We booked at the last minute and got stuck with site 002, which is basically a parking lot shared with another group (no privacy at all except any vehicles you park in between). Not ideal for tent camping, but oh well! At least it was a large site, and while we could hear road noise (sites further back may not), it wasn’t too bad at night. The site also drained well after a massive thunderstorm! Most of the other sites at the campground looked great, so if you can grab one of those, you will be happy. There are even a couple of sites with three-sided shelters, which looked very appealing in the rain. We appreciated the dishwashing station, coin op showers, and friendly ranger. The river is a short walk away and would have been pleasant for a dip in warmer weather. We didn’t use it, but at the front of the campground is an open picnic area with nice mountain views. Of course, the biggest advantage of this site is the proximity to some incredible White Mountains hiking — we enjoyed gorgeous hikes to Mt Pierce and Zeacliff.
We had a fabulous stay at Blackwoods a few weeks ago. While our site was perhaps one of the nicest, most sites (except the pull-throughs in loop A) were large, private, and surrounded by beautiful scenery (trees, mossy rocks, and so on). We were in loop B (no generators) and found it to be one of the quietest campgrounds we’d stayed at, although the partial closure due to Covid may have contributed to that. We also found that the site drained well after a big rainstorm passed through. Restrooms were clean and modern, and dishwater dump stations were available, though campers were asked to wash dishes at their sites. My only complaints were that there was no hand soap provided in the restrooms — only hand sanitizer — and that there are not many water spigots. No showers on site, but a private facility provides them right across the street from the campground entrance and we found it very satisfactory. We appreciated that we were able to access the Cadillac South Ridge Trail directly from the campground, and although we didn’t take the Acadia shuttle buses, they also stop at the campground. Book early — the reservation was not easy to get!
We had an idyllic trip to Franconia Notch in July 2020. We camped here as a jumping-off point for the popular Lincoln-Lafayette-Little Haystack loop, which is walking distance from the campground. The trail gets crowded and trailhead parking runs out, so camping is a perfect way to access the hike. And it's totally worth the trip! We were equally impressed by the gentler hike up to Lonesome Lake and the eponymous AMC hut, an incredibly gorgeous spot.
The camp store was closed due to Covid-19, and staff have been checking in campers through the windows. You can still buy merchandise without going inside.
Our site (022) was great for tent campers, with a large terrace area, but wouldn't have worked for a larger vehicle. I would recommend this site for its incredible views of the mountains! Note that the sites in the "circle" across from 022 (see photo) are in the middle of a grassy field without much shade or privacy, although most sites outside of this area are wooded. We had a lot of hoverflies (the little yellow and black guys), but they don't sting or bite, and they don't even seem particularly attracted to food. We didn't encounter more problematic insects at our campsite, although there were mosquitoes on one walk we took on the Pemi trail near the highway.
There was a bit of a party atmosphere during our visit, but in a nice way -- we didn't encounter loud late-night drinking or yelling.
Restrooms and the dish-washing area were very clean. We didn't use the showers, which are coin-operated.
The highway noise was annoying at night, as other reviews have mentioned. Earplugs would be a great investment!
PLEASE practice bear safety-- and protect both bears and humans-- by storing all food and scented items in your vehicle. We had to scare a large black bear away from our neighbor's tent around 5 am.
Despite some of the imperfections mentioned above, we had a wonderful time on this trip. The access to amazing hikes is unparalleled, and the campground was a fun place to spend the rest of our time.
We had a great two-night stay at Wompatuck in July of 2020. Capacity was reduced to help with social distancing (Covid-19), so the campground was probably less busy than normal for July. Our non-electric loop was a mix of tent and RV campers, and everyone was pretty quiet. We also didn't encounter anyone in the bathrooms. The men's restroom on our loop was reasonably clean (by camping standards), although apparently the women's side had a ton of bugs, particularly in the mornings.
We were in the R loop, and the sites were a real mix. Ours (R002) was large, beautiful, and mostly surrounded by forest. However, some of the sites on the loop were basically a driveway surrounded by a ditch, which made them quite small and not as appealing. Most had reasonable privacy from adjacent sites, however.
Nights were peaceful with very little human noise. We were a little stressed about the tall, skinny trees swaying dramatically in the wind above us, but we managed to tune them out after a bit! Interestingly, while we encountered some mosquitoes walking around the park, we had very few at the campsite itself.
The state park seems to be fairly biking-oriented, both road bikes and mountain bikes. We didn't bring bikes, so we asked the rangers to point out some areas more appropriate for walking/hiking. We ended up taking a nice long walk out to the dam at Aaron River Reservoir (about 6 miles round trip) and another pleasant, short walk to a pond behind the campsite. The scenery was beautiful and the trails were quiet, though we encountered other walkers from time to time.
There are no swimming opportunities in the park itself, but it's a short drive from public beaches, including Nantasket Beach (run by the state) and Bathing Beach (run by the town of Hingham). Bathing Beach is small and only swimmable at high tide, but the parking is free, so that's where we went. We loved it! We also spent a morning walking at World's End (a Trustees of Reservations property on the water), a similarly short drive from the park. There is an admission fee, but it's a unique and beautiful area that is worth checking out.
Wompatuck was a beautiful place to spend a few summer days, and we would definitely visit again!