Best Cabin Camping near Waitsfield, VT

Can’t say enough good things about this place.  It is a private landowners land, and she has various camping options including a cabin, hives, or open locations for rv or tent camping.  We stayed for a long weekend with friends in a separate rv, and then a friend who rented a hive.  The land is 8 acres, and you feel a sense of privacy and serenity. You hear roosters in the morning from a local farm.  The views are vast, and it’s relaxing.

Logistically, there is a good place for rv parking below the garden hoop house.  It is a flat long gravel area, which can access power, but you’ll need an extension chord or two to reach it.  The hives are set back from this area and behind other gardens, near a water source.   There is a cabin in the middle of the property, and then additional rv or tent camping in another area above the main house, which also has an electric hookup.  Each area is far enough away from the others that you feel a sense of privacy and serenity.  

There is a common area building on the property with Wi-Fi, a bathroom and a kitchen area, which seemed to be used mostly for making tea or accessing the kitchen sink for water.  I am not sure if you could use it for cooking - you would need to ask the landowner.  It has a small sitting area with tourism/hiking/sightseeing guides and maps.  We used it to check email and make phone calls, as cell access is spotty in this general area of Vermont and we didn’t have a cell signal by our rv.  You can shower and use the toilet.  I would recommend bringing your own soap and shampoo.

There are a few fire pit areas on the property, and the land owner will show you where you can find wood in the surrounding woods.  The gardens are full of flowers and vegetables.    There is also a sauna and a yoga room, neither of which we used. 

It truly is a magical environment.  You are a few minutes away from Cabot, which is very small.  The area is a hiking and gravel biking hot bed.  The “Ride the Ridges” gravel ride passes the property, so you can do the course from there.  There are numerous hikes of all distances and difficulty in this area of Vermont.

This KOA is what you expect from a KOA– lots of amenities, sites of all sizes and levels of cost, tons of activities, and in a vacation destination area. We spent five nights at the campground and found lots to do in the area and that we had an enjoyable and pleasant stay. 

The park is a large park that is terraced since it is in a pretty hilly area. There is the range of sites from pull-thrus, pull-ins and back-in sites and can accommodate RVs of any size. Some sites are full hookup while others are not and that is reflected in the cost. We paid $57/nigh for our full hookup site which is pretty costly especially since we did not use any of the amenities. Most sites are gravel with gravel patios but there are deluxe sites with paved patios, patio furniture, umbrella, and gas bbq grill. There are also camping cabins, some of which have kitchenettes and bathrooms that sleep six people. 

Our site, was located in the back of the park in a quieter section because it was away from most of the activities and park entrance. The site was a pull-in which was kind of nice because the view out of our front windshield was of a wooded area. Our fire pit was in the front of our site so there was a nice amount of privacy when we sat outside by a campfire and didn’t feel like we were on the side of the road. Despite the hilliness of the park and all the trees, we did not have any trouble navigating our 45’ RV to our site. The trees at our site would prevent satellite television reception but our site had cable and we got about 20 or so channels. The staff was very friendly and helpful. Like many KOAs there are tons of amenities and things for kids to do – swimming pool, fishing ponds, bike rental, scheduled activities, propane sales, camp store, fire wood delivery, and more. There is a fenced dog park which was a fairly good size and our lab was happy to chase a ball. 

As a whole, the park was very clean and manicured. No trash laying around and the gravel roads were free of potholes. The campground is located near the Queechee Gorge, covered bridges, hiking trails (including sections of the Appalachian Trail), good dining, maple syrup/cheese farm, the Marsh Billings- Rockefeller National Historic Park.

We've been camping at Button Bay for years, and while it can be hot and buggy in the summer months, there is no place we'd rather be in September! There are two campground loops to choose from. The first is where you'll find the lean-tos and the dog trail/beach. This area is super quiet, offers a bit of shade, and plenty of privacy. We almost always get the Catalpa or Willow lean-to because we bring dogs and it's easy for them to run to the lake and cool off.

The second camping loop has a few waterfront camping cabins, which we are dying to check out, but haven't yet. The main camping area is essentially a huge field, so not much shade or privacy. The benefit of this area is that it's closer to everything - the playground, pool, nature center, kayak and canoe rentals, and the trail out to the point. There are also amazing views of the lake and the mountains right from the camping area.

I think this is one of the best state parks in Vermont for families with kids, and for dogs. There isn't a great place to swim in the lake here, although plenty of people swim off the point. There is a nice pool, but it closes after Labor Day weekend. If you want to swim in Lake Champlain, I highly recommend Kingsland Bay State Park, just a few miles north.

Definitely hike the short nature trail out to Button Bay Point. It's especially lovely in the evening as the sun is setting. Enjoy!

I’d say this was one of Vermont’s best kept secrets, except I don’t think it’s exactly a secret. Even in October, the Park seemed full with visitors and Stowe was hopping! Leaf peepers were in full force and the grounds were absolutely spectacular- I really picked the perfect time of year to go. Nights got pretty brisk, but the foliage was breathtaking.

The Park, located along scenic Rte108, has about 20 tent sites and 14 lean-to’s well dispersed throughout the grounds. A couple spots were drive-in sites, accessible to those with disabilities; most had small pathways and/or stairwells leading to their platforms. There was not a bad site within the entire vicinity. All were fully shaded and extremely private. Although, I’d be curious about checking out Sites 1 or 16 next time around!

Bathrooms were clean and the main office sold firewood at the entrance. Facilities are also pet friendly. Plus, there are so many hiking trails and recreational opportunities in and around the Park-from Stowe Mountain Resort to the quaint shops in town and local craft breweries. And even with the Park seeming “full”, the grounds were perfectly quiet, without the incessant sound of generators you find at larger state parks.

Without a doubt, Smugglers Notch State Park is a favorite of mine!

This is the only campground in the area I will stay at. It has so many benefits, I may not be able to do it justice in this review. The sites are huge. We fit two camper vans, two tents and put up a 20x20 rain tarp on Site 5. The site was freshly raked when we got there, and the leftover wood was stacked next to the fire pit. Picnic table easily seats 8. Lots of bathrooms around the park, each with showers. Firewood and Ice, along with some necessities are available at the office. Cell phone service is touchy depending on where you are in the park. There is fresh water available. Lots of activities to do here, from the Nature Center and hiking trails to seriously wicked mountain biking trails designed by Mr. Knight overlooking the reservoir where boating of all kinds is allowed. And the fishing in the river below is quite stellar. There's even an abandoned town up on top of the mountain for younto check out.

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!

I’ve been visiting Ricker Pond for nearly 20 years (except for the years that I don’t book enough in advance and aren’t able to secure a spot for my desired length of stay). My favorite lean to site is directly on the water, private, and fills up fast. My favorite cabin site, is set back from the water, is private, and also fills fast for the season. I LOVE venturing to Vermont every summer & staying at Ricker. There is an electrical outlet in the basic cabins, quarter-run showers, and an excellent country store/restaurant a few miles away that has anything you may need and might have forgotten. Tents/RV sites are also available. Book in advance for the best availability!