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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
$19 - $110 / 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
Scout
There are a lot of camping sites for tents at this location. Quite a few lean-tos to rest . Restrooms with coin operated showers. Every site has a picnic table.
Scout
Nothing fancy but great location. The campground is right on the bike path and very close to Burlington.
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.
Guide
We stayed in the rustic campground right down the road from the main campground. We parked in a lot and walked about 5 minutes to the campgrounds on the lake. They were beautiful and well kept, even had a small pile of fire wood for us.
The site had a relatively nice outhouse, a picnic table, a fire pit and a grate for grilling. It was right on the lake. There were a ton of other people in the main campground but only one other camper in the rustic area. $25 a night to camp.
There was some noise from the highway but not too bad. Coyotes were howling all night and definitely heard some around our campground.
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.
TravelerWe booked this spot sight unseen as there were no pictures available. Tucked back in the woods and quiet. The front section was much wider open and more state parkish. Excellent showering facilities and a cook wash up station that was well maintained.
Scout
We stayed in the Venus yurt from Saturday August 3rd thru Thursday August 8th 2024. We were going to stay until the 10th, but we had an incoming hurricane and decided to leave before the exit flooded.
Overall, their website pictures are NOT current and I believe the reviews on their website to either be inaccurate or very old.
Day 1: the yurt smelled heavily of febreeze and was smaller than the pictures showed. The mattress, which had no cover on it, had been turned over(the bottom had nubs on it so it wouldn’t slide- this was face up). When we flipped it over, there were obvious fresh red fluid stains and other stains on the top of the mattress. For the price we paid, we would have expected either a waterproof cover enclosing the mattress or that the owners would have swapped out this mattress. The fact that the cleaning staff felt it was ok to turn it over expecting nobody to check was a bit revolting. We went to the office to get it removed, but the best they could do was provide 2 comforters to place between the mattress and our sheets.
When we left to meet up with friends, we found the door lock was broken. We could only lock it from the inside. Our friends were in RVs and apparently the site was digging for new sewer lines, so when the wind shifted, we got a fresh scent of raw sewage.
When we went to take showers at the facility nearest the yurts, we found there was no hot water, the showers had to be pumped to run(no continuous water flow in either the showers or the sinks), and only 1 of the 4 stalls had lockable doors. Both of these were reported to the office the following morning.
Day 2: found that by the store were 6 showers with hot, continuously running water. 3 were out of service and only 1 locked. This was reported to the store/office multiple times.
The lifeguard on duty at the smaller pool across from the store was sitting down in a regular chair with a table with an umbrella between her and the pool, face down in her phone with one hand, holding her sunglasses up with her other hand, while 3 small children(~8 years old) were sliding and playing unsupervised. As a former life guard/ wave pool certified lifeguard, I would have fired her on the spot. That is an unacceptably dangerous situation.
The mini golf course was in disrepair, the arcade was empty of machines, and the activities touted on their website were nonexistent.
The charcoal grill, which we would have used, had a large rusted hole in the bottom right side taking out~25% of the usable bottom, making it basically useless. Thank goodness for butane camp stoves.
Day 3: shower lock situation had not improved(did not improve during our stay despite the office being made aware) Our neighbors left the yurt to our left and the person cleaning the yurt did a cursory cleaning at best. No sign of COVID cleaning discipline whatsoever. We spent the majority of the day offsite
Day 4: lawn mowing started at 8:15 am. The grass absolutely did not need to be mowed. Very loud stand behind rider mower that kicked up dust more than anything as it had been very dry. Took them~3 hours. As a person on vacation, this clearly woke me up early. Very disappointing.
Day 5: got a bit cold in the early morning, so we turned on the heat. It blew dust, filled the entire yurt with a burning smell and caused my partner to use her rescue inhaler. We turned it off quickly, opened the door and 2 windows to clear the air, and found the heater had not been cleaned.
Day 6: decided to leave due to the pending hurricane. As I was checking out, a gentleman checking in was told he had been moved further into the campsite in case the river flooded and was told that, if the river did flood, they had a plan and to not be surprised to see RVs in the road. That was their plan?!?!?
Overall, we will not be returning and will not be recommending this to anyone. If anything, we will encourage anyone looking to camp in the Adirondacks to avoid this campground.
ScoutGreat 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.
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
Scout
I absolutely love this place every time the leaves turn yellow. It is really beautiful like paradise. The right place to rest and relax with poppy playtime chapter 3.
Legend
I haven't camped here, I stopped in a spoke to the host. Drove through and was impressed with the campground, it's well maintained and very nice. The problem for me is it's really two or three connected fields, with hookups in places and lean-tos and fire pits. There was no privacy. But if you're looking for a tent location or a spot to park your camper while you fish on the lake this is the spot.
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.
Guide
This will be my fourth time camping and this is by far the best one! For starters everyone is friendly. They have very clean bathrooms and showers (.50¢ per minute). Firewood and Ice for sale. Electric plug ins if needed (bathroom and beside of ice and firewood with benches) The tent sites are so spacious and clean. There’s a hiking trail beside of 37 and it’s steep going down and up but well worth it. It takes you out to the gorge and to the visitors center. I recommend eating at the snack bar! Their food is so good and the gift shop has so many options. MAKE SURE YOU RESERVE A TABLE at the public house because they don’t allow walk ins after a certain hour. If you’re looking for different places to eat, go to white river junction. Lots of options! Overall an amazing campground!!
Ranger
Plenty of space between sites. Decent bathroom situation--I've seen better and I've seen worse in Vermont. The (AT&T) cell phone reception was pretty good, but could be slow at times (which could be because of the area or because of the busy fall color season.)
RangerGreat campground with a decent amount of space between campsites. The bathrooms (which have coin-operated showers) were immaculate and seem to be somewhat newer than the other state parks.
ScoutFrom the drive to the park, to the friendliness of the manager Brittany, to the facilities, and the hiking trails, this park met our every expectation.
This was our first camping with our two adult pups. One can be a barker depending on certain triggers. So we stayed in one of the lovely rustic cabins. We love hiking and there is no shortage of hiking trails in and around the park, including the AT that runs right through the park.
I can't say enough good things about how well the park is maintained. Bathrooms were frequently cleaned and the park was meticulously maintained. We drove by another VT state park too, and maintenance crews were seen blowing the leaves etc. and in general taking good care of the parks.
Gifford Woods is definitely on my list of must return to parks...We like to try new parks, but this one earned the spot to be a return spot.
ScoutFirst time camping solo- great place! Felt safe and campground was quiet and clean. Will definitely be back!
GuideCould be nice, but my bike was stolen at 3 am (it was locked) and two others the previous night. Needless to say, I have a low opinion of this campground
ScoutHusband and I took a trip with all 3 pups and I couldn't even tell you who had more fun!! The doggos and husband absolutely loved being able to walk the beautiful trail in the cooler weather, especially the husky. And being a fan of gems, I definitely bought an embarrassing amount of dirt for the gem mining(Got some good finds, so worth it!) Views were amazing and so was the staff, we will absolutely be back!!
ScoutSpacious sites close to great amenities! Super staff! Clean and updated facilities. Close to beautiful hiking, lake activities and rail bikes. We can’t wait to come back!
ScoutThis is such a nice campground and a great experience! The kids loved the gem mining and train rides!! We enjoyed the water view and the staff was so nice to us! On our favorites list for sure!
RangerNice large spots available. Friendly employees. Beautiful lake with a nice trail. The road into the campground is super rough though.
Traveler
Our family of 4 visited Baker Rocks during a very rainy week and still had an amazing time. The campsites are private and spacious, the property is large and beautiful, close to the river. The owners are so kind and accommodating. We stayed 2 nights in the double bell tent with two clean full size beds and a 3rd night in the yurt both were spacious and wonderful, among tall trees and pines. Definitely will be back next summer! They even have animals to visit like bunnies and goats (far away from the campsites).Do bring bug spray, the mosquitoes at certain times of day were aggressive, as to be expected.
Scout
I have been a seasonal camper for 7 years and there is just no better place than Medcalf Acres. The owner is very nice and accommodating and the staff, in particular Michael is always doing something to make the campground look better(cleaning, mowing and weed whacking) just to name a few. There is always something for the kids to do and the staff makes it fun for the kids. They have a heated swimming pool or you can float/swim in schroon river. There is Wi-Fi, cable, sewer, water and electric. You can’t find a better place for the money and the memories that are made.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Rochester, VT?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Rochester, VT is Gifford Woods State Park Campground with a 4.6-star rating from 16 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 35 glamping camping locations near Rochester, VT, with real photos and reviews from campers.
