Federal Campgrounds in New Hampshire
Federal coverage only. This directory lists campgrounds on federal land (Forest Service, Park Service, BLM, Corps of Engineers and other agencies) from the Recreation.gov RIDB export. State-park, county and private/KOA campgrounds are out of scope.
New Hampshire has 23 federal campgrounds offering 615 overnight sites managed by two agencies: the U.S. Forest Service operates 18 campgrounds, primarily in the White Mountains National Forest, while the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages 5 campgrounds at water-resource projects throughout the state. Twenty-two of these campgrounds accept advance reservations through Recreation.gov, making it easy to plan ahead for peak season visits.
This directory covers only federally operated campgrounds. State park campgrounds and private facilities like KOA are not included here. For current information on site availability, amenities, and to make reservations at New Hampshire's federal campgrounds, visit Recreation.gov or contact the managing agency directly. Conditions and operations may change seasonally, so checking current status before your trip is recommended.
How to read the New Hampshire directory
Use this page as a starting map of federal camping in New Hampshire: the agency split tells you whether you're mostly looking at national-forest sites, park-service grounds or Corps-of-Engineers lakeside camps, and the busiest rec areas below point to where the campgrounds cluster. Every name links to its live Recreation.gov page for current site counts, photos and booking.
| Rec area / forest | Campgrounds |
|---|---|
| White Mountain National Forest | 13 |
| Keene | 3 |
| JACKSON | 2 |
| CONWAY | 1 |
| Gorham | 1 |
| PETERBOROUGH | 1 |
| CONTOOCOOK | 1 |
| Conway | 1 |
Common questions
How many federal campgrounds are in New Hampshire?
23 in this directory, with about 615 overnight sites, across national forests, parks, Corps of Engineers and other federal land. State and private campgrounds are not included.
Are these campgrounds reservable?
22 of the 23 take reservations through Recreation.gov; the remainder are generally first-come, first-served. Confirm on the facility's Recreation.gov page before you travel.
Largest federal campgrounds in New Hampshire
- Dolly Copp · U.S. Forest Service · 175 sites · White Mountain National Forest
- Campton Campground · U.S. Forest Service · 91 sites · White Mountain National Forest
- Russell Pond Campground · U.S. Forest Service · 86 sites · White Mountain National Forest
- Covered Bridge · U.S. Forest Service · 50 sites · White Mountain National Forest
- Sugarloaf 2 Campground · U.S. Forest Service · 33 sites · White Mountain National Forest
- Sugarloaf 1 Campground · U.S. Forest Service · 29 sites · White Mountain National Forest
- Waterville Campground · U.S. Forest Service · 29 sites · White Mountain National Forest
- White Ledge Campground · U.S. Forest Service · 29 sites · White Mountain National Forest
- Big Rock · U.S. Forest Service · 28 sites · White Mountain National Forest
- Basin Campground · U.S. Forest Service · 21 sites · White Mountain National Forest
- Osceola Vista Campground · U.S. Forest Service · 16 sites · White Mountain National Forest
- Cold River · U.S. Forest Service · 14 sites · White Mountain National Forest
- Barnes Field Campground · U.S. Forest Service · 11 sites · White Mountain National Forest
- Black Mountain Cabin · U.S. Forest Service · 1 sites · Jackson
- Doublehead Cabin · U.S. Forest Service · 1 sites · Jackson
- Radeke Cabin · U.S. Forest Service · 1 sites · Conway
- Dolly Copp Picnic Pavilion · U.S. Forest Service · n/a sites · Gorham
- Edward Macdowell Lake Day Use Facilities · U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · n/a sites · Peterborough
- Elm Brook Park Rec Area · U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · n/a sites · Contoocook
- Otter Brook Lake Recreation Area · U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · n/a sites · Keene
- Russell-Colbath Barn · U.S. Forest Service · n/a sites · Conway
- Surry Mountain Lake Beach · U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · n/a sites · Keene
- Surry Mountain Lake Campground · U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · n/a sites · Keene
Ranked by overnight-site count from RIDB; “n/a” means the site count isn’t published (often a first-come or dispersed area). Each name opens the Recreation.gov facility page.
Compare every managing agency → · Reservable vs first-come in New Hampshire → · Choosing a New Hampshire campground →
Compiled from the federal RIDB export, verified June 2026. How we compile this. Confirm current details on Recreation.gov.