NH Camping

July 20, 2009 8:53 AM

Can you recommend some good, rustic camping areas within three hours of Portsmouth, NH?

We're trying to book for next weekend, which is kind of crazy, so we need to cast a wide net. We're looking for a less commercial area (no resorts or KoAs), something like a state park, national park, or old-school tenting campground. Have you stayed anywhere you'd really like?

posted by Miko to travel & transportation (9 comments total)

check out the AMC at outdoors.org
posted by Gungho at 9:14 AM on July 20

Bear Brook State Park
posted by Daily Alice at 9:26 AM on July 20

I stayed at Wompatuck State Park for a couple of nights over Memorial Day weekend. It's a bit south of Boston. I made my reservation at the last minute when EVERYTHING else was booked up but they still had plenty of spots available. I really, really liked it. It's a big campground but it's densely forested, and each site is in its own little clearing so you have privacy. I spent a couple of really nice evenings laying on the picnic table looking at the sky listening to other people's music in the distance. A mix of RV and tent sites, bathrooms were thoroughly acceptable, and my site had a good fire pit and was nice and flat and free of rocks.

I didn't really check out the trails, but looked like the park is good for biking. (Too flat for really good hiking imo, but I'm from the mountains.)

(If you go there, use the directions on the park's website. Google thinks a bunch of the bike trails are still roads and sent me on some crazyass drive through a neighborhood ending at a locked gate at the back of the park.)
posted by little e at 9:28 AM on July 20

I love Pawtuckaway. Never camped there though. Its close to Bear Brook as well.
posted by D_I at 9:33 AM on July 20

One I love is 4th Iron up off of 302 in NH. It is first come, first serve, though, so it may be tough to get a site. It is about a 0.5 mile hike into the sites.

I can only find one reference to it and that is here, in the backcountry areas at the bottom of the page.
posted by chiefthe at 9:33 AM on July 20

Although now that I've said that, I realize that probably all of the campsites in the area are nice and flat and y'all don't have to worry about playing the Rotate the Tent Until Our Heads Are Uphill game.
posted by little e at 9:41 AM on July 20

I grew up on going to summers on Lake Cobbosseecontee, Maine. [my family owns a lot of land there] it always felt far more rustic and out of the way than most places i'd been to.
posted by mattsweaters at 11:05 AM on July 20

You can find lots of different NH state park campsites here, and make your reservations online.
posted by mr_crash_davis mark II: Jazz Odyssey at 6:05 PM on July 20

This is just at the edge of your radius, but Franconia Notch State Park.
posted by canine epigram at 6:44 PM on July 20