Free camping near Waitsfield, VT
Within 25 straight-line miles of Waitsfield, VT there are 29 camps: 22 free, 6 fee, 1 unpriced. The closest is Birch Glen Camp, 6.0 miles north-west of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Battell Shelter, 7.1 miles out. 2 of them are camps Dave has slept at.
Who manages them: 12 on the Forest Service; 12 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); 1 spread across 1 other manager.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birch Glen Camp | 6.0 | Fee | — | 1.9 mi to Hanksville | — |
| Cowie's Cove Shelter | 6.1 | Fee | Deer Brook (stream) | 2.8 mi to Hanksville | — |
| Battell Shelter | 7.1 | Free | Cota Brook (stream) | 2.7 mi to Downingville | — |
| Roxbury State Forest primitive camping area 4 | 8.1 | Free | — | 2.3 mi to Alpine Village | — |
| Montclair Glen Lodge | 8.5 | Fee | Brush Brook (stream) | 3.5 mi to Dowsville | — |
| Roxbury State Forest primitive camping area 2 | 9.3 | Free | Third Branch White River (river) | 1.7 mi to Roxbury | — |
| Cooley Glen Shelter | 10 | Free | Austin Brook (stream) | 3.3 mi to South Lincoln | — |
| Roxbury State Forest primitive camping area 3 | 11 | Free | Bull Run (stream) | 2.5 mi to East Roxbury | — |
| Addison CountyDave slept here | 11 | Free | Blue Bank Brook (stream) | 2.3 mi to South Lincoln | — |
| Roxbury State Forest primitive camping area 1 | 11 | Free | Bull Run (stream) | 2.3 mi to West Brookfield | — |
| Bamforth Ridge Shelter | 12 | Fee | Gleason Brook (stream) | 1.7 mi to North Duxbury | — |
| C.C. Putnam State Forest primitive camping area 1 | 13 | Free | Winooski River (river) | 1.0 mi to Montpelier Junction | — |
| Addison CountyDave slept here | 13 | Free | Alder Meadow Brook (stream) | 1.8 mi to Granville | — |
| Emily Proctor Shelter & Tent Area | 13 | Free | Skylight Pond (water) | 4.4 mi to Granville | — |
| Sparks Landing Primitive Campsite | 14 | Free | — | — | — |
| Skyline Lodge & Tent Area | 14 | Free | Skylight Pond (water) | 3.6 mi to Bread Loaf | — |
| Boyce Shelter | 16 | Free | Brandy Brook (stream) | 2.4 mi to Bread Loaf | — |
| C.C. Putnam State Forest primitive camping area 3 | 18 | Free | — | 3.7 mi to Waterbury Center | — |
| Mt. Mansfield State Forest - Cotton Brook primitive camping area | 18 | Free | Cotton Brook (stream) | 3.9 mi to Moscow | — |
| Mt. Mansfield State Forest - Burt Nebraska primitive camping area | 19 | Free | Miller Brook (stream) | 3.7 mi to Stowe Fork | — |
| C.C. Putnam State Forest primitive camping area 4 | 19 | Free | Minister Brook (stream) | 4.2 mi to Worcester | — |
| Moosalamoo | 21 | Fee | — | 5.4 mi to East Middlebury | — |
| Sucker Brook Shelter | 21 | Free | Gould Brook (stream) | 4.0 mi to Goshen | — |
| C.C. Putnam State Forest primitive camping area 2 | 21 | Free | Moss Glen Brook (stream) | 3.6 mi to Stowe | — |
| Bingo Brook | 22 | Free | Bingo Brook (stream) | 2.3 mi to Robinson | — |
| Falls of Lana picnic area | 22 | Unpriced | Sucker Brook Reservoir (water) | 1.3 mi to Lake Dunmore | — |
| Silver Lake Campground | 22 | Fee | — | 6.0 mi to East Middlebury | — |
| L.R. Jones State Forest primitive camping area | 23 | Free | Great Brook (river) | 1.5 mi to Perkinsville | — |
| Washington State Forest primitive camping area | 25 | Free | Cookeville Brook (stream) | 1.9 mi to South Washington | — |
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Waitsfield, 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.