Roadside camping near Conway?

This seems similar to a few other questions that have been raised recently... I'll be in Conway the weekend after this coming one, and I'm hoping to find a place to camp that's not far from a road. Assuming the larger Forest Service campgrounds are still closed by then, are there any roadside tenting areas (similar to those on Cherry Mtn Road or Haystack Road) within a half hour drive from town that wouldn't require going all the way to North Conway or Lincoln?

Thanks for any useful input!

Any of the places that used to be frequented in the area, that I know of at least, (Town Hall Rd. in Intervale, etc.) are off limits in recent years and will get you at the very least thrown out by patrolling local police. I honestly don't know of anything in N. Conway, Conway vicinity. South of Conway, the state parks that abound do not allow camping. Private campgrounds are the only places that come to mind, but maybe someone else can chime in with an idea?? Sorry I couldn't be more helpful!

gaiagirl said:

Any of the places that used to be frequented in the area, that I know of at least, (Town Hall Rd. in Intervale, etc.) are off limits in recent years and will get you at the very least thrown out by patrolling local police. I honestly don't know of anything in N. Conway, Conway vicinity. South of Conway, the state parks that abound do not allow camping. Private campgrounds are the only places that come to mind, but maybe someone else can chime in with an idea?? Sorry I couldn't be more helpful!

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That is good to know, Gaiagirl, and definitely helpful. Thanks! I'll probably explore other options, in that case.

Wihte Ledge state park is right off Route 16 just south of Conway. Not free but pretty cheap. There are also a couple of campgrounds off the Kanc not far from Conway, also I think state run. There may be private optinos too...

lamerunner said:

Wihte Ledge state park is right off Route 16 just south of Conway.

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I think you've got a hybrid of two separate campgrounds: There's White Lake State Park in Tamworth (which is a good choice) and White Ledge Campground in Albany (which I believe if closed.) Everything on the Kanc is WMNF, and may have closed for the season, even without the federal shutdown.

Oops! My mistake, the WMNF campgrounds may still be open for another week or so. Check details here. White Ledge is at the bottom of the list:
http://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/whitemountain/recreation/camping-cabins/?recid=74405&actid=29

Caveat: Since the USFS is shut down, a campground may have closed but the FS may not have updated the "Open" status on the web site. Best to contact the concessionaire who runs the campground. (Pro-Sport, Inc)

Pro-Sports, Inc. (http://icampnh.com/) says they have to close everything down on the 10th unless the shutdown ends.

Hmmm... I guess that is right. I drive by both frequently so I guess they merged in my mind. Either will work assuming they are open.

White Lake State Park appears to be open until Oct 14th:
http://www.nhstateparks.org/explore/state-parks/white-lake-state-park.aspx

White Ledge Campground closed on Labor Day:
http://icampnh.com/kancamagus-east-west/white-ledge/

psmart said:

White Lake State Park appears to be open until Oct 14th:
http://www.nhstateparks.org/explore/state-parks/white-lake-state-park.aspx

White Ledge Campground closed on Labor Day:
http://icampnh.com/kancamagus-east-west/white-ledge/

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Doh! This trip will be the 19th. I guess I could always park at a trailhead and hike a half mile in to set up camp for the night.

Thanks for all the input, folks!

I am in the same boat..have friday thru monday off and was going to snag a first come first serve at the woodstock lincoln end of the Kanc. REALLY SUCKS that a four day weekend across the country throughout parks and facilities are so needlessly affected.....dont get me on my soap box. So what i want to share is that the state park campgrounds unless they have a few unreserved spots, might be full. Lafayette place in Franconia is a state campground and is full. I am thinking the private campgrounds if they weren't full...are becoming full. The weather looks awesome. I might do drive up and day hikes on two of the four days.
Does anyone think if one were to 'accidently' fall asleep in their vehicle at the normally USFS patrolled parking areas, i.e. Sabbaday falls, Lincoln Woods...would one go unnoticed? Oh sorry officer...i got tired and needed to pull over due to driver fatigue...just a thought.
I did see a couple who put their tent just off the Lincoln Woods parking area get detained by USFS for local police a few years ago.
Sleeping in car is not optimal, but is doable!!
ctsparrow

ctsparrow said:

Does anyone think if one were to 'accidently' fall asleep in their vehicle at the normally USFS patrolled parking areas, i.e. Sabbaday falls, Lincoln Woods...would one go unnoticed? Oh sorry officer...i got tired and needed to pull over due to driver fatigue...just a thought.
ctsparrow

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The last several times I parked in Lincoln Woods lot there were people alongsiide their cars with sleeping pads and bivy sacks. Is it not legal to sleep in your car in these sites? Always assumed it was. If your car is there anyway and you paid the fee I didn't think that mattered. Hmmm.

Have Subaru wagon...got a place to sleep!!!

DayTrip said:

Is it not legal to sleep in your car in these sites? Always assumed it was. If your car is there anyway and you paid the fee I didn't think that mattered. Hmmm.

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Nope, sleeping at the trailhead is not allowed and people have been busted in the past.

Folks tend to forget about lesser used state parks in the north country like Milan Hill State Park and Mollidgewock in 13 miles woods they are rarely full (but do check).

Appalachia in Randolph is on state land and is not posted against camping (although the traffic will make it noisy). I have seen several groups and private parties that camp along the railroad right of way that parallels RT2 which is state land. Most just park at Appalachia an walk in then take a right or left. The same right of way can also be accessed from Lowes path and Castle Trailheads although I haven't seen folks camping in those areas.

There are plenty of side roads off Success Pond Road that tend to get a lot of use. It is private property but not posted. Those using private property to camp can not legally light a fire unless they permission of the landowner.

The state of NH also has various properties that are unmanaged state parks in the region. Leadmine State Park is collection of parcels in Gorham and Shelburne, Mascot Pond along the Mahoosuc trail gets a lot of overnight campers, it requires a walk in from a trailhead off the dirt road (Hogan road) that starts in Shelburne. Please note that the state has different rules for different properties, Nash stream is posted no overnight camping.

There is also a fair share of use of the Hogan road in general (which is all non posted private property, so no fires).