Free camping near Montpelier, VT
Within 25 straight-line miles of Montpelier, VT there are 25 camps: 21 free, 4 fee. The closest is C.C. Putnam State Forest primitive camping area 1, 2.0 miles west of town. The closest one our audit calls free is C.C. Putnam State Forest primitive camping area 1, 2.0 miles out. 2 of them are camps Dave has slept at.
Who manages them: 17 on Vermont Dept. of Forests, Parks and Recreation; 4 on Vermont Dept. of Forests, Parks and Recreation (shelters supervised by the Green Mountain Club May-October); 3 on the Forest Service; 1 spread across 1 other manager.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C.C. Putnam State Forest primitive camping area 1 | 2.0 | Free | Winooski River (river) | 1.0 mi to Montpelier Junction | — |
| C.C. Putnam State Forest primitive camping area 4 | 10 | Free | Minister Brook (stream) | 4.2 mi to Worcester | — |
| L.R. Jones State Forest primitive camping area | 10 | Free | Great Brook (river) | 1.5 mi to Perkinsville | — |
| C.C. Putnam State Forest primitive camping area 3 | 11 | Free | — | 3.7 mi to Waterbury Center | — |
| C.C. Putnam State Forest primitive camping area 2 | 13 | Free | Moss Glen Brook (stream) | 3.6 mi to Stowe | — |
| Groton State Forest primitive camping area | 14 | Free | Waits River (stream) | 4.2 mi to West Topsham | — |
| Roxbury State Forest primitive camping area 3 | 15 | Free | Bull Run (stream) | 2.5 mi to East Roxbury | — |
| Bamforth Ridge Shelter | 15 | Fee | Gleason Brook (stream) | 1.7 mi to North Duxbury | — |
| Montclair Glen Lodge | 16 | Fee | Brush Brook (stream) | 3.5 mi to Dowsville | — |
| Roxbury State Forest primitive camping area 2 | 16 | Free | Third Branch White River (river) | 1.7 mi to Roxbury | — |
| Roxbury State Forest primitive camping area 1 | 16 | Free | Bull Run (stream) | 2.3 mi to West Brookfield | — |
| Mt. Mansfield State Forest - Cotton Brook primitive camping area | 16 | Free | Cotton Brook (stream) | 3.9 mi to Moscow | — |
| Cowie's Cove Shelter | 17 | Fee | Deer Brook (stream) | 2.8 mi to Hanksville | — |
| Mt. Mansfield State Forest - Burt Nebraska primitive camping area | 17 | Free | Miller Brook (stream) | 3.7 mi to Stowe Fork | — |
| Roxbury State Forest primitive camping area 4 | 17 | Free | — | 2.3 mi to Alpine Village | — |
| Birch Glen Camp | 18 | Fee | — | 1.9 mi to Hanksville | — |
| Washington State Forest primitive camping area | 18 | Free | Cookeville Brook (stream) | 1.9 mi to South Washington | — |
| Pine Mountain WMA primitive camping area 1 | 19 | Free | Keenan Brook (stream) | 2.0 mi to Groton | — |
| Pine Mountain WMA primitive camping area 2 | 20 | Free | — | 3.1 mi to Groton | — |
| Battell Shelter | 21 | Free | Cota Brook (stream) | 2.7 mi to Downingville | — |
| Mt. Mansfield State Forest - Beaver Meadow primitive camping area | 22 | Free | — | 4.0 mi to Morses Mill | — |
| Cooley Glen Shelter | 23 | Free | Austin Brook (stream) | 3.3 mi to South Lincoln | — |
| Mt. Mansfield State Forest - French Hill primitive camping area | 23 | Free | Hall Brook (stream) | 3.0 mi to West Settlement | — |
| Addison CountyDave slept here | 24 | Free | Alder Meadow Brook (stream) | 1.8 mi to Granville | — |
| Addison CountyDave slept here | 25 | Free | Blue Bank Brook (stream) | 2.3 mi to South Lincoln | — |
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Montpelier, VT, not a driving distance — a camp four miles out across a canyon can be an hour of road. Cost is the audited three-state verdict on each camp's own record: free, fee, or unpriced where we could not confirm a price. A blank column is a gap in the record, not a statement that the thing is absent. Camps come from state and federal agency records, not from a visit, except the ones marked. Seasons, permits and fire rules change: confirm with the managing office before you go. Found a fee where we show free? Tell us on the contact page.