New England has many scenic parks with RV-friendly campgrounds between its forested mountains and Atlantic coastline. These parks from Connecticut to Maine are some of the best home bases while exploring this beautiful northeastern region.
1. Franconia Notch State Park, New Hampshire
Franconia Notch State Park lies between the Franconia and Kinsman mountain ranges in northern New Hampshire. Highway 93 runs through the park from Flume Gorge to the northern end near Echo Lake.
The park has a bike path and hiking trails of various lengths. Some of the routes start directly from the campground. The Flume Trail (pictured below) is a relatively easy 1.8 mile trip through the natural gorge along a boardwalk. Avid climbers can also take on the more challenging trek up Mount Lafayette.
Go swimming, kayaking or canoeing on Echo Lake, or take the scenic aerial tram to the top of Cannon Mountain. An enclosed cable car will take you on an eight-minute trip up the 4,080-foot peak where you can get views of mountains in four different states and Canada. The summit also has walking paths, an observation deck, a cafe, and restrooms.
2. Nickerson State Park, Massachusetts
Nickerson State Park provides scenic waterfront camping on Cape Cod. This huge park encompasses over 1900 acres on the peninsula and eight freshwater ponds for swimming, fishing, and boating.
The campground has over 400 sites within pine and oak forest, some with water views. During the day you can rent or take your own bike to traverse over 8 miles of paved trails. The park also connects to the 22-mile Cape Cod Rail Trail which you can take out to Cape Cod National Seashore.
3. Hammonasset Beach State Park, Connecticut
This Connecticut park has more than two miles of beach along Long Island Sound. The park also has picnic areas and a boardwalk that spans about 3/4 of a mile along the water.
The campground is just a short walk from the shore with over 550 grassy campsites. The sites are large and level with water/electric hookups.
4. Camden Hills State Park, Maine
Maine’s coastal Route 1 passes through Camden Hills State Park near the village of Camden. The park has hiking trails up coastal mountains and a campground that can accommodate RVs. Some of the wooded sites are on a fair slope, so be sure you know how to properly level your rig.
You’ll want to take the scenic drive up Mount Battie Road while you’re here. It leads up to a historic stone tower built in 1897 where you can get mesmerizing views of Camden Harbor, Penobscot Bay, and the surrounding islands.
5. Ellacoya State Park, New Hampshire
Ellacoya State Park provides access to the southwestern shore of Lake Winnipesaukee, the largest lake in New Hampshire. You can enjoy lunch in the picnic area and go swimming in the lake on a hot summer day.
From the beach, you can get views of the Sandwich and Ossipee mountains and the occasional sailboats. The campground has over 100 sites for RVs of all sizes, available through reservations only. Each site has full hookups, a picnic table, and a fire ring.
6. Elmore State Park, Vermont
In northern Vermont, this park along the shore of Lake Elmore is home to Elmore Mountain. You can take a trail up to the summit for a great day hike at about 4.3 miles and about 1243 feet in elevation.
On hot summer days, the lake is perfect for water activities. The park has a sandy swimming beach and a historic CCC-built beach house with a snack bar and boat rentals including canoes, kayaks, row and pedal boats. A short walk from the lake, the campground has 45 sites for tents and RVs as well as restrooms and hot coin-operated showers.
7. Pawtuckaway State Park, New Hampshire
This park in southern New Hampshire surrounds Pawtuckaway Lake and the Pawtuckaway Mountains. It’s in a perfect location less than an hour from coastal beaches to the east and Manchester to the west.
Between the hiking trails up the mountains and water activities on the lake, there’s lots to do during the day. The park also has a large 192-site campground as well as bathrooms with showers. The wooded sites are rustic and many have views of the lake. Each spot has its own fire ring, picnic table, flat area for a tent, and parking space.
8. Lamoine State Park, Maine
Lamoine State Park is a less crowded place to camp on the Maine coast near Acadia National Park. The park has about 62 campsites along Frenchman Bay, some are big grassy sites and other smaller sites are right on the water. No hookups are available but they do have a dump station and potable water.
You can relax and watch the fishing boats come and go, or make a short drive to Acadia National Park to see the sea cliffs, forests, mountains, and historic lighthouses.
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Anyone planning to camp at a state park in Connecticut should be aware that they do not allow pets.
Good suggestion for pet owners like us.
We stayed at Nickerson SP in July 2018. I is a great SP with a good central location. Naturally, it is highly recommended to make reservations months in advance if planning to stay during peak season. I wouldn’t recommend large, long, high roof campers like the 45′ tripple axel toy hauler we were towing from Utah, we couldn’t avoid snagging our ladder hand holds on low tree branches – very tight roads in the park – and spots are tight, back in only spots mostly. We did see a wild turkey family walking across the park road while there.