How this picture was made
Photorealistic landscape photograph at golden hour in New Hampshire's White Mountains: rugged bare rocky peaks rising above treeline with low alpine krummholz and weathered granite, a hardwood-and-spruce valley below touched with early autumn color and a clear stream, warm low sun and long shadows, no people, no buildings, no signs. 35mm lens, natural color, faint film grain.
White Mountain National Forest
Camp here — White Mountain National Forest
69 camps mapped in this forest, 39 of them free. Tap one for its topo and aerial, the weather, the water, and how far you will be from fuel and a shower.
- FreeIn White Mountain National Forest
- FreeValley Way Campsite
- FreeTrapper John Shelter
- FreeSpruce Brook Tent Site
- FreeTrident Col Tentsite
- FreeFlat Mtn Pond Shelter
- FreeCamp Penacook Shelter
- FreeBeaver Brook Shelter
Where dispersed camping is listed — White Mountain National Forest
The Forest Service lists dispersed camping as an activity at these 32 places. That is the agency saying it is allowed somewhere in the area — not a campsite we have mapped, and not a spot we can put a pin on. Read their page, then check the district for the rules that apply on the day.
- Androscoggin Ranger District
Located on the northern part of the forest in New Hampshire and western Maine, the District offers a variety of recreational opportunities. Challenge yourself in the Presidential Range including Tuckerman Ravine or the Great Gulf…
the Forest Service page for it → - Camp Penacook Shelter
Camp Penacook is a 3-sided shelter located on the southeast side of Mt. Chocorua, approximately 1.5 miles from the summit, off the Piper Trail. There is a small earthen tent pad located below the shelter and a pit toilet in the…
the Forest Service page for it → - Coppermine Shelter
This shelter accomdates approximately 6 people. However, there is no privy or designated tentsites. Please practice low impact camping practices.
the Forest Service page for it → - Eliza Brook Shelter
Eliza Brook Shelter and 4 hardened tent pads are located near Eliza Brook off Kinsman Ridge Trail (Appalachian Trail) 2.5 miles south of the South Kinsman summit on the mountain's southern ridge. A composting privy, bear box,…
the Forest Service page for it → - Ethan Pond Shelter
The Ethan Pond Shelter is located at the eastern shore of the scenic Ethan Pond at the edge of the Pemigewasset Wilderness. The Shelter can be accessed via a short side trail off the the Ethan Pond Trail (Appalachain Trail). It…
the Forest Service page for it → - Flat Mountain Pond Shelter
Located about mid-way along the arc of the Flat Mountain Pond Trail (4.8 miles from Bennett Street Trailhead, 5.3 miles from the Whiteface Intervale Trailhead). The Flat Mountain Pond Shelter is situated at the southwest edge of…
the Forest Service page for it → - Fourth Iron Campground
Located at the confluence of the Sawyer and Saco Rivers, 4th Iron is a walk-in tent site.
the Forest Service page for it → - Garfield Ridge Shelter
The Garfield Ridge Shelter is located at approximately 3,900 ft. on the eastern shoulder of Mt. Garfield just off the Garfield Ridge Trail (Appalachain Trail). The shelter is a 12-person 'Adirondack' style shelter.The site also…
the Forest Service page for it → - Gentian Pond Shelter
This 3 sided shelter (and tent platforms) are located at Gentian Pond,along the Appalachian Trail in the Mahoosuc Range.
the Forest Service page for it → - Guyot Shelter
This shelter and accompanying tentsites is located on a spur path at 4,360 ft. off the Bondcliff Trail between Mt. Guyot (pronounced Gee-O) and Mt. Bond at the edge of the Pemigewasset Wilderness. It is 0.6 miles from the Twinway…
the Forest Service page for it → - Hermit Lake Shelters
At the base of Tuckerman Ravine, this shelter provides access to year-round mountaineering opportunities on the East side of Mt. Washington, including famous backcountry spring skiing. There are 8 lean-tos and three tent…
the Forest Service page for it → - Hexacuba Shelter
Built and maintained by the Dartmouth Outing Club, this 8-person hexagonal shelter is located on a 0.2 mile spur path off Kodiak Trail (Appalachian Trail) 1.6 miles south of the south peak of Mt. Cube. A privy is provided. The…
the Forest Service page for it → - Imp Shelter
The Imp shelter (and tent platforms) provide backcountry camping opportunities in the heart of the Carter-Moriah range, located on a spur trail off the Appalachian Trail. Caretaker on site in summer.
the Forest Service page for it → - Jeffers Brook Shelter
Jeffers Brook Shelter is an 'Adirondack' style shelter that is located just off Town Line Trail (Appalachain Trail) via a side trail 1.1 miles north of NH RT 25 in the village of Glencliff. It can be also accessed via Long Pond…
the Forest Service page for it → - Jim Liberty Cabin
Built in 1932 and renovated in 1974, this cabin is located on the Liberty Trail on the southwest shoulder of Mt. Chocorua, one half mile from the summit. It is located on the footprint of the Old Peak House built in 1891 that was…
the Forest Service page for it → - Kinsman Pond Shelter
Kinsman Pond Shelter lies on the northern shore of Kinsman Pond at the elevation of 3,750 ft. at the junctions of Kinsman Pond, Kinsman Ridge, and Fishin' Jiminy(AppalachianTrai)Trails. The shelter handles 12 people and there…
the Forest Service page for it → - Liberty Springs Tentsite
This tentside, built and maintained by the Appalachain Mountain Club, is situated on Mt. Liberty off the Liberty Spring Trail (Appalachian Trail) 0.3 miles below the junction with the Franconia Ridge Trail. There are seven…
the Forest Service page for it → - Mead Explorer Base Camp
Mead, with its year-round parking, serves as a launch pad for several trailheads including the Wentworth Trail up Mt. Israel, the Bear Camp River Trail, and the hike to Cow Cave and Beede Falls. Many birding, tracking, nature and…
the Forest Service page for it → - Moose Mountain Shelter
This 'Adirondack' style shelter sits atop the ridge of Moose Mountain off a loop trail from the Moose Mountain Trail (Appalachain Trail). This shelter was built by the Dartmouth Outing Club entirely by hand -using no power…
the Forest Service page for it → - Mountain Pond Shelter
The Mountain Pond shelter is a small shelter that sleeps 4-6 people. It can be reached by a one mile hike from the Slippery Brook Road with longer hiking potential along the Mountain Pond Loop which circumnavigates the entire…
the Forest Service page for it → - Mt Cabot Cabin
Located on the Killkenny Ridge Trail. Nearby site of former fire tower provides scenic views of the Mahoosuc Range to the east and the Kilkenny Range to the north.
the Forest Service page for it → - Osgood Tentsite
Popular tent site on the Appalachian Trail, near the Great Gulf Wilderness on the South side of Mt. Madison. Five tent platforms available (capacity: 20). Reliable water nearby and outhouse on site.
the Forest Service page for it → - Province Pond Shelter
Just a 1.6 mile hike in from the parking area, Province Pond Shelter is located on the edge of Province Pond. The shelter sleeps 6-8, and has an open aired toilet with privacy screen.
the Forest Service page for it → - Rattle River Shelter
Rattle River Shelter is reached by hiking 1.7 miles up the gradual grade of the Rattle River Trail. In addition to the shelter, 3 designated tent sites provide for overflow camping.
the Forest Service page for it → - Saco Ranger District
Located on the south eastern part of the forest, the District offers a variety of different recreational opportunities. Journey across the Kancamagus Scenic Byway; experience the famous Mt Chocorua area; find solitude in the…
the Forest Service page for it → - Thirteen Falls Tentsite
The remote 13 Falls Tentsite is located near the junction of the Franconia Brook, Lincoln Brook and Twin Brook Trails in the heart of the Pemigewasset Wilderness. There are 9 tent pads available, as well as a bear box,…
the Forest Service page for it → - Trident Col Tentsite
Found off of the Mahoosuc Trail (AT) this site provides 4 tentsites and a composting toilet.
the Forest Service page for it → - Tripoli Road Camping Area
Tripoli Road is a very popular area for those seeking a roadside camping experience. This area is not a good choice for campers seeking a tranquil out of the way spot. It is reached by taking exit 31 off Interstate 93. Travel…
the Forest Service page for it → - Unknown Pond Tentsite
Nestled next to calm waters of Unknown Pond, this tent site is located off a spur of the Unknown Pond Trail. There is an outhouse, 6 designated camping spaces and reliable water from the pond or stream.
the Forest Service page for it → - Valley Way Tentsite
Located on a spur path off the Valley Way Trail, 3.1 miles from the Appalachia parking area, this site offers 5 mineral pad tent sites. On the North side of Mt. Madison, there is the opportunity to enjoy several scenic waterfalls…
the Forest Service page for it → - Velvet Rocks Shelter
The Velvet Rocks Shelter is located on the Velvet Rocks Trail 1.2 miles from the official western terminus of the trail near NH Rte 120 and Chase Field House in Hanover. A privy is located nearby. Water is accessed along the…
the Forest Service page for it → - Wentworth Trail / Mead BaseTrailhead
Mead Base provides ample parking. The Wentworth Trail starts behind the historic home at Mead Base Conservation Center and reaches the summit of Mt. Israel (2,630 ft.) in 2.1 miles and 1,700 ft of elevation gain.
the Forest Service page for it →
Where the camps cluster
The place
White Mountain National Forest covers the high country of northern New Hampshire, with a small corner (roughly six percent of its land) spilling east over the line into western Maine. It is New Hampshire's only national forest, and for millions of people across the Northeast it is the closest thing to true mountain wilderness within a day's drive.
This is a folded, glacier-worn landscape of steep-sided ranges separated by deep notches and fast, clear rivers. The Presidential Range runs down the spine of the forest, joined by the Franconia, Twin, Sandwich and Carter-Moriah ranges, with northern hardwoods -- birch, beech and maple -- on the lower slopes giving way to dark spruce and fir higher up, and finally to open, fragile alpine ground on the highest summits. Threading through the middle of it all is the Kancamagus Highway, a 32-mile mountain road that has become one of the most famous scenic drives in New England.
History
The White Mountain is one of the great eastern national forests born of the Weeks Act of 1911 -- the law that first let the federal government buy up cut-over and worn-out private land in the East and knit it back into public forest. Land acquisition here began in 1914, and the forest itself was established in 1918. Much of the ground had been heavily logged and burned in the decades before, and the century since has been a long story of the forest growing back over old railroad grades and mill sites. Mount Washington, the centerpiece of the range, had drawn people long before that: the Mount Washington Auto Road, a private toll road up the mountain, was completed in 1861, and the Mount Washington Cog Railway has climbed the western slope since 1869.
Wildlife & plants
The forest's woods and wetlands support a classic northern-New-England mix of wildlife -- moose, black bear, white-tailed deer, bobcat, coyote, beaver and river otter -- along with birds of prey including bald eagle and peregrine falcon, and the elusive Canada lynx at the northern edge of its range. The forest cover shifts sharply with elevation, from northern hardwoods on the lower slopes up through red spruce and balsam fir, then into wind-flagged krummholz and a rare, fragile alpine zone on the highest peaks -- the kind of open tundra-like ground more typical of country far to the north. Cold, clear streams and mountain lakes lace the whole forest, and its rivers -- the Swift, the Saco and the Pemigewasset among them -- draw anglers and paddlers all summer.
Notable features
The forest's signature landmark is Mount Washington, at 6,288 feet the highest peak in the northeastern United States and famous for brutal weather: on April 12, 1934 the summit observatory, built in 1932, clocked a surface wind of 231 miles per hour -- for decades the highest wind speed ever measured on Earth that wasn't inside a tornado or tropical cyclone. Six designated wilderness areas protect a good share of the forest's wildest ground: the Pemigewasset (about 45,000 acres), Sandwich Range (about 35,800 acres), Presidential Range-Dry River (about 27,380 acres), Wild River (about 23,700 acres), Caribou-Speckled Mountain (about 12,000 acres) and Great Gulf (about 5,552 acres). More than 100 miles of the Appalachian Trail cross the forest, part of a network of roughly 1,200 miles of hiking trails, and there are more than 20 developed campgrounds, several ski areas, and the celebrated Kancamagus Highway -- a National Scenic Byway topping out at 2,855-foot Kancamagus Pass between Lincoln and Conway.
Camps are sourced from public U.S. Forest Service recreation data and have not been personally visited. Roads shown are Forest Service passenger-car routes (maintenance level 3–5) and may be seasonal or gated. Always confirm access, fees and fire rules with the ranger district before you go. Found a fee where we show free? Tell us on the contact page.