Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Vernon, VT

Pros- very clean, bathrooms kept up with regularly. Staff is very nice. They offer boat rentals, canoes, paddle boats and kayaks. Store on site and they do activities during the week. Definitely more kids friendly I think. They do have a pool, park, dog park, lake and food trucks visits at times. They have community fires and dances. Pet friendly. Wood available on site.

Cons- loud cars going all night, some lights in your face. Some people tend to fly down the road on golf carts. You can also hear the main road from the open style campsite. No privacy. People will walk threw your tent site. They will talk during the night while doing this, smoking seems to be allowed at pool. No fires between 9am-5pm.

Overall we had a good time.

This place is pretty awesome. They have an ice cream shop attached to their office/store, mini golf just outside of it too. There is an amphitheater for concerts and shows throughout the summer. RV Spots, tent camping spots, a dog park, badminton, basketball, horseshoe, shuffleboard, the works. The bathrooms are beautifully redone and clean. The laundry room is pretty good too. Its close to Brattleboro and Putney and just across the border to New Hampshire. I'd most definitely stay again when I'm in the area. The other guest were very nice and we could also have packages delivered.

This tops our list for camping in Vermont. There is so much to do here, and yet the campground feels very private and quiet. There are 41 tent/RV sites to choose from and 18 lean-tos. Some of the lean-tos are situated right on the West River, but they are well-loved and coveted so we've never actually stayed in one.

For our July trip, we stayed in the Juniper lean-to, which is incredibly quiet and near the overlook hiking trail. The park is small enough to walk to the swimming area from your campsite, as well as into town. Note that you will not get cell service here, but if you walk into the village of Jamaica, you will find Wi-Fi hotspots at the library or the grocery store. 

Here are all the awesome things to do in Jamaica State Park:

1. Learn about the first peoples who lived here: The area along the West River was an important trade route for the Abenaki tribe. Throughout the park, there are interpretive signs with lots of information about the Abenaki, as well as the archaeological dig that was conducted here in 2010.

2. Cool off in the West River: The main swimming area is at Salmon Hole, right in the campground, but you can swim anywhere in the West River. It's awesome!

3. Ride your bike to the Ball Mountain Dam: There's a bike trail that leads from the campground all the way to the federally-owned Ball Mountain Dam, which provides great views of Ball Mountain Lake and the surrounding mountains. It's a 5-mile ride from the campground, round-trip.

4. Learn about Jamaica's railroad history: It's crazy that the rail trail was really a railroad at the turn of the century. It's a narrow, mountainous route. As you ride along the trail, stop and read the signs. No wonder it was called 36 miles of trouble!

5. Hike the Overlook Trail: It's a 2.5-mile loop that brings you up on a ridge with great views.

6. Hike to Hamilton Falls: It's actually easier to bike part of the way on the rail trail and then hike the 1.1 miles to the falls. Otherwise, it's a 6-mile hike round-trip. Hamilton falls is 125 feet tall, and one of the loveliest waterfalls in Vermont.

7. Walk into the village of Jamaica for donuts: Seriously! Head to D&K Grocery for the best donuts ever, or stock up on camping provisions.

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.

Miles and miles of country/forests surrounding pine acres, however pulling in you’ll soon realize how much goes on inside the campground. AWESOME pools (very kid friendly), parks, dog park, hiking trails and even sections off of the trails to find your own private beach on the water. Went there in a tent rather than our camper, which turned out to be better. Tent sites were very dispersed and way up on the top of the mountain. Camper sites seemed a little close but worth the sacrifice due to the incredible environment. On the more expensive side but worth the money if you have kids. Another big plus was the abundance of wood to get from fallen trees (not having to pay for the expensive bundles at the store) and the size of the fire pits

We travelled as a group with family (4 sites). When we booked all our sites were right next to each other. When we arrived not a single one of us were even on the same road. The biggest issue with this, is that there were plenty of sites available next to each other. My parents paid for 50 amp electric and the site next to them was using it instead of the 30amp they were meant to have. Also, while the campground is pet friendly, a warning about free roaming chickens would have been nice. I would not have brought my (prey driven) dogs if I had known there were free roaming chickens.