Year Round Campgrounds Near "Hubs" Of NH And ME Hiking

[DayTrip]

Bit of a stupid question I guess (my specialty) but I was wondering what, if any, campgrounds are open year round near key hiking trailheads in NH (like Appalachia, Lincoln Woods, etc.) and ME (with 4k access like in the Bigelow, Saddleback area and possibly near Baxter). I really don't know of any open after Columbus Day Weekend other than Hancock on the Kanc. I'm sure the economics of doing such a thing make this a bit of a rarity but there must be some.

Does anyone maintain year round tent camping? I Googled year round camping in NH and it brought up about 8 sites, none of which I had ever heard of other than Hancock. If anyone camps in Winter and makes a "home base" for day trips and can recommend a campground they like I'd appreciate the reference. Thanks in advance.

 

[sierra]

Barnes Field near Dolly Copp is open all winter. The sites are huge and it's a fantastic campsite.

 

[peakbagger]

FWIW, most towns in NH really do not want to have a year round campground in their midst as it can become a problem with individuals attempting to live there year round.

White Birches in Shelburne is open until October 25th. I think they have one winterized bathhouse.

 

[Sherby]

Barnes Field near Dolly Copp is open all winter. The sites are huge and it's a fantastic campsite.

Yup and there is a water pump.

There is also Fourth Iron, but it's a (short) walk-in.

If I recall correctly, Robert at the Apple Hill in Bethlehem told me he never really close, but we never stayed there in winter so I don't know much.

 

[JoshandBaron]

Around Baxter-ish, North Maine Woods and KI-Jo Mary are open year round and free Oct-June. Caveat being roads may or may not be plowed, depending on logging activity. The NMW website is usually good about posting what is plowed. KI-Jo is a lot of AMC land these days and I'm unsure how much plowing happens in the part of KI with the lodges, as they are ski/snowshoe/dogsled in with gear being ferried by snowmobile. The Jo-Mary part is closer to Baxter and has much more logging activity, but it's still a bit of a drive to the Baxter gate. Lafayette place is walk-in. We usually do a half dozen trips to Barnes Field each year and it's hit or miss. It's mostly skiers so no one is around all day but there are folks that will take the best sites for a couple weeks to only spend a couple days there. The sheriff pops through at least once a day. No caretaker on site but they'll come through once, too. I think Coleman State Park is open, but that may be cabins only. I really wish they would open more campgrounds for winter use, particularly on the east side of the forest. White Ledge and Cold River seem like they wouldn't be too much trouble.

 

[DayTrip]

I though Barnes Field was a large group site. I went to the Recreation.gov site and it does say groups of 1-10 (@ $45 night!) but with groups up to 31+. Doesn't sound like a spot for a solo guy to book a few nights. Would that be weird? And who camps in such big groups? Is this just a party spot or a legit camping area?

 

[Ear Drum]

I though Barnes Field was a large group site. I went to the Recreation.gov site and it does say groups of 1-10 (@ $45 night!) but with groups up to 31+. Doesn't sound like a spot for a solo guy to book a few nights. Would that be weird? And who camps in such big groups? Is this just a party spot or a legit camping area?

Barnes Field changes over to $16 / vehicle in late fall - winter - early spring.

See: White Mountain National Forest - Barnes Field Group Campground

"Barnes Field serves as a group campground in the summer months, and it remains open on a first-come, first-served self service basis during the winter months."

 

[Ear Drum]

from White Mountain National Forest - Camping & Cabins

Campgrounds Open in Winter?​

A couple of our campgrounds are open year-round. These are plowed for access, but do not have any services found in summer.

• Barnes Field, Gorham, NH
• Hancock, Lincoln, NH

 

[DayTrip]

Barnes Field changes over to $16 / vehicle in late fall - winter - early spring.

See: White Mountain National Forest - Barnes Field Group Campground

"Barnes Field serves as a group campground in the summer months, and it remains open on a first-come, first-served self service basis during the winter months."

Hah! I read the seasons backwards. Looked at May to Oct. $16 is definitely reasonable. Thanks.

 

[peakbagger]

If you are using Barnes, keep in mind that Pinkham is not that far up the road from Barnes, they have a heated gear room and pay showers. Kind of handy at the end of the day hiking before heading back to Barnes for the night.

 

[DayTrip]

If you are using Barnes, keep in mind that Pinkham is not that far up the road from Barnes, they have a heated gear room and pay showers. Kind of handy at the end of the day hiking before heading back to Barnes for the night.

I'm looking to do this more as a "kind of Winter camping" thing to simulate backcountry camping with a "safety net" so I don't want too many creature comforts except maybe a fire to sit around at night and gear storage in my car so I can experiment with some different things like stoves and sleeping bags. I really never got around to serious Winter camping despite getting all the gear (primarily because of the length of nights) but now that I have started doing night photography the last few years (on a very amateur basis) that might be the prodding I need to pull the trigger on a trip or two. I've become far more hooked on overnight camping the past few years as opposed to day trips and I hate having to shelve those trips during the Winter months.

 

[JoshandBaron]

Jeffers Brook shelter is practically on the road and where I've done some of my cold weather testing. You can use the shelter for gear storage. Multiple trips to the car or a pulk could bring all your goodies down.

 

[peakbagger]

One winter tent camping hazard is CO poisoning, folks get cold and try to heat their tents with fossil appliances, I think there was a death or at least a case of CO poisoning at Barnes Field long ago. It could happen anywhere, and does on occasion with mountain climbers but with car camping the temptation is bit higher as its easy to just open the trunk and pull out a heater. It is not that hard to heat up a tent that is closed up tight, but snow cover will effectively seal it and it does not take much to have a CO hazard. CO poisoning is cumulative in the short term.

If you do have campfires plan on buying lots of expensive firewood. I have known groups that go through a 1/4 of cord for a weekend. When it was legal to bring wood from away it was less of an issue but with firewood importation bans, those bundles at Cumberland Farms add up. I have gotten calls in the past by folks looking for bulk dry firewood t use at Barnes but there really is not a good source other than a place down in Ossipee, there are some locals who sell pallets of firewood, but the wood is not very dry just a few months from when it was cut from log length.

One to the reasons where the small tent stoves are the way to go if someone has a proper winter tent set up for a stove.

 

[DayTrip]

One winter tent camping hazard is CO poisoning, folks get cold and try to heat their tents with fossil appliances, I think there was a death or at least a case of CO poisoning at Barnes Field long ago. It could happen anywhere, and does on occasion with mountain climbers but with car camping the temptation is bit higher as its easy to just open the trunk and pull out a heater. It is not that hard to heat up a tent that is closed up tight, but snow cover will effectively seal it and it does not take much to have a CO hazard. CO poisoning is cumulative in the short term.

If you do have campfires plan on buying lots of expensive firewood. I have known groups that go through a 1/4 of cord for a weekend. When it was legal to bring wood from away it was less of an issue but with firewood importation bans, those bundles at Cumberland Farms add up. I have gotten calls in the past by folks looking for bulk dry firewood t use at Barnes but there really is not a good source other than a place down in Ossipee, there are some locals who sell pallets of firewood, but the wood is not very dry just a few months from when it was cut from log length.

One to the reasons where the small tent stoves are the way to go if someone has a proper winter tent set up for a stove.

I'd have a fire for the ambience/something to do when it got dark, not as a heat source. A couple of bundles of wood a night (depending on quality of the bundles) would likely be the max. I'd want to camp essentially like I would if I were actually out in the backcountry but with the back up of being able to swap out some gear that I may have misjudged for the conditions, most likely the sleeping bag. And probably mess around with the different stoves I have to see what I'm most comfortable using for the temps, practice melting snow for water, that kind of stuff. Or if it is a total blunder I can just get in the car and head out.

 

[JoshandBaron]

I'd have a fire for the ambience/something to do when it got dark, not as a heat source. A couple of bundles of wood a night (depending on quality of the bundles) would likely be the max.

If you use an upside down fire, a couple bundles should be plenty. It only burns 3 or 4 pieces of hardwood an hour, keeps things off the wet ground, and is zero maintenance.

 

[sierra]

I though Barnes Field was a large group site. I went to the Recreation.gov site and it does say groups of 1-10 (@ $45 night!) but with groups up to 31+. Doesn't sound like a spot for a solo guy to book a few nights. Would that be weird? And who camps in such big groups? Is this just a party spot or a legit camping area?

Negative, I used to stay there solo in my truck all the time. I never thought of it or saw it being a party site. It's used by serious backcountry enthusiast as far as I saw, occasionally a boy scout troop or such.

 

[JoshandBaron]

Negative, I used to stay there solo in my truck all the time. I never thought of it or saw it being a party site. It's used by serious backcountry enthusiast as far as I saw, occasionally a boy scout troop or such.

Last year someone built a bobsled/luge thing from one site to another that was pretty rad. We go to hang out and justify putting sleep systems in our trucks.

 

[peakbagger]

VFTT used to have some large winter get together's at Barnes where most of the sites were booked by VFTT folks. I think Sherpa Kroto hosted a few big ones and I think Bubba even made it over.

More than a few folks are risking it staying in their vehicles at trailhead lots overnight which is technically illegal. As long as there are no snow operations in the area it is probably not an issue, but the plow folks really dislike it as they normally do cleanup operations for at least a day after a storm.

 

[JoshandBaron]

Apparently Dry River is open, primitive FCFS begins 10/29. They make mention of "early spring/late fall" being the off season so I doubt plowing happens.

 

[DayTrip]

Apparently Dry River is open, primitive FCFS begins 10/29. They make mention of "early spring/late fall" being the off season so I doubt plowing happens.

Yes someone had told me that awhile back, maybe Sierra. I think he (or whoever) said they remain open until first snowfall so it can vary year to year. I may check that one out.