Best Camping in and near Smugglers' Notch State Park

94% (10 reviews)

Discover the most magical spots to pitch your tent or park your rig on your next Smugglers' Notch adventure.

Discover the rugged beauty of Smugglers' Notch State Park.

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Community favorites near Smugglers' Notch State Park

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Public campgrounds in the park
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Stay at a public campground in Smugglers' Notch State Park

94%

(10)

Smugglers' Notch Campground

20 sites · RVs, Tents In Smugglers' Notch State Park

from

$20

/ night

Top-rated campgrounds near Smugglers' Notch State Park

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Hogback Homestead

5 sites · Lodging, RVs, Tents109 acres · Johnson, VT

Located on 109 scenic acres, we offer beautiful campsites, as well as RV parking and canvas tents for rent. Our property borders Vermont's Long Trail, less than 1/2 mile from the gorgeous vista of Prospect Rock. The Lamoille Valley Rail Trail is nearby for bicycle or foot travel, and the Lamoille river is easily accessed for fishing, tubing, kayaking etc. We feature a full-size professionally built Disc Golf course, Elevation Chains, on property. Beautiful views of river and mountains and a secluded yet very accessible location make this an ideal property for camping. New in 2022, a fully functioning outdoor kitchen is now available to all campers. Propane stove, running water and cutlery are provided to make food planning and prep as easy as possible. It also features a large firepit and serves as a great center for community gatherings. A new outdoor shower and outhouse has also been constructed. Biodegradable soaps and beauty products only please! The frogs will thank you. Ask us about canoe and paddleboard rental! About us: At Hogback Homestead we strive to be positive stewards to our land. We actively farm and forage, and appreciate it when our guests take interest as well. We graze sheep, pigs and sometimes other ruminants, keep gardens and perennials, and manage our lands with the most ecological practices available to us. We believe that a strong and thriving community is foundational to a healthy, happy life and welcome all to come visit! Ask about long term camping and internship programs as well.

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Harold's View Farm

6 sites · Lodging, RVs, Tents75 acres · Westford, VT

Former Dairy Farm but the milking & hay barns burned many years Past. The fields have been maintained to some degree until 2019 when Lee came up with the idea of primitive camping. The land turns out to be ideal because each site makes you feel like the only campers there. New this year you will find a picnic table for 6 and a 3 Ft. dia. fire pit with adjustable grill that flips out for open fire @ each site. Another new item is "Hot Shower"

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Singing Wood Farm

9 sites · RVs, Tents77 acres · Morrisville, VT

Singing Wood is located on 77 acres in Morristown Vermont, Lamoille County. Our farm offers gorgeous all season views of Vermont’s Green Mountains. We are located on Bull Moose Road and Mud City Loop. The farm is sits just outside the edges of Mount Mansfield State Forest with views of White Rocks, Bull Moose Hill, Sterling and Morse Mountains. A hidden tranquil gem in the Vermont countryside surrounded by forest and farmlands, bordered by the pristine trout brook Beaver Meadow Brook. Our family farm features forest trails, wildflower meadows, berry patches, herbs, cut flowers, honeybees, wood fired maple syrup and vegetables. Our farm store is filled with our own farm fresh products as well as a small selection from other quality food artisans and crafts people. The Catamount trail (a 300 mile long winter trail system) passes through our property and offers some of Vermont’s finest backcountry skiing, snowmobiling and snowshoeing. We are just 20 mins from the ski area and town of Mt. Mansfield in Stowe, 35 minutes to the ski areas of Smugglers Notch and Bolton Valley. 1 Hour to Burlington International Airport. We are located near many fine restaurants and breweries (Lost Nation, The Alchemist, and Rock Art among many others). The area is full of year round recreational opportunities.

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Glamping with Goats - Tent or Park

2 sites · Lodging, RVs1 acre · Essex Junction, VT

We live in this 1830's farmhouse and travel with our Airstream Basecamp 20X. Often boondocking, and knowing the need for an easy-access place to park our RV, whether it be for a night or a week, we decided to open our driveway to help our fellow RV-travelers explore both the Burlington, VT area and enjoy the great outdoor adventures the Green Mountain State has to offer. In the Fall of 2023, we added a glamping bell tent to our location as an additional option for Hipcampers. Learn more about this land: COMING OCTOBER 2023 - FAINTING GOATS AND FALL FOLIAGE GOAT YOGA.

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The Meadows of Worcester View

2 sites · RVs, Tents2 acres · Morrisville, VT

Single camping site with great views of the Worcester Mountain Range with close proximity to Stowe & Morrisville! Central location to many different mountain biking areas, waterfalls, hiking trails, road cycling routes, picturesque Stowe, breweries, distilleries and of course epic foliage

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Vermont Ranch & Riverside Retreat

3 sites · RVs, Tents10 acres · Moretown, VT

⛰ 🐦Wake to the sound of bird calls and water in this private retreat, situated squarely on the confluence of 2 rivers. Eventually, once part of a much larger working merino sheep farm owned by the Cobb family in the 1700s-1800’s, part of the land transitioned to a dairy cow farm operation, c.1940. Today, we steward 10 acres specially designed with horses in mind. Adjacent to a 40-acre cornfield on one side and Mt. Cobb on the other, with sweeping views our place overlooks the confluence of the Mad and Winooski Rivers. From here, you can mountain bike or hoof it to access miles of trails and bucolic scenery. Come visit this gateway to the Scenic Mad River Valley! 🌲🏊🐟The Swimming/Fishing/Tenting site ("site 1") is perched directly aside the Mad River and the Sweet Meadow Side site ("site 2") is just a 2-minute walk across the grassy meadow and down the secluded riverside path to our beloved Mad River beach. This is a semi-private beach, naturally divided and hidden from our other semi-private beach sites. Swim, tube, fish and relax up or down the river and confluence. 👢👓 Get curious about the history of this place by checking out the old abandoned Massey Furgeson hay baler tucked in the woods, the Cobb family cemetery, and more gems from many years gone by. Leave from either site on foot to access a sweet trail that travels along the river, over a private bridge, down a beautiful dirt road and into the forest. 🚴 Our property is located on the CROSS VERMONT TRAIL: "a multi-use path connecting communities, and the natural areas in between - across Vermont!" Check out their website (Cross Vermont Trail Association) for maps, guides, events and outings! Many adventurists also enjoy nearby, mountainous and beloved trails: Camel's Hump, The Long Trail, Mt. Mansfield, Stowe Pinnacle, Smuggler's Notch and more. There are a plethora of shorter, scenic and gentle hikes in our region, "the crossroads and recreation center of Vermont"! We are located just 2 miles from Interstate 89 and we reside on Vermont State Route 100B, allowing ease of access to points North, South, East and West Explore our on-site activity offerings: 🐴 Introduction Session: Get acquainted with our horses, tour the barn, and learn about equine-guided education and grooming. $45 for 1 hour for 1-6 people. 🐴 Horsemanship and Riding Lessons: Learn non-forceful bareback and bit-less leading and mounted techniques step by step. $100/hour or $150/1.5 hours for 1-2 people. 🐴 Family Team Building-Bonding (Most Popular): Enjoy an adventurous, fun, and challenging experience together as a family with exercises and activities facilitated by Lucinda. Non-mounted equine guided education at its best! $250 for 2.5 hours. These rates are discounted for our onsite Hipcampers 🙏🏼 Visit our website for more details: Horses and Pathfinders dot com. We'd love to hear from you! You are welcome to review all the varied, detailed and descriptive reviews and photos from other guests' experiences. This is a working ranch and sometimes equipment is running, but never for more than an hour at a time. Horses are on site and they have full access to this property. If you have an untrained, young or problematic dog, please consider a long lead line and read the dog rules and limits carefully. This is not a deep-woods, wilderness site. Please review the map and note our proximity to the interstate and the route where we reside. ❤️ Many guests, families and couples return here year after year as their destination vacation and getaway. We welcome you to experience what they enjoy so much -- right on site and in this special region, the heart of Vermont. ❤️

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Stone and Star | Waterbury-Stowe

4 sites · RVs6 acres · VT

Stone and Star is our home built in 1850 and garden on 6 acres in Waterbury Center, Vermont. We have a little hobby garden with hens and goats, Ben and Jerry. We are located about 5 miles from Waterbury Village at Hwy 89, off VT Rt 100, and 5 miles from Stowe Village. Down the street are the Waterbury Center green and gazebo, Cold Hollow Cider Mill, and Hope Davey Memorial Park with playground and trails for walking dogs. Waterbury Center State Park is a half-mile away, a great place for a walk, picnic, kayak, canoe rental, and swimming. We steward a piece of the unceded land of the aboriginal Abenaki who have inhabited this part of New England for thousands of years. We are a safe space, treasuring diversity of every kind. Love is Love. Black Lives Matter. Women's Rights are Human Rights.

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Couching Lion Field

1 site · RV, Tent7 acres · Waterbury Center, VT

Learn more about this land:A mowed area of the upper field with a beautiful view of Camels Hump. There is a pond to swim in and relax by. Star gaze in the evening and awake hearing the birds singing.

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Woodbury Meadows

6 sites · RVs, Tents50 acres · East Calais, VT

We live on 52 wooded acres in a natural area surrounded by lakes and ponds just 14 miles north of Montpelier VT, our state capital. We are located on the Green Mountain Gravel Growler bike packing trail and have lots of hiking , biking, boating and swimming opportunities nearby. Our amenity's include a bath house, One 30 amp RV site and 4 tent/small RV non electric sites. We are 100% solar powered and have WIFI but no cell service. We cater to small quiet groups who can enjoy our peaceful setting. We are a family friendly, non smoking campground. Pets on leashes are OK. Quiet time is all the time :~). 12 and under free, no Generators.

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Orchard Camp Site

1 site · Tent45 acres · Morristown, VT

Learn more about this land:A great little campsite tucked between a hay field and Kenfield Brook. Several smooth and level tent sites nestled among some old apple trees. Take advantage of the close proximity to all the incredible biking and hiking in the Mud City/Cadys Falls area. A short drive to Stowe or Smuggs and just minutes away from all the amenities in Morrisville.

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Huntington Open Women's Land

10 sites · Tents50 acres · Huntington, VT

Eclipse weeked is almost here! A total Solar Eclipse will be taking place on the afternoon of Monday, April 8. Camel’s Hump Road will be open only to local traffic from Sunday, April 7 at 9 am to Monday, April 8 at 4 pm. Hiking TRAILS are CLOSED for mud season! HOWL overnight guests qualify as local traffic, so if you have booked a room or a campsite, you are allowed to drive on Camel's Hump Road. Men are not allowed at HOWL (with the exception of trans men). Thanks! In April, we'll still be in winter camping mode. It will be early spring in Vermont, and a variety of weather is possible. We're likely to have snow, rain, and/or mud. It's also likely to be windy, and if that’s the case, it will feel colder than it is. Please plan accordingly, and know that the eclipse might not be visible (but it will get really dark in the middle of the afternoon!) . Bring warm clothes, layers, a raincoat or snow shell, and sturdy shoes/boots. Eclipse viewing glasses will be available free of charge at the check-in station. Recently, Vermont has experienced catastrophic flooding and wind storms, leaving many trees unstable and broken tree limbs stuck in the canopy overhead. All visitors to HOWL understand that activity is at their own risk and take responsibility for checking overhead canopy for unstable trees before walking underneath. Hammock campers especially need to be careful. -- Eclipse Update! -- Hello and greetings from HOWL! We are now fully booked for Sunday night. For those who have signed up for a campsite, we’re looking forward to hosting you during the long weekend of the eclipse. Traffic is going to be quite heavy in Vermont, especially on Monday. If you’re arriving on Monday, feel free to get here anytime from 9 AM on. Just give us a heads-up. This VTDigger article focuses on the traffic: https://vtdigger.org/2024/03/24/2024-eclipse-expected-to-bring-traffic-jams-to-vermont/ Traffic is expected to be worst on Monday afternoon and evening, but it will probably still be pretty heavy in the morning, and possibly all weekend. Not to be discouraging; we don’t really know. If you are traveling this week, know that we are getting rain and SNOW, Wednesday through Friday. National Weather Service forecast: https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=44.47588&lon=-73.21207 Road crews are awesome in Vermont, and I'm sure they will be keeping the roads clear as best possible. Driving conditions could be hazardous at times, especially if we get a "wintry mix". Some roads may be shut down for part of Monday. This site for eclipse-related news may be the best place to look for road closure updates: https://www.vermont.gov/eclipse#gsc.tab=0 On that site, it says: "Many towns will report road closures to WAZE, which will be displayed on the app. Not all towns will report road interruptions, so the app will not be all-inclusive. Please respect road closures and detours." Use your judgment and drive safely! I’m sorry to say that there may be snow on the ground when you arrive. On the other hand, it could be melted (due to rain and warmer temperatures). Between the traffic and the snow, the forecast seems a bit daunting. I trust each of you to make the best decision about your travel plans. Not sure what the weather will be like on the 8th. Right now the forecast is for clear skies, but this could change at any moment! Keep an eye on the weather, and you may want to check out this Burlington Free Press article: https://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/local/vermont/2024/03/28/chances-of-vermont-eclipse-2024-viewing-obscured-by-clouds-clear-skies-april-8/73127363007/ This (older) article talks about the influx of visitors expected to come to Vermont: https://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/local/vermont/2023/05/26/solar-eclipse-2024-vermont-path-of-totality-planning-guide-visiting/70203653007/ If you have eclipse glasses, bring them along. We have about 20 pairs, but we may run out if we get more people. Finally, please go easy on our caretaker. She is only one person and will not have the bandwidth to organize activities for the eclipse. Be perpared to keep yourselves entertained, and please feel free to socialize with other visitors! If you'd like to talk with a Collective member, send us a message or email and we can arrange another time. Thanks! ------ HOWL is a non-profit land trust held in perpetuity for the full diversity of women, regardless of gender assigned at birth, and transgender, non-binary, and gender expansive individuals. We are an intentional community working to create an alternative to systemic oppression and patriarchy. We work collectively to preserve and steward the land, to provide space for community building, service, and skill-sharing, and to collaborate in projects and programming that reflect our shared values of intersectional feminism, compassion, respect, sustainability, and love of the earth.

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Farm Craft Vermont

4 sites · Lodging, Tents15 acres · Shelburne, VT

Our Regenerative Herb Farm sits on 15-acres of rolling hills full of wildflowers and gardens. We owned an ecological landscape design/build company for 15 years so the gardens, meadows, woodlands and trails are wild with biodiversity and color. The farm is a certified Bee Friendly Farm through the Pollinator Partnership. We give guided tours weekly upon request and discuss the ecological restoration efforts that are underway as well as our 'Seed to Soap' project that is Farm Craft VT. Our Farm Store is open daily from 8-8 and is self-serve. All sites have fire-pits (don't forget to order a firewood bundle), room for a group of 6, and views of starry skies. Please Note - none of the campsites are accessible by car. They don't have electricity or air conditioning - yup it's camping, just a wee bit more comfortable. For the complete Farm Craft VT experience, book a guided-farm tour on our website where you can smell the herbs, taste the honey from our hives, learn about how essential oils are distilled, how seed oils are pressed and handcrafted soap is made on site. WE HAVE REPLACED OUR CANVAS TENTS WITH SIMPLE WOODEN CABINS. THEY ACCOMODATE THE SAME SIZE AND NUMBER OF BEDS AS OUR PREVIOUS SITES. PLEASE DISREGARD ANY PHOTOS WITH OUR OLD CANVAS TENTS.

The best camping near Smugglers' Notch State Park guide

Overview

About

Smugglers’ Notch State Park has a beautifully diverse landscape of forest, waterfalls, rock outcrops, rivers, caves, and alpine lakes. The park is named for Smugglers’ Notch, a scenic road that winds through the Green Mountains, lined with 1,000-foot cliffs. The road was once used to smuggle goods into the country from Canada, but now you can enjoy your moonshine right out in the open! The park is especially beautiful in the fall when the forest is covered in a myriad of colors.

When to go

The best time to visit Smugglers' Notch State Park is during the summer and fall months, when the weather is ideal for outdoor activities. Summer offers lush greenery and perfect hiking conditions, while fall dazzles with a spectacular display of foliage. Winters can be harsh, with the park's higher elevations receiving significant snowfall, making it a paradise for winter sports enthusiasts but less accessible for casual visits.

Know before you go

Check the weather forecast before your visit, as conditions can change rapidly amid the mountains.
Some areas may be closed due to seasonal weather or conservation efforts, so verify accessibility in advance.
Wear appropriate footwear and clothing for rugged terrain and variable weather.
Cell service may be limited, so plan accordingly and inform someone of your itinerary.
While the park offers a range of amenities, always bring sufficient water and snacks for your adventure.