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Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Activities powered by Viator. Prices and availability come from each provider and are confirmed when you book with them.

  1. Home
  2. New Hampshire
  3. Cold River

Camping at Cold River

Public campground · 8 campsites

A forested campground near trout fishing, hiking, and mountain biking. Most campsites have no hookups, and RV fit varies by site.

About this campground

5-mile Basin Trail, and a network of other hiking and mountain-biking routes (including trails leading into the Caribou-Speckled Mountain Wilderness) are close by. Basin Pond offers trout fishing and calm water for canoeing, while the larger White Mountain National Forest supports a wide range of activities biking, horseback riding, wildlife viewing, swimming and winter sports among them and provides habitat for moose, white-tailed deer, black bear and nearly 200 bird species including the rare Bicknell's Thrush.

5.0 on Recreation.gov · 35 reviewsBook on Recreation.gov

At a glance

  • RV sites up to 40 ft

    Length limits vary by campsite.

  • No hookups
  • Pets welcome
  • Public land
OverviewCampsitesAmenities & locationReviewsPlan your stay

0 available sites

0 open of 8 sites
No sites offered for these dates.

We checked every night of your stay on Recreation.gov: no site is open for all 2 nights. Some sites are open on some nights.

Flexible dates

View the next available two-night stay.

Looking for the next open dates…
Fixed dates

Compare nearby campgrounds open for these dates. Your camping setup, rig size, hookups and dates stay applied.

Nearby campgrounds open for these dates
Check Recreation.gov directly ↗
View full availability calendar · night-by-night from Recreation.gov

Check dates on Recreation.gov.

SiteFr
13
Sa
14
Price
006
standard nonelectric
––$24
004
standard nonelectric
––$24
010
standard nonelectric
––$24
014
standard nonelectric
––$24
012
standard nonelectric
––$24
007
standard nonelectric
––$24
005
standard nonelectric
––$24
013
standard nonelectric
––$24

✓ available · R reserved · X not available · C closed · W first come, first served · N not yet released

No site is open for every night of your stay

You book directly on Recreation.gov. Rates and availability can change until reserved. Campground page on Recreation.gov ↗

No sites offered for these dates
Book on Recreation.gov

Amenities & location

Check-in
2:00 PM
Checkout
12:00 PM
Pets
Allowed (per listing)
Maximum stay
14 nights

Hookups (individual campsites): 8 no-hookup individual sites.

Location

WHITE MOUNTAIN
Open in Google Maps ↗

Cold River: questions answered

What is the maximum RV length at Cold River?
Longest RV site listed: 40 ft (8 of 8 RV sites list a length) (per the listing)
Does Cold River have RV hookups?
8 no-hookup individual sites (per the listing)
How do I reserve a site at Cold River?
Reservable on Recreation.gov (per the listing)
Are pets allowed at Cold River?
Allowed (per the listing)
Sources and details

At a glance

Official facts link to their source; “Listing” facts come from the Recreation.gov listing. Anything we can't source says so.

Max rig length
Listing Longest RV site listed: 40 ft (8 of 8 RV sites list a length)
Hookups & power
Listing 8 no-hookup individual sites
Pull-through / back-in
Listing 0 pull-through, 7 back-in
Road & site access
Listing 8 gravel site driveways
Pets
Listing Allowed
Cell signal
Listing Visitor-reported signal on Recreation.gov (higher is better): Verizon 1 (15 reports), T-Mobile 1 (8 reports), AT&T 0 (5 reports)
Shade
Listing 0 of 8 sites that report shade are listed as shaded
Booking
Listing Reservable on Recreation.gov
Price
Listing Lowest listed rate $24/night (live price once you pick dates)
Stay limits
Listing 14 nights max
Getting there
Listing WHITE MOUNTAIN (map in Location below)
Generators · Quiet hours · Starlink / satellite · Water
Not listed — check with campground

Reviews

Selected reviews

Verbatim from guest reviews on Recreation.gov ↗ (35 reviews, ★ 5.0). Not written or edited by us.

“Nice small campground to get away from people. I loved it and will definitely go back again!”

Shena L 5 · Sep 2025 · Recreation.gov

“Site was clean, water delicious, bathroom pretty clean, other campers respected quiet hour times”

Nancy M 4 · Jul 2025 · Recreation.gov

“Great campsite I would stay here again. Because it's close to rt.113, you do occasionally hear and see cars going by. Definitely walk or drive up to Basin Pond, a beautiful spot.”

Daniel O 5 · Oct 2024 · Recreation.gov
Nearby

Campgrounds to compare

Prefer a roof?

Prefer a roof over your head

All glamping →
  • Toad Hill7.1 mi · Chatham
  • Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park™ Camp-Resort: Glen Ellis13.4 mi · Glen
  • Saco River Family Camping17.8 mi · North Conway
  • The Beach Camping Area18.9 mi · Conway
  • Crawford Notch Campground19.4 mi · Hart's Location
  • Stony Brook Campground19.5 mi · Hanover

Explore nearby

  • Campgrounds near Chatham
  • RV rentals near Chatham
  • Glamping & cabins near Chatham
  • RV rentals in New Hampshire
  • Glamping in New Hampshire

Guides for this trip

  • How much does it cost to rent an RV?
  • Camping with dogs
Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights1 site open for every night

Toad Hill

7.1 mi from Cold River (straight-line)
Sites from $90/night
$180 total for Nov 13–15 · before taxes & fees
Rates & availability from Hipcamp · you book on their site
View Campsites
Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights1 site open for every night

Kezar Lake Campsite

8.5 mi from Cold River (straight-line)
Sites from $60/night
$120 total for Nov 13–15 · before taxes & fees
Rates & availability from Hipcamp · you book on their site
View Campsites
No sites offered for these dates

Basin Campground

0.5 mi from Cold River (straight-line) 4.0 · 78 Recreation.gov reviews
Tent sites · RV sites
Recreation.gov isn't offering sites Nov 13–15
Rates & availability from Recreation.gov · you book on their site
View Campsites
Compare site types

8 individual reservable campsites from Recreation.gov, checked Nov 7. Rates are the listed nightly rates.

Standard sites (tent or RV)

Tent, van or small RV, no power

8 sites · $24/night

0 open Nov 13–Nov 15

Trip idea

Ideas for your stay

An idea to start from, built from this campground's listing and real tours nearby. Times, openings and prices change, so check each before you go.

  1. Day 1 · Arrive and settle in

    • Check in and set up camp.
    • fish for trout (per the campground listing)
  2. Day 2 · Get out and explore

    • Lake Tarleton Self-Guided Paddle White Mountains area · 5 hr · from $130/person
    • Meet the Winemakers - Seven Birches Winery Tour White Mountains area · 1.3 hr · from $40/person
  3. Day 3 · One more stop, then head home

    • Kancamagus Scenic Byway Self-Guided Audio Driving Tour Guide White Mountains area · 2 hr–3 hr · from $17/person
Ways to stay

Bring a tent or have an RV waiting

  • Tent camping here: 8 sites take tents. See open sites ↑

Need an RV for your stay?

Rentals that may deliver here and whose listed length fits sites up to 40 ft. Delivery may be available — confirm fees and dates with the owner before you book.

2016 Viking Ultra-Lite 17BH
2016 Viking Ultra-Lite 17BH

Travel trailer · 21 ft · sleeps 5 · 24 mi from campground

$125/night listed · RVshare · Delivery may be available

View rental
2011 Keystone Outback
2011 Keystone Outback

Travel trailer · 27 ft · sleeps 6 · 28 mi from campground

$154/night listed · Outdoorsy · Delivery may be available

View rental
2021 Forest River Shasta Oasis
2021 Forest River Shasta Oasis

Travel trailer · 31 ft · sleeps 8 · 52 mi from campground

$155/night listed · RVshare · Delivery may be available

View rental
Things to do

Activities near Cold River

Bookable tours nearby

Paid experiences on Viator. Distances are from this campground when the tour lists its own start point.

Meet the Winemakers - Seven Birches Winery Tour
Meet the Winemakers - Seven Birches Winery Tour

White Mountains area · 1.3 hr · from $40/person

Kancamagus Scenic Byway Self-Guided Audio Driving Tour Guide
Kancamagus Scenic Byway Self-Guided Audio Driving Tour Guide

White Mountains area · 2 hr–3 hr · from $17/person

Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad
Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad

White Mountains area · 2 hr–2.5 hr · from $35/person

See 6 more bookable tours
Self-Guided Audio Driving Tour in Kancamagus Highway
Self-Guided Audio Driving Tour in Kancamagus Highway

White Mountains area · 8 hr–1 day · from $21/person

Best time to go

Seasons, rates and how booked it gets

  • Peak season May 21–Oct 10: RV & Tent $24 per night
  • Peak season May 26–Oct 8: RV & Tent $24 per night

stays up to 14 nights (Recreation.gov rules).

Plan your stay

How far ahead to book Cold River

For July weekends, book about 56 days ahead. Three in four July Friday and Saturday arrivals were booked later than that, and half were booked 26 days or less before arrival. Past timing is guidance, not a guarantee of what is open now.

See booking patterns
Arrival monthFri/Sat arrivals: half booked at leastA quarter at leastOther days: half booked at leastA quarter at least
May31 days ahead46 days ahead——
June23 days ahead48 days ahead33 days ahead110 days ahead
July26 days ahead56 days ahead31 days ahead67 days ahead
August18 days ahead40 days ahead21 days ahead47 days ahead
September24 days ahead45 days ahead22 days ahead38 days ahead
October28 days ahead42 days ahead21 days ahead42 days ahead

Months with fewer than 30 reservations of that kind are left blank. Sites where nearly every booking was made the day of arrival (pay on arrival) are left out. Closed seasons, windows not yet released for booking, and currently unavailable nights are separate from this history.

Based on Recreation.gov reservations, FY2015–2025 (1,435 reservations in the years scored). Counts reservations made, not nights actually camped: cancellations aren't in the data, and nights a site was closed count as not booked. FY2020–21 (COVID) are left out of the scores.

Meet the Cider Makers with Rhythm Cidery Lincoln Tour
Meet the Cider Makers with Rhythm Cidery Lincoln Tour

White Mountains area · 1.3 hr–1.5 hr · from $40/person

Kancamagus highway GPS Smartphone Audio Driving Tour App
Kancamagus highway GPS Smartphone Audio Driving Tour App

White Mountains area · 1 hr–1.5 hr · from $10/person

Pittsburgh Airport (PIT) to Pittsburgh hotel/address - Arrival Private Transfer
Pittsburgh Airport (PIT) to Pittsburgh hotel/address - Arrival Private Transfer

White Mountains area · 35 min · from $95/person

Pittsburgh City to Pittsburgh Airport (PIT) - Departure Private Transfer
Pittsburgh City to Pittsburgh Airport (PIT) - Departure Private Transfer

White Mountains area · 35 min · from $95/person

Lake Tarleton Self-Guided Paddle
Lake Tarleton Self-Guided Paddle

White Mountains area · 5 hr · from $130/person