Free camping near Rochester, VT
Within 25 straight-line miles of Rochester, VT there are 30 camps: 26 free, 3 fee, 1 unpriced. The closest is Bingo Brook, 5.5 miles west of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Bingo Brook, 5.5 miles out. 3 of them are camps Dave has slept at.
Who manages them: 24 on the Forest Service; 5 on Vermont Dept. of Forests, Parks and Recreation; 1 on an agency our record does not name.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bingo Brook | 5.5 | Free | Bingo Brook (stream) | 2.3 mi to Robinson | — |
| Chittenden Brook | 6.2 | Fee | — | 6.2 mi to Rochester | — |
| Green Mountain National ForestDave slept here | 6.8 | Free | West Branch Tweed River (stream) | 2.1 mi to Pittsfield | — |
| Sunrise Shelter | 7.8 | Free | Bear Brook (stream) | 4.2 mi to Goshen | — |
| Sucker Brook Shelter | 8.5 | Free | Gould Brook (stream) | 4.0 mi to Goshen | — |
| Addison CountyDave slept here | 9.6 | Free | Alder Meadow Brook (stream) | 1.8 mi to Granville | — |
| Boyce Shelter | 9.8 | Free | Brandy Brook (stream) | 2.4 mi to Bread Loaf | — |
| Skyline Lodge & Tent Area | 10 | Free | Skylight Pond (water) | 3.6 mi to Bread Loaf | — |
| Emily Proctor Shelter & Tent Area | 11 | Free | Skylight Pond (water) | 4.4 mi to Granville | — |
| Rolston Rest Shelter | 11 | Free | South Pond (water) | 1.7 mi to North Sherburne | — |
| Moosalamoo | 12 | Fee | — | 5.4 mi to East Middlebury | — |
| Silver Lake Campground | 12 | Fee | — | 6.0 mi to East Middlebury | — |
| Sparks Landing Primitive Campsite | 13 | Free | — | — | — |
| Stony Brook Shelter | 13 | Free | — | 0.7 mi to Notown | — |
| Falls of Lana picnic area | 13 | Unpriced | Sucker Brook Reservoir (water) | 1.3 mi to Lake Dunmore | — |
| Roxbury State Forest primitive camping area 1 | 13 | Free | Bull Run (stream) | 2.3 mi to West Brookfield | — |
| Tucker-Johnson Shelter | 13 | Free | Mendon Brook (stream) | 2.1 mi to Telemark Village | — |
| Cooley Glen Shelter | 14 | Free | Austin Brook (stream) | 3.3 mi to South Lincoln | — |
| Roxbury State Forest primitive camping area 4 | 14 | Free | — | 2.3 mi to Alpine Village | — |
| Addison CountyDave slept here | 14 | Free | Blue Bank Brook (stream) | 2.3 mi to South Lincoln | — |
| Roxbury State Forest primitive camping area 2 | 14 | Free | Third Branch White River (river) | 1.7 mi to Roxbury | — |
| Roxbury State Forest primitive camping area 3 | 14 | Free | Bull Run (stream) | 2.5 mi to East Roxbury | — |
| Churchill Scott Shelter | 16 | Free | Mendon Brook (stream) | 2.1 mi to Brewers Corner | — |
| Wintturi Shelter | 17 | Free | Atwood Brook (river) | 3.3 mi to Prosper | — |
| Battell Shelter | 18 | Free | Cota Brook (stream) | 2.7 mi to Downingville | — |
| Thistle Hill Shelter | 20 | Free | Dimick Brook (stream) | 1.8 mi to North Pomfret | — |
| Gov. Clement Shelter | 21 | Free | — | — | — |
| Happy Hill Shelter | 24 | Free | Charles Brown Brook (stream) | 1.3 mi to Bragg | — |
| Washington State Forest primitive camping area | 24 | Free | Cookeville Brook (stream) | 1.9 mi to South Washington | — |
| Clarendon Shelter | 25 | Free | Mill River (river) | 1.3 mi to East Clarendon | — |
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Rochester, 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.