We're here to help you find where to go horse camping in Shelburne. Equestrian camping is an adventurous and unique way to experience the city. These scenic and easy-to-reach Shelburne campsites are perfect for equestrian campers.
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).
$20 - $38 / night
$25 - $40 / night
$35 / night
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.
RangerI was in site 43, it was long enough it could have fit two of the biggest RVs I have ever seen. My 75 foot starling cable did not even reach all the way back out to the road. I drove through the equestrian loop and found it very confusing. Lots of fences and shared pedestals. I stayed in the next loop, stagecoach. Everything looked spic and span like it had just opened last month. The young man at the check in station said there were very few people there except on the weekends. I only saw three or four other rVs and two of them had to camp right next to me. I saw the bugs, some of them clearly mosquitoes and I never saw one get away with biting me. But I ended up with two lower legs and two forearms that constantly itch like mad. I will never go back in June.
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
The"road" into the campground is more like a goat trail, with numerous washoutsand uneven rocks and dirt. RV site 8 is so out of level that we couldn't get our Airstream level unless we put 10" of blocking under both axles. And the whole idea of paying a"lock fee" is total BS, especially when we paid for our site, in full, 2 months in advance. The ladies at the front desk and the maintenance guy went out of their way to try and make things right, but the manager, his boss and Campspot are completely incompetent and only care about making money.
TravelerTerrific location to hike the different trails of ausable chasm. Good sized site with electric and water. Shady but also had sun to dry our shoes from the raft tour. Bathrooms and showers weren’t too bad, the doors are always kept open which means bugs but not too buggy as they are cleaned daily. Did wish more than once that they had those “occupied/vacant” airplane locks.
Legend
We showed up on a busy Memorial Day weekend without reservations and the staff was kind enough to give us their last leanto. This place has access to some of the best hiking and paddling in the state.
ScoutExcellent campground for the family. Great staff, great facilities.
ScoutI’ve stayed here a few times, and I’ve enjoyed each visit. The day use section has a wonderful beach with a swimming area and boat launch. Large trees provide shade on a grassy lawn, and grills are available. The concession stand is open during day use hours. The camp sites near the beach are in a large grassy field, and across the road, the campsites are wooded, and some have lean tos. The hiking trails nearby are very nice. There are bears in the area, so be aware and store all food properly. My family loves camping here.
Scout
If I could leave a no star rating, I would. To anyone who is looking to park there camper for the season, I recommend going elsewhere. The previous owner was a more reasonable guy and well respected. Save yourself the time and energy and do not sign a contract here, unless you want to later be told you have to leave for a reason that will not be discussed. The current owner is a dictator who likes to show favoritism. Please save yourself the trouble and try a different campground, there are plenty in the state of Vermont.
ScoutI’ve been here dozens of times, grew up going here every year and hiking rattlesnake. We make the trip from RI. Love to lake access, secluded camping, the hiking and remote area.
Planning on revisiting next summer, even in august the nights get to a good sleeping temperature a vast majority of the time.
I guess only negative thing to say is they changed the site numbers years back and we thought we booked the best site next to the River fro, past experiences but it was the one next to the bathrooms after they changed the site numbers without a warning.
TravelerFall in New England can’t be beat
TravelerVacationing here from NJ. We decided to take our jeep and test out our rooftop tent at this site. We were so impressed at the beautiful scenery especially across the street from the beach. This was definitely our favorite campsite we’ve ever been to this far. The bathrooms were super nice, the campground itself was really clean too!
GuideSites are built wrong so it is hard to get you camper into your site correct. It is definitely catered to the equestrian part of the camping. I won’t be going back there anytime soon.
LegendThis state park has a little bit of everything. There are sites with electric hookups as well as some without. Some sites are in the middle of a grassy field while others are tucked in the trees. Site size various pretty vastly as you travel through the campground. There are two main loops, one is more secluded and spaced out than the other. The campground loops have bath houses, complete with coin operated showers. Park staff were attentive and restrooms were being cleaned with frequency.
There are more remote walk-in shelters on the Osmore Pond, located within New Discovery State Park. The shelters are rustic, have shared outhouses between a few sites, fire pits and small picnic tables. The remote sites are spaced nicely around the pond along a hiking trail that skirts the perimeter. The walk from the parking area to the shelters varies, depending what side of the pond you are camping on. If bringing a full-sized cooler(or other large/luxury car camping items) be sure you are heading to a site closer to the parking area. It would be a challenge to get some of those larger, heavier items to sites across the pond from the parking lot.
ScoutDI'd a 4 night 4day stay . Was nice , pool was clean, play ground kids loved it. And facilities were clean, with hot showers.
TravelerAwesome state park. Right along a long rail trail where you can put in many miles and not even know it. Swimming and boating is a short ride in a couple different directions, Osmore pond, Kettle pond, or Ricker pond. We stayed at the Eagle leanto and is perfect for hanging multiple hammocks. Close enough to the bathrooms too. There were squirrels that would spend lots of time throughout the day sending loose the green pine cones and then come down and chew them up. Pretty entertaining except for when they drop them on your tarps.
GuideI camped at New Discovery this weekend, the sites are well separated and private. The grounds are beautiful and well situated to enjoy Groton State Forest. My complaint is in regards to the maintenance of the facilities. The Women’s bathroom ran out of toilet paper and was never replaced. More upsetting was that the soap container was empty all weekend. At a time like this hand washing is more important than ever! It was very disappointing!
LegendWe travel in a 17-foot camper van, but no one ever believes that we are no bigger than a standard cargo van and can easily fit in a regular size parking space. Upon arrival at Ausable Chasm, we were told we had to take a site with water and electric since we had a camper van. These sites were $13 more per night and we really did not need the hookups. We were finally able to convince the staff that we could take a standard tent site, which was more than big enough.
The road through the campground is dirt and rutted but the speed limit is 5 mph, so it wasn’t that bad, but it would be a mess if it was raining.
Bathrooms and shower rooms are individual rooms, but the doors are not labeled so it’s a game of “what’s behind door number 1?” There was no light in the shower room that I looked at so a night shower would be out of the question. The bathrooms were clean and had soap, paper towels, a garbage receptacle, and a mirror in each.
Lots of ant hills throughout the campground so be cautious where you set up a tent. Each site has a picnic table and a fire ring. Large and nice-looking playground, pool, volleyball net, disc golf and mountain biking/hiking trails. It also looked like there were cross country ski trails but not sure if the campground or cabins would be open in the winter.
Biggest advantage is that Ausable Chasm(a separate business) is directly across the street from the campground and it is very close to the ferry that will take you to Burlington, VT, our next destination.
GuideI couldn't believe how large the lots were. While they arent super far from one another, they are large enough that they seem further than they are. Nice beautiful wooded area, we were able to put a tent and hang a hammock for sleeping. Price was very reasonable. The bathroom closest to us was having a running water issue, but it wasn't a big deal for us the lean too lots looked nice too if you're looking for coverage. It was a little close to the road, but it isnt a major road so I looked at it like a reasonable alarm clock. The lot was freshly raked and there really wasn't anything we didn't like about the site. Campfire pit had a grill!
GuideGreat for Campers and tenters. Good fishing and plenty of hiking.
ScoutMy girlfriend and I visited last year for a nice getaway and absolutely loved the park. The spots were spacious with enough privacy between sites. The lake was gorgeous to swim in and had different rafts and stuff in the water for public use. The bathrooms were well maintained along with the showers.
GuideVery peaceful!
GuideUpon arrival, the front desk clerk was very nice and helpful. We found our way to the tent sites, nestled in the very back corner which for us was exactly what we like. Sites were a medium distance apart but still spacious enough to not be close to neighbors. Showers and restrooms were nearby and it being a weekday, there really wasn’t much traffic of campers or hikers. It was cozy and tucked into the woods with town only being a few miles away!
TravelerHad an amazing time at Branbury. The site was so scenic with a little waterfall and stream nearby. The camp staff was so nice. They kept the the bathrooms and areas so clean.
There was plenty of space between sites so it didn’t feel like you were on top of each other. Bathrooms are flushing compost. However, there are only four showers for the whole campground.
Book early if you want to get a site with a lean-to!
Across the street from the campground was access to the lake with plenty of grassy areas to hang out. And beautiful sunsets at night! A five minute hike- though it is quite a rocky, boulder-y hike- from the sites leads to a small river and swimming hole.
Just make sure you put your food and trash away- there are black bears in the area!
TravelerThe workers are very accomodating. They are across the road from the Chasm to hike, Tube down the river , raft, rock climb , adventure course. They have a small store and rec room for kids. I think they are making improvements always. This camp ground is a short drive to Lake Placid, Plattsburgh, Vermont State and so much more. The Chasm has their own store and cafe
Guidewe had the most perfect spot in a private site on osmore pond that was accessible only by canoe! quiet, serene. beautiful! can’t wait to go back!
TravelerPretty decent campground with lots of sites anod close by to some fun attractions.
Vermont offers a fantastic experience for horse camping enthusiasts, with a variety of campgrounds that cater to both equestrian needs and outdoor adventures.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Shelburne, VT?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Shelburne, VT is AuSable Chasm Campground with a 4.3-star rating from 11 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Shelburne, VT?
TheDyrt.com has all 5 equestrian camping locations near Shelburne, VT, with real photos and reviews from campers.
