Searching for the perfect place to pitch your tent near North Hartland Lake? Find the best tent camping sites near North Hartland Lake. Whether you're looking for a quiet, dispersed site or an established camgpround with amenities, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect place to pitch your tent.
Just like the Long Trail, the Vermont Appalachian Trail has shelters that can be used by hikers. Winturri Shelter, Stony Brook Shelter, Thistle Hill Shelter, and Happy Hill Shelter are all available on a first come, first serve basis for hikers to spend the night.
Group Use: Groups hiking this portion of the Appalachian Trail may need an Outfitter Guide Special Use Permit from the Green Mountain National Forest. Gilford Woods State Park Campground, where the Appalachian Trail crosses VT 100, and Silver Lake State Park Campground, north of the AT off VT 12 in Barnard, are available for base camp hiking. Please refer to our Groups Hiking Page for more information.
here are nearly six dozen Long Trail overnight sites spaced no more than a moderate day’s hike apart. These range from fully enclosed lodges to three-sided lean-tos and tenting areas. All sites, although primitive, have a water source nearby (purity and reliability cannot be guaranteed) and a privy (outhouse). Visitors must carry their own food, backpacking stove, and overnight gear.
Sites Along the Long Trail: Tenting area: Wooden tent platforms. Shelter: Usually three sided with a sloped roof. Fit 6-10 people. Lodge: Usually four-sided with wooden bunks. Fit 10-24 people.
Backcountry Campsites How many sites on the Long Trail? Over 70! Are there amenities? Established backcountry sites are all located by a primitive water source (untested) and a privy. There are no wood stoves. Are they by reservation? No, all sites are first-come, first-served. Is there a fee? A moderate fee ($5) is charged at overnight sites with GMC caretakers in the summer and fall. This fee funds a small portion of the Caretaker Program, which is an integral part of maintaining and protecting the Long Trail. The sites with caretakers require consistent maintenance of the site and the surrounding trails. (GMC members get to stay free!) How long can I stay? We request you stay no more than two consecutive nights. Do I still need to bring my tent if there is a shelter at the site I plan on spending the night? YES! Shelters are first come, first served, and during peak hiking season they are usually full. It is important to have your tent, tarp, or other shelter with you.
The Velvet Rocks Shelter is located on the Velvet Rocks Trail 1.2 miles from the official western terminus of the trail near NH Rte 120 and Chase Field House in Hanover. A privy is located nearby. Water is accessed along the loop trail but may be unreliable in dry months.
This 'Adirondack' style shelter sits atop the ridge of Moose Mountain off a loop trail from the Moose Mountain Trail (Appalachain Trail). This shelter was built by the Dartmouth Outing Club entirely by hand -using no power tools. It replaced the previous existing shelter located on the old Clark Pond Loop Trail. The shelter accomodates 8. A privy and 2 tent platforms are on separate side paths off the loop trail. Marginal water is nearby.
There are nearly six dozen Long Trail overnight sites spaced no more than a moderate day’s hike apart. These range from fully enclosed lodges to three-sided lean-tos and tenting areas. All sites, although primitive, have a water source nearby (purity and reliability cannot be guaranteed) and a privy (outhouse). Visitors must carry their own food, backpacking stove, and overnight gear.
Sites Along the Long Trail: Tenting area: Wooden tent platforms. Shelter: Usually three sided with a sloped roof. Fit 6-10 people. Lodge: Usually four-sided with wooden bunks. Fit 10-24 people.
Backcountry Campsites How many sites on the Long Trail? Over 70! Are there amenities? Established backcountry sites are all located by a primitive water source (untested) and a privy. There are no wood stoves. Are they by reservation? No, all sites are first-come, first-served. Is there a fee? A moderate fee ($5) is charged at overnight sites with GMC caretakers in the summer and fall. This fee funds a small portion of the Caretaker Program, which is an integral part of maintaining and protecting the Long Trail. The sites with caretakers require consistent maintenance of the site and the surrounding trails. (GMC members get to stay free!) How long can I stay? We request you stay no more than two consecutive nights. Do I still need to bring my tent if there is a shelter at the site I plan on spending the night? YES! Shelters are first come, first served, and during peak hiking season they are usually full. It is important to have your tent, tarp, or other shelter with you.
Built and maintained by the Dartmouth Outing Club, the Trapper John Shelter is located 1.1 miles from Dorchester Road via Holts Ledge Trail (Appalachian Trail) and spur trail. The 3-walled shelter can accommodate 8 people. The site has a composting privy and a fire ring. There is a water source nearby.
Stream. Regardless of the source, remember to boil, filter, or chemically purify water before use.
There are many general forest areas available on the Green Mountain National Forest for rustic or dispersed camping. These areas provide a place to camp and enjoy nature’s solitude at no charge. Visitors can camp anywhere on the forest unless the area is posted closed to camping. Camp in existing sites or stay the strongly recommended 200 feet from roads, streams, trails, and bodies of water to disperse impact. Do not cut any vegetation. There is a camping limit of 14 days in any 30-day period on the Forest. Please leave the campsites clean by using Leave No Trace Principles, such as carry out what you carry in.
Forest Road 35 in Pittsfield, off of State Route 100, provides many camping opportunities in the woods and along Michigan Brook. The road is not recommended for low clearance vehicles.
Just like the Long Trail, the Vermont Appalachian Trail has shelters that can be used by hikers. Winturri Shelter, Stony Brook Shelter, Thistle Hill Shelter, and Happy Hill Shelter are all available on a first come, first serve basis for hikers to spend the night.
This is a cabin style shelter with a wooden floor.
The park is divided by Route 53. 19 tent/RV sites and 7 lean-to sites are on one side of the highway in a heavily wooded area, and 17 tent/RV sites are located along the perimeter of a grassy open area near the beach. There are restrooms with flush toilets, hot and cold running water and coin-operated hot showers. There is also a concession stand selling snacks, drinks and beach toys.
Nearby hiking trails to scenic vistas, waterfalls, caves, mountain lakes and streams provide outstanding hiking opportunites. Mountain biking trails are also nearby. There is fishing and boating on Lake Dunmore (canoe, kayak, rowboat, and pedal boat rentals are available at the park).
Scout
My family and friends were drawn to this campground for its exciting pool and convenient location, and those aspects definitely lived up to expectations. However, our campsite was not level, and the sites were very close together with little privacy. We were tent camping but the area we were in, while a tent site, is best for RVs.
The bathroom facilities could also use some attention– a loose toilet and a broken hand dryer weren't ideal. Overall, we enjoyed our stay, but these conditions kept it from being great.
Legend
Note: This is a back country shelter site that is hike-in only on the Appalachian Trail. There can be seasonal water sources but water is not guaranteed.
I had a great night here tent camping while doing a week-long section hike of the AT.
The shelter is a standard three-sided shelter. There were a host of large, flat tent sites around the shelter, and I tented in one of these.
The shelter did stand out with a bench overlooking a clearing in the brush with a view (see photos) which was a great place to enjoy my freeze dried dinner.
The privvy was also new and very spacious.
All-in this was a great place to stop along the Appalachian Trail but I wouldn't consider it worthy of a destination hike.
Legend
Note this is a back country campsite that is 100% hike in, with no guaranteed water. I tent camped here in August while doing a section hike of the Appalachian Trail.
The shelter had a ground floor and a loft but each floor could maybe fit 4-5 people comfortably, but I decided to tent camp. There were a bunch of level tent camp sites around the shelter. The loft was nice since folks could decide to sleep up there while others were down below, either cooking, arriving, or departing.
The privvy was relatively new and in great shape.
There wasn't any water at the source while I was staying here and it looks like a seasonal source.
There were no views here except for the beautiful surrounding forest.
This was a great place to stop along the Appalachian Trail but I would not consider it a destination shelter.
Traveler
Tent camped here with my dog for two nights. Was sold absolutely green wood that would not burn (why do campgrounds always do this??). First site I was given was out of view of the river, which was entire reason for visiting. Campground owner was accommodating and found me a spot that overlooked the river (why not do that from the start?). There is no privacy whatsoever to the sites, and sites are one on top of the other (my tent was basically uncomfortably close to neighbor's fire pit, but there was no other option for pitching elsewhere). The nights were very loud with kids screaming and people partying. It's a mishmash of sites too -- my tent was squished in between a permanent trailer and a weekend fifth wheeler. But the river was magnificent and I could hear it babble by all night; very relaxing once the place quieted down. Very close to Townsend State Forest and a beautiful hike up Bald Mountain, which looks to have really nice, spacious and quiet tent sites (already booked for next year).
Legend
I tent camped here before doing a section hike of the Appalachian Trail and it was one of the best campgrounds I’ve stayed at before.
The sites have some privacy and woods in between, though the tent sites vs. shelters and cabins were mostly closer to the access road. All sites were super clean and had a picnic table and fire ring. Most sites had a built in cooking fire structure (vs. a fire ring) they looked great for camp cooking, though my site (T01) seemed to be the only without it.
The facilities were well-maintained, there were water spigots everywhere, and though I didn’t get a chance to enjoy, there were lots of activities right there (volleyball lawn, the AT running right through the campground, mountain bike trails).
I didn’t stay in them, but the cabins and lean-tos looked great for group or family options.
Kent Pond was also just across the road for water activities, and I saw at least one fly fisher out.
Killington was also right nearby for restaurants and other needs.
I will definitely be coming back to explore more!
Legend
I tent camped here while doing some fishing in the area.
Baker Rocks had a host of different camping options onsite including tent platforms, yurts, and cabins. I booked one of the tent platforms.
The site had a large tent platform they could fit multiple tents, a brand new picnic table, a fire ring (with a free bundle of firewood), two chairs by the fire ring, and even a few strings of solar lights around the camp area.
The tent sites are within the wooded area around the property and felt very secluded. There was a bit of road noise overnight.
The facilities here were great. There is a full bathhouse with individual rooms for showers and sink/toilets, with running water.
Around the campground there was a little beach along the Baker river. I only caught a few minnows when fishing but that may have been more to do with the angler. Along another bend of the river were two chairs for taking in the scenery.
Check-in was super easy with the camp hosts who were very flexible with timing and wanted to make sure I had a great stay. The property and individual sites are deliberately designed with guests in mind.
I would definitely stay here again if I’m in the area and might try some of the glamping options as well.
Scout
The owners here will meet your with rudeness and disrespect when enforcing their rules for newer people. And yes, new campers… the owners will haze those who do not plan to give them revenue as a long term rv. The drinking water was terrible… I filled a glass at night and by morning debris collected at the bottom of the cup, I think it was sand?? I do not know but I was relieved to drink bottled water rather than the smog. Their pool was disgusting and the bathrooms smelled like urine. Their is limited space to stay due the crowded rv spaces. The long term campers are loud at night and have very messy grounds that leach into other areas. I recommend finding a better place to camp especially if you are camping in a tent and not long term like using an rv
Legend
I tent camped here during a section hike of the AT. The shelter was a one-story standard AT shelter with a fire ring and a bench for seating.
I got to the shelter late in the day so my view on the tent camping might be biased, but it seemed to have smaller spots for tent camping that were somewhat sloped.
There was a decent privvy (see photos) and water during my stay, though it was right after a smaller storm the previous evening.
There aren't any views from this shelter, but it was a peaceful place to stop in the woods!
Legend
Note: This is a back country shelter on the Appalachian trail that doesn't have consistent water.
I stopped here on a section hike of the Appalachian trail. The shelter is on the larger side and could fit maybe 6-8 folks. There were lots of tent camping spots as you worked up the hill perpendicular to the shelter.
Water was running when I was there in mid-August from a spring close to the shelter.
There was a decent privvy onsite.
The shelter was fairly standard but this stop had a great amount of tent camping around in spaces with decent privacy.
Legend
Wilgus State Park is the first Vermont state park to open each spring, well before Memorial Day each year. While it's still pretty cold for camping in Vermont in early May, you can get a jump start on the season by renting one of the four camping cabins. I'll admit that I haven't stayed in one of the Wilgus cabins, but they are pretty much the same all over Vermont - nothing fancy - just four solid walls, bunk beds, and a small table.
Usually when we stay at Wilgus State Park, we rent a lean-to or stay in site #16, which is the very last tent site, and the most private. All sites have a great view of the river, but I won't go so far as to call them waterfront as there is a bank covered with lush foliage between the sites and the water. There is also a short trail that runs between the campsites and the water - a great place to watch the sunrise!
The best part about camping here is getting out on the water. You can rent kayaks and canoes, and the river moves slowly enough to paddle up stream. There is also a shuttle service run by Great River Outfitters upstream in Windsor. If you make reservations, the come to the park (I think on Wednesdays and Fridays), and they will pick you up in the morning, drive you up river to Windsor, outfit you with a canoe or kayak, and let you paddle back to the park. Later in the evening they will come back and pick up the boats. If you choose this option, be sure to stop at Artisan Park, right on the river and have lunch at Harpoon Brewery.
The campground is really small (under 25 sites) and super quiet. Restrooms are clean. There is a short hiking trail, which is just okay - no views or anything. The ranger has been there for years and is an expert fisherman. He's got lots of tips if you ask. For good hiking, be sure to check out Mt. Ascutney, which is just a few miles away.
Legend
My wife and I spent 10 days at this remote tent site. Our site was on the far western end of Kettle Pond and the only tent site in the remote camping area. A trail that goes around the pond is easily accessed from site 10. We were able to watch the Loons teaching it's chicks to hunt for food. A bit of work to get to this site but every bit worth the trade off for peace n quiet!
Scout
We pulled in and went right to the office. The man was very nice and gave us a map to our tent site. We bought some wood from the campground. The tent site has water, electric, and a fire pit. They brought us a picnic table to use for the night. The tent was on a nice smooth spot, which was comfortable. The camp sites were very close together, but there was enough space to fit everything. We were there with only a few other campsites in use, but it would be kind of tight when full.
Guide
Great tent camping area with good privacy at sites. Would be tough for any but the tiniest RV. No water. Well maintained, and nice access to trails right from the campground.
Traveler
Site wise it’s more of a rv camp but they do have some tent sites. I would recommend mosquito repellent.
ScoutSmaller more seasonal place for RVs, some tent sites way in back. No playground except for some old broken plastic things, the grassy knoll where the playground is really is the sewage tank buried with lots of ants!! The shower house was broken so we used the one in the office which was filthy and small. The tent area abuts private property so we heard chainsaw noise until 10pm each night. The tent sites were close but we only had one neighbor. Walk to spigot. The kids loved the pool which was well maintained and clean with floats. This was the best part! The office staff were nice and the cost is reasonable.
Ranger
Nice little weekend getaway. Clean bathrooms, roomy tent sites, nice staff. Fun playground and nature area for kids. Very family friendly place with beautiful hikes to Hamilton falls.
Scout
A great place. Peaceful and quiet, camp sites are well maintained, great fire pits. Plenty of different tent sites available, a nice walk down to the lake. Enjoy.
Scout
We really enjoyed our stay here - we prefer tent camping and like to be secluded; we are not into RV parks. This was fantastic. Beautiful trails, excellent kayaking, quiet and serene. We will revisit again soon.
ETA: The composting toilets were clean
Guide
family camping Kabins, rv, and tent sites, arcade, store, ice cream, and Lake Bomoseen. Easy to get to, close to Castleton, Rutland, and Hubbarton Battlefield. Great spot for a family get-a-way.
Traveler
Awesome owners with a small campground! Swimming pond and pool. Small Playground. Pull through, back in, tent sites.. we go here every memorial day for their 1 set of awning to awning sites with our camping buddies!
Scout
Amazing campground. Staff are amazing, super nice people. There is only maybe 8 tent sites? They have 2 cabins to rent. And the rest is rvs. The bathrooms are the cleanest campground bathrooms I've ever been to. Everyone is so nice and welcoming.
Scout
I stayed at Hancock campground in mid April this year. Great clean accessible bathrooms, beautiful grounds and large campgrounds. Leashed dogs are allowed. There are both walk-in and drive up tent sites. The walk-in sites are directly next to the beautiful Pemi River. Great overall would return again.
Legend
Note this is a back country shelter along the Appalachian Trail, so it is 100% long hike in with no guaranteed water and a basic privvy.
I tented along here for a night during a section hike of the AT from Lyme into Vermont.
The shelter was the basic AT 3-sided wood structure and was generally in good shape.
The water source here was dry during my trip which was expected during the drought (August 2022).
The tent camping here was ok, with some slightly slanted spots around the main shelter area.
There was no real view from the shelter. There was also a basic privvy available.
This was a decent shelter to stop at along the AT, but I would not consider it a weekend destination.
There was no bear box onsite.
Guide
What's good: Lots of amenities, clean facilities, kitchen wash area, playgrounds, etc.
What's not: you are right by the highway and the tent site loop gets a front row seat to all the cars coming in from the road. The sites are right on top of each other with no tree separation. Not for me...
Traveler
The location was very good in allowing us to visit family in nearby village and go into nearby Manchester Center. Much more of an RV Park (name is on the money) than camping where we had our site. There were some more “remote” sites available near tent sites. Facilities were extremely well kept. Host was very helpful.
ScoutKettle Pond is a classic northern pond set in Vermont's Groton State Forest. Besides the group camping area, which can get busy, the pond has six lean-tos (across the pond from the group sites) and one tent site. They've got fire pits, crappers and a fair amount of privacy. The first two lean-tos are a few hundred feet apart. But the rest are fairly private, spread out along a trail that rings the pond. You must park in the lot and walk to all these sites. The farthest, most remote site, is about a mile from the parking lot. Here's a map: https://vtstateparks.com/assets/pdf/groton-remote.pdf
Scout
My family and I went on our first camping trip together here in September of 2019. It was quiet and peaceful. There were no other campers and we had our pick of any site we liked. We picked a nice site next to a babbling brook. While we only tent camped we plan to return with our new to us pop up this year. We only saw two cars during our entire stay.
Nestled in the scenic beauty of Vermont, North Hartland Lake offers a variety of tent camping options that cater to outdoor enthusiasts looking for adventure and tranquility.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near North Hartland Lake?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near North Hartland Lake is Happy Hill Backcountry Shelter on the AT in Vermont — Appalachian National Scenic Trail with a 4-star rating from 1 review.
What is the best site to find tent camping near North Hartland Lake?
TheDyrt.com has all 34 tent camping locations near North Hartland Lake, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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