Camping in New Hampshire is a fantastic way to get outdoors and step away from the everyday. In a state known for its diverse landscapes, campers will find the perfect locale whether they're looking for a mountain getaway, intensive outdoor adventure, or a leisurely lake vacation.

Throughout the state, every region features state parks that are options for New Hampshire camping vacations. Just five miles from the Canadian border, Deer Mountain Campground is one of the state parks to pitch a tent and enjoy camping in New Hampshire. A part of the Connecticut Lakes State Forest in the Great North Woods Region, Deer Mountain is an interesting place for hiking and watching wildlife.

Heading south to the White Mountains Region, travelers can make reservations for New Hampshire campsites at the Dry River Campground in the heart of Crawford Notch State Park or Franconia Notch's Lafayette Campground and Canon Mountain RV Park. Over in the Seacoast Region, Hampton Beach is the only state park with access to the coast. On of the most scenic of all the New Hampshire campgrounds, the park offers access to a bevy of activities including saltwater fishing, swimming, and whale watching. Just 40 minutes from the coast as well as Manchester, Pawtuckaway State Park is another option for New Hampshire camping in the state parks system.

New Hampshire Map

In Bear Brook State Park and Campground in Allenstown, the Museum of Family Camping provides a look at this vacation staple. Other historic buildings in the 10,000-acre park house the Civilian Conservation Corps Museum and the New Hampshire Snowmobile Museum. Visitors also enjoy fly fishing at Archery Pond, hiking, canoeing, and the fitness course in this beautiful slice of New England.

The White Mountains National Forest is another protected place offering camping in New Hampshire. A number of developed and backcountry sites, RV hook-ups, and cabins are available for rent in this scenic locale. Most of these New Hampshire campgrounds are open during the warmer months of the year, but some open in the winter. Because they're staying in a haven for recreation, campers will have any choices for spending time out there. Along with hiking, fishing, and geocaching, campers can join U.S. Forest Service rangers for interpretive programs, birding, mineral digs, and horseback riding.

Campers don't need to stay on government-protected land to go camping. A bevy of independent New Hampshire campgrounds also welcome campers in every season, including the height of summer and autumn when the fall foliage is the best show around.

Summertime camping brings many vacationers to the lakes, especially in the middle of the state. Weirs Beach offers everything from primitive camping to elegant resorts along the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee. In Wolfeboro on the other side of the lake, campers have been enjoying the scenery for centuries. In fact, the city's earned the nickname of the oldest summer resort in America. Folks have been camping in this quintessential New England community since the 1700s.

Those planning on New Hampshire camping getaways in the fall will be rewarded with colorful scenes everywhere they turn. While many campgrounds close by Labor Day, some stay open to Columbus Day and beyond.