Free camping near Waterbury, VT
Within 25 straight-line miles of Waterbury, VT there are 24 camps: 20 free, 4 fee. The closest is Bamforth Ridge Shelter, 5.7 miles west of town. The closest one our audit calls free is C.C. Putnam State Forest primitive camping area 3, 6.6 miles out. 2 of them are camps Dave has slept at.
Who manages them: 15 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); 4 on the Forest Service; 1 spread across 1 other manager.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bamforth Ridge Shelter | 5.7 | Fee | Gleason Brook (stream) | 1.7 mi to North Duxbury | — |
| C.C. Putnam State Forest primitive camping area 3 | 6.6 | Free | — | 3.7 mi to Waterbury Center | — |
| Montclair Glen Lodge | 7.1 | Fee | Brush Brook (stream) | 3.5 mi to Dowsville | — |
| Mt. Mansfield State Forest - Cotton Brook primitive camping area | 7.6 | Free | Cotton Brook (stream) | 3.9 mi to Moscow | — |
| C.C. Putnam State Forest primitive camping area 1 | 8.1 | Free | Winooski River (river) | 1.0 mi to Montpelier Junction | — |
| C.C. Putnam State Forest primitive camping area 4 | 8.4 | Free | Minister Brook (stream) | 4.2 mi to Worcester | — |
| Mt. Mansfield State Forest - Burt Nebraska primitive camping area | 8.7 | Free | Miller Brook (stream) | 3.7 mi to Stowe Fork | — |
| Cowie's Cove Shelter | 9.6 | Fee | Deer Brook (stream) | 2.8 mi to Hanksville | — |
| C.C. Putnam State Forest primitive camping area 2 | 10 | Free | Moss Glen Brook (stream) | 3.6 mi to Stowe | — |
| Birch Glen Camp | 11 | Fee | — | 1.9 mi to Hanksville | — |
| Mt. Mansfield State Forest - Beaver Meadow primitive camping area | 15 | Free | — | 4.0 mi to Morses Mill | — |
| Mt. Mansfield State Forest - French Hill primitive camping area | 17 | Free | Hall Brook (stream) | 3.0 mi to West Settlement | — |
| Battell Shelter | 18 | Free | Cota Brook (stream) | 2.7 mi to Downingville | — |
| Mt. Mansfield State Forest - Morse primitive camping area | 18 | Free | — | 4.3 mi to Jeffersonville | — |
| Roxbury State Forest primitive camping area 2 | 18 | Free | Third Branch White River (river) | 1.7 mi to Roxbury | — |
| Roxbury State Forest primitive camping area 4 | 18 | Free | — | 2.3 mi to Alpine Village | — |
| Roxbury State Forest primitive camping area 3 | 19 | Free | Bull Run (stream) | 2.5 mi to East Roxbury | — |
| Roxbury State Forest primitive camping area 1 | 20 | Free | Bull Run (stream) | 2.3 mi to West Brookfield | — |
| L.R. Jones State Forest primitive camping area | 20 | Free | Great Brook (river) | 1.5 mi to Perkinsville | — |
| Cooley Glen Shelter | 21 | Free | Austin Brook (stream) | 3.3 mi to South Lincoln | — |
| Addison CountyDave slept here | 23 | Free | Blue Bank Brook (stream) | 2.3 mi to South Lincoln | — |
| Groton State Forest primitive camping area | 24 | Free | Waits River (stream) | 4.2 mi to West Topsham | — |
| Addison CountyDave slept here | 24 | Free | Alder Meadow Brook (stream) | 1.8 mi to Granville | — |
| Emily Proctor Shelter & Tent Area | 25 | Free | Skylight Pond (water) | 4.4 mi to Granville | — |
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Waterbury, 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.