The Dyrt – find campgrounds for tents, RVs, cabins, glamping and more.
Open in App

Best Tent Camping near Thetford, VT

932 Reviews

Several backcountry tent sites are scattered along the Appalachian Trail near Thetford, Vermont, primarily consisting of primitive three-sided shelters with tent camping areas. The Trapper John Backcountry Campground and Winturri Backcountry Shelter offer established tent sites within hiking distance of Thetford, while Happy Hill Backcountry Shelter provides additional tent camping options on the Vermont side of the AT corridor.

The tent sites along the Appalachian Trail are exclusively hike-in access, requiring proper preparation and equipment. Most shelter areas offer relatively flat tent pads near the shelters but may have limited space for multiple tents. Trapper John Campground has "a few spots for tenting but not a lot," while Happy Hill features "a bunch of level tent camp sites around the shelter." Water sources are unreliable and often seasonal, particularly during drought conditions. Basic privies are available at most shelter locations, but no other amenities exist. Campers must pack in all supplies and pack out all trash, as services are nonexistent.

Primitive tent setups in this area provide direct access to the Appalachian Trail corridor and surrounding wilderness. Sites typically feature standard three-sided wooden shelters with adjacent tent camping areas in forested settings. Many locations lack scenic views but offer peaceful woodland camping experiences. The tent areas vary in size and terrain—Winturri Shelter has "lots of tent camping spots as you worked up the hill perpendicular to the shelter" with "decent privacy." According to one visitor, "there were a host of large, flat tent sites" at Moose Mountain shelter, making it suitable for multiple tent campers. While not destination camping, these sites serve as convenient overnight stops for Appalachian Trail section hikers seeking places to tent camp between longer trail segments.

Map showing campgrounds near Thetford, VermontExplore the Map

Best Tent Sites Near Thetford, Vermont (45)

Show More
Showing results 1-10 of 45 campgrounds

2025 Detourist Giveaway

Presented byToyota Trucks

Review Campgrounds. Win Prizes.

Enter to Win

Thetford Contest

Enter to Win

Recent Tent Camping Photos near Thetford, VT

75 Photos of 45 Thetford Campgrounds

Tent Camping Reviews near Thetford, VT

932 Reviews of 45 Thetford Campgrounds

  • Jean C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 27, 2018

    Big Rock

    WMNF rustic campground on the Kanc

    There are 2 Big Rock Campgrounds in NH and they are very different! This is not the resort campground convenient to ATV trails, but a rustic campground offering large, level, wooded sites along the Kancamagus Highway just 2 miles east of the Lincoln Woods Visitor Center. It's a great location for exploring the sites and beautiful vistas along the Kancamagus, easy access to Franconia Notch and Lincoln, NH. Lincoln also offers a grocery store, restaurants, stores selling outdoor gear, moose tours, and adventure tours (zip/climbing).

    Some of the sites are tent only, with parking separated from the tent pad/fire ring/picnic table. Others are large and level with ample space for RVs. You'll get some traffic noise, but there's less here than at places along 3 & 93.

    There are no reservations; all sites are first-come, first serve and it's open from mid-May to mid-October. Bring cash or a check to pay for your campsite. It's self-service with an iron ranger. Fee (2018) is $22, an extra $5 for a second car.

    Water is available. There are vault toilets and no showers. No cell phone service.

  • Jean C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 31, 2019

    White Mountain National Forest Wildwood Campground

    quiet, large sites

    I reviewed this campground last fall after visiting on the final day of the season, but I just had a chance to sty here during a peak summer weekend and have a few additional insights. Fees are now up to $20/night, still a bargain, but it comes with only the most basic amenities, i.e. vault toilets, running water at faucets, picnic tables and fire rings. Although the campground description indicates that the sites are first-come, first-served, this has changed and many of them are available online in advance. I didn't realize this and when i arrived late Friday afternoon I had 5 or 6 campsites to choose from that could accommodate my small teardrop camper; if I were tent camping, I'd have had a couple more sites available to me. The tent only sites require a short walk from the parking area.

    When you arrive, each site will be labelled either Reserved or _Open. _ If it is Reserved, the dates it is reserved will be listed and they may not be contiguous. All the sites filled up Friday night. 

    I had site 24 which I liked. it was very large and level, with ample space for today's large tents. The water spigot was near the site next door. I could see my neighbors, but they didn't bother me. Every host site always seems to look messy with tarp-covered items and wood piles and site 24 will give you a view of the host site, but it's far enough away that you can ignore it. 

    If I were in a tent, I'd try for site 22. It's a walk-in site that includes 7-8 steps down, but it opens into a large open area and just a bit beyond there is a small brook, too.

    The campground is just a few miles west of I-93 and the town of Woodstock. If you want to hike Mooselauke or the Kinsmans, the Appalachian Trail crosses 112 nearby. Lost River Gorge is nearby as are numerous tourist attractions/activities in Woodstock and Lincoln. Take some time to explore Cascade Park in Woodstock if you want to cool off in the river and lounge on the rocks (park on the street or in the lot that is north of 112 just before the traffic light at Rte 3 in Woodstock). While you're there, pick up ice cream at Coneheads; choose among numerous hard serve ice cream made on site (downstairs) or dozens of soft-serve flavors.

    This side of 112 seems quieter than the stretch east of Lincoln. Noise level was quite low. Cell coverage is non-existent for several miles around here; you'll start to get a signal closer to Lost River Gorge in the direction of Woodstock.

  • SThe Dyrt PRO User
    May. 6, 2024

    Dry River Campground — Crawford Notch State Park

    Nice place

    Cool location right on the edge of the Dry River Wilderness. Great Basecamp for lots of hikes in the area. Some spots are right on the highway with not much tree cover in between so can be loud. Some walk in sites with platforms are further from the road

    Vid is from the river off the trail that starts in the campground

  • Beau B.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 14, 2018

    Russell Pond Campground

    Russell Pond Campground (Walk in)

    Walk in sites at Russel Pond are nice. spacious sites with fire pits and a picnic table. Potable water is close by along with a bear box. Bathrooms are clean and the showers are $2.50 for 5 minutes. Genuinely nice staff a close proximity to several nice hikes.

  • Kate K.
    Aug. 22, 2019

    Hancock Campground

    The White Mountains Stole My Heart!

    We had a last minute change of plans to our hiking trip due to a delay. We wouldn’t have the time to hike into our pre planned area before dark, so decided to set up shop here. This place was actually pretty great. Each site was pretty large and most of them had access to the river. Which had nice areas for swimming and wading. Each site had its own bear box and it was only a short hike down from the car. The park connected directly to some beautiful AT trails that we took advantage of the next day. It was also pretty cheap! $12 or $15 if I remember correctly. All self registration.

  • L
    May. 30, 2019

    Guyot Shelter - Dispersed Camping

    Amazing Views

    Step walk in and out though most of the tent plat forms have amazing views. I have stayed here twice and had great experiences. A outhouse is located at this tent site as well as pump-able water, bear boxes and a shelter. Great place to stay on the Pemi Loop. It is a carry in carry out campsite.

  • d
    Jun. 18, 2018

    Osceola Vista Campground

    great for group camping

    i stayed here for one night with a large group (maybe 40ish people) prior to setting out on our backpacking weekend.

    This is a great campground, very clean. toilets available, and dumpster for trash were very convenient. There was potable water available also, and picnic tables. parking was tricky for our large group, and we had a bit of trouble fitting in all of the cars, but if you have a smaller group it should be no problem.

    campground was very quiet, no real road noise or anything could be heard. ground was soft and grassy, although i would still recommend using a sleeping pad, was not as hard as some other campgrounds I have stayed at. had a nice big grassy area for the large group.

  • Jean C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 26, 2018

    Dry River Campground — Crawford Notch State Park

    Nice base for exploring Crawford Notch

    This state park campground located between Rte 302 and the Dry River in Crawford Notch is a great location for exploring family friendly trails to (Sawyer Pond, Arethusa Falls, Willard Cliffs to name a few) or longer excursions to Mt Washington and other peaks in the Whites & Presidentials. Story Land is an easy drive, too, if you have young children.

    Fees are a reasonable $25/night. Facilities include clean bathrooms with showers. In addition to the full-service, handicap accessible wash house, there are vault toilets around the loop. Cell service is poor to absent throughout Crawford Notch. If you need to connect, drive south toward Bartlett or North to Bretton Woods.

    Sites are spacious, level, and wooded, though some have no real demarcation between them. This can be good if you are with friends and reserve sites side by side (2 & 3; 12 & 13), Because most of the sites are on the outside of the loop or opposite sides of the road, you won't feel surrounded. There are no hookups. Site are back-in. A few of the drive-to sites include small lean-tos. In addition, there are a few sites that are more secluded, set back further in the woods and providing a tent platform as well as a fire ring and picnic table. The entire campground is close to the road, so you will hear traffic noise. Sites 27-31 are particularly close to the main road. Although sites 2-7 appear to be far from the river, it's still just a short walk. There's a formal trail to the river from the back of the loop, near 16B (lean-to). Reservations open 11 months in advance. Mid-Oct to Dec 1 sites are walk-in only. Pre-register online and bring your print-out with you to save yourself some time.

    There's no camp store, though they do have firewood for sale if you see someone. During the peak season, i expect the sites fill up in advance, but this early in the season there were sites available for Friday night when I checked in (though most only for 1 night; Saturday night was definitely harder to come by). If you haven't stocked up in advance, your best bet for groceries when coming from the south/east are Grant's Supermarket at the junction of 302 & 16 or your choice of major supermarkets in Conway.

  • Justin P.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 28, 2022

    Baker Rocks

    Great location and amazing facilities

    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.

Guide to Thetford

Tent camping near Thetford, Vermont offers a fantastic opportunity to immerse yourself in nature while enjoying a variety of amenities and activities. Whether you're looking for a peaceful retreat or an adventurous getaway, there are several well-reviewed options to consider.

Local Attractions to Explore

  • Experience the beauty of the outdoors at Cardigan Campsites, where you can enjoy scenic views and access to hiking trails.
  • Visit the picturesque Baker Rocks, which is close to the river and offers a beautiful property with plenty of space for relaxation.
  • Discover the unique features of AAC Rattlesnake Campground, a spot maintained by the American Alpine Club, perfect for rock climbers.

Tent Campers Like These Nearby Activities

  • Hike the challenging trails around Trapper John Backcountry Campground and enjoy the serenity of the Appalachian Trail.
  • Enjoy fishing and exploring the nearby river while camping at Baker Rocks, which offers a range of camping options and facilities.
  • Take advantage of the climbing opportunities near AAC Rattlesnake Campground, a great base for climbers looking to tackle the nearby routes.

Features That Enhance Your Camping Experience

  • Baker Rocks provides spacious and private campsites, complete with picnic tables and fire rings for a cozy evening under the stars.
  • Enjoy the well-maintained facilities at AAC Rattlesnake Campground, which include showers and toilets for added convenience.
  • Experience the rustic charm of Trapper John Backcountry Campground, where you can set up your tent in a peaceful backcountry setting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Thetford, VT?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Thetford, VT is Trapper John Backcountry Campground on the AT — Appalachian National Scenic Trail with a 4-star rating from 1 review.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Thetford, VT?

TheDyrt.com has all 45 tent camping locations near Thetford, VT, with real photos and reviews from campers.

Keep Exploring