Found · unverifiedUSFSFree
Camp Penacook Shelter
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · NH · 43.95806, -71.26878
We haven't personally camped here. Everything below is pulled from public land data, USGS maps and OpenStreetMap — a real place on U.S. Forest Service land, but not field-checked by us. Confirm road conditions, current access, stay limits and fire restrictions before you go.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 2,657 ft.
Fire & smokeNIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from camp
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- MMechanic6 mi
- GGrocery6 mi
- FFuel6 mi
- @Mail7 mi
- HHardware7 mi
- LLaundry7 mi
- ShShower8 mi
- OOutfitter9 mi
- RxPharmacy9 mi
- WWater10 mi
- +Urgent care22 mi
- DDump26 mi
- AAir-up30 mi
- PPropane38 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 6 mi out.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). Open in Google Maps ↗
The site
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
2,657 ft
State
NH
Coordinates
43.95806, -71.26878
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureChocorua River (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townPaugus Mill · ~2.9 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~8.9 mi
- FuelMobil · ~6.4 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump stationDump station · ~26.1 mi
- GroceriesStore · ~8.1 mi
- PharmacyWalgreens · ~8.7 mi
- Hospital / clinicMemorial Hospital · ~9.7 mi
- HardwareAutobahn Hardware · ~13.0 mi
Nearby restrooms — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- RestroomPiper Trailhead · ~2.3 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletChampney Falls · ~2.7 mi NW · USFS
- RestroomWhite Ledge · ~2.7 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletWhite Ledge · ~2.7 mi E · USFS
Open this spot elsewhere
Other camps nearby
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- bis 15.10. , kein Strom aber beliebt, der Passaconaway CG ist public mit 33 Stellplätzen, eher ruhig für kleiner Womos~5.7 mi
- Sawyer Pond Shelter & Tent Platforms~8.4 mi
- Fourth Iron Backcountry Site~9.6 mi
- Flat Mtn Pond Shelter~9.9 mi
The unit that manages this camp
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions are set by the unit, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this
Source
U.S. Forest Service recreation data
Confidence
Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.
How it was placed
Free but developed (not dispersed) - review
Field check
Not verified on the ground. Nobody from here has camped it. It stays at Likely until someone does.
What we don’t know
A land record can put you within a few metres of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
Before you go
Your first dispersed night →Fire rules & restrictions →Getting unstuck →Power off-grid →All field notes →
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →