park Campground with a 4.9-star rating from 12 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 76 dog-friendly camping locations near Newport, VT, with real photos and reviews from campers.
