Campgrounds in White Mountain National Forest NH

I tent camped at White Birches Campground in Shelburne, NH back in 2011. Very close to White Mountain NF. It has RV sites. I had a nice stay here. After sleeping here in a tent my my back was sore the next day. It was then that I decided to go out and buy an RV.

I also tent camped at Dolly Copp NF Campground near Pinkham Notch, NH. Very nice big campground. Saw my first moose here. But no hookups.

There is Dolly Copp Campground it is located 6 miles south of Gorham N.H. Nice old fashioned campground no electricity or RV park extras or frills just plain old camping priceless. Go to Reserve America website to look it up. Hiking trails to Mt Washington and other short hikes right from campground. Gerry

The Kanc is my favorite. Remote sites, no hookups. The roads are all paved , some of the CG's have hand pumps for water and some have solar spigots. scroll thru it to campgrounds .


http://www.kancamagushighway.com/

If you want hookups , tv / wifi / sewer , near Conway / North Conway .
Saco River CG, The Beach CG , are two that I have stayed. They were quiet but are transient overnight places with a lot of pull throughs. This area is very commercial. Outlet stores and restaurants etc . Its fine for a night or two to be in a central location to see a lot of things in the area.

Because we leave our camper on the truck , we always rent a car from Enterprise in Conway to drive up to the top of Mt. Washington.
If you choose to do that , book it in advance for a sub compact. Its usually $39..free miles. They have always upgraded me for free, take the lowest rate they offer .

There is also a van (bus) that takes you up but im not sure how long they allow to stay up on the summit if you go that route.

The COG railway is different but they don't tell you that they only allow you 15-20 mns. at the top. That's almost enough time to get you along the long line at the bathrooms.
If you miss your train back down, you hike back down . Well worth the $140 for two people. :M
There is a museum on top so renting a car is worth it to stay up there for hours .

Our friends stayed here and said it was very nice. I might try next time I go up.
http://franstedcampground.com/

Mt. Washington auto road can be tight and steep. Better off in a small rental.

The food at the snack bar has been known to blow people away , so they chain it down . It can be a tad windy up there . :)


Regards, Bob

So do you have to camp in designated campgrounds on NF or is dispersed camping allowed?

X2 on traveling the Kanc. Lots to see and do. Visit the orchard, your timing is right so the Apples will be perfect!

BeanMan wrote:
So do you have to camp in designated campgrounds on NF or is dispersed camping allowed?

It depends on exact location: I have always used the designated NF Cg's with no hookups. It's never crowded during times when school is in session during the week. I usually stay away from N.H. from late June thru July and Aug. Personally, I love October.
I went off the beat n path many years ago in a van and I was asked to leave.
Certain villages have a strong civic association that likes us to spend money at established CG's. Those areas don't allow us to camp in remote places. The N.H. White Mtns. draw a lot of tourism for N.H.

http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5363715.pdf

There is Russell Pond Campground in the WMNF. Nice wooded area. It has tent and RV sites. NO hook-ups are available. Nice 30+- acre trout stocked pond, great for swimming, kayaking. Rest rooms and showers ($2.00). Was there a couple weeks ago for 3 days with the grandkids. Was $24 a night, but with the "Senior Pass" it was $12 a night.:) It is at exit 31 (Tripoli Rd) off interstate 93. About a 15 minute drive from the highway up to the campground.

There is also a KOA called "Broken Branch".

Contact me if you have any questions.

Howdy from NH - we frequent the NF campgrounds regularly. Russell Pond was already mentioned - nice to stay at - a bit removed if you want to tour the area. Several along Rte 112 - the "Kancamagus" hiway - (AKA - "the Kanc"). None of the NF CG's have any hookups OR dump stations - which may pose a problem... You can refill with water, but not by connecting - bring a container to transfer the water. Jigger Johnson CG (NF) along the Kanc and Russell Pond have $$ showers - none of the others do (Maybe Dolly Copp...). VERY little boondocking (free) opportunities in the WMNF - we're just too small and crowded/popular. But the NF CG's are pretty reasonable. We like Sugarloaf CG on Zealand Rd - good access to moose viewing/fishing/hiking/etc. - in Twin Mountain/Carroll. Some of the CG's take reservations thru recreation.gov, many are/have 1st-come sites, too. Limited genny hours in all the NF CG's - if you rely on solar Dolly Copp has the most open sites overall. Pretty good distance around the WMNF - might want to think about staying in a couple different CG's for your visit! PM me if you need/want more specifics! ST

BeanMan wrote:
So do you have to camp in designated campgrounds on NF or is dispersed camping allowed?

To the best of my knowledge there is no dispersed camping allowed in the NF here in the north east , forest roads are closed to vehicular traffic with few exceptions . Too close to high population areas , too many abusers . They use to be open to anyone who could get through them.

Some erroneous information in this thread. There are lots of dispersed camping areas in the Whites.

Cherry Mountain. I have stayed there.

Haystack Road.

Gale River.

Also the Tripoli Road area.