Camping suggestions for East Coast/ New England

tlkil3

We're beginning to plan a fall trip with our 320 CS-S.  We have done two multi-month trips from GA to the west in the last several years, hitting most of the national parks (particularly fond of Olympic, Glacier, Oregon coast and Bend), now considering a trip up to New England (perhaps Quebec, Nova Scotia, though I'm expecting COVID to restrict border crossing).  Would love suggestions of where to stay, especially given closures (eg, Acadia is now out).  Looking for good hiking options (lighter for my wife w/ knee replacement), and also paddling - likely to bring touring kayaks on this trip.  Thanks!

Camak

NY Adirondacks, plenty of camp grounds and dispersed camping, plenty places to hike and paddle

nhmike

Brighton St Park in VT features a quiet pond, kayaking, multiple hiking options and is just plain nice.  They do not have hookups.  Facility is clean and well managed.  Check ahead for current VT covid-19 restrictions.  Try to get a waterfront site, though others are nice. 

cmac

Check out Prince Edward Island.  My Wife's bucket list included seeing the house where Ann of Green Gables was filmed, so we did.  Lots of scenic shore line to see.  Beware of the toll to cross the Confederation Bridge - no toll on the way over, but they nail you on the way back - pay with a credit card and let the credit card company do the currency conversion for you.  Also, with the current US$ vs CD$ exchange rate, things including food and campgrounds are cheaper in Canada, including PEI and NS.  Whatever you decide, have fun.  We found the Canadians to be friendly and polite folks.

John

DenisP

Scusset Beach reservation is a nice campground between Plymouth and Cape Cod Canal. Tough to get into during Covid. 

VTTraveler

We are brand new to camping and T@B ownership so have stayed close to home here in New England.  We hit it perfectly with three trips and I would recommend them all.

1)  Franstead Family Campground, Franconia, NH - Several wooded sites, especially for a little T@B.  Hiking galore and several local small ponds/lakes to paddle.

2)  Lake Francis Campground, Pittsburgh, NH (state park) - We had a site right on the lake.  Kept our kayaks on the shore at our site.  Many other lakes in the area.  Some hiking and miles upon miles of back roads.  You can drive about 15 minutes and look in to Canada but not allowed to cross right now.  However, there is a nice little hike to the 4th Connecticut Lake.  You park at the border and follow a well marked trail to the start of the Connecticut River.  It weaves you in and out of Canada, which is allowed as long as you stay on the marked trail.

3)  Lake Umbagog, Cambridge, NH (state park) - Not a lot of hiking but some great paddling on a good sized lake with lots of nooks and crannies to explore.

Happy and Safe Travels

Jackie_Dave

1000 Islands in northern NY. The weather this time of year is fantastic. https://visit1000islands.com/
Wellesley Island State Park is a nice park to camp in and a great place for all kinds of water sports https://parks.ny.gov/parks/wellesleyisland/details.aspx

tlkil3

thanks all for the initial suggestions, very helpful.  early thoughts are to spend several days getting to the finger lakes area, 1000 Islands looks very interesting as well.  I need to figure out camping options and how much time.

I'll check out Brighton St Park in VT.

PEI we can only do if the travel ban lifts.  We'll see how the next month unfolds.  How easy is it to drive from Acadia to PEI? 

Scusset Beach - Good option for getting over to the Cape (havent been there since grad school days).  I think i need to figure out a coastal path back down.  Would love to do some kayaking but with protected waters where my wife will be more comfortable.  Especially as we get to Cheas Bay area.

VTTraveler, great suggestions for NH.  For Lake Umbagog, camping options/ rec's?  Also, i'm curious, seeing your picture, what looks to be a folding bike rack - if so, can you describe?  Im looking at options, fearful that some put the bikes so high they will interfere with kayaks.

Thanks again!

VTTraveler

When we purchased our T@B earlier this year it came with the bike rack attached.  It is from www.arvika.ca  It appears that they make a rack just for us! http://www.arvika.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/dfx-tab-2017.pdf  My kayak isn't too long so as long as a load it just a bit forward on the TV there is no interference.  

We stayed at the Umbagog Lake State Park.  The campground is small with many wooded sites that are just right for a T@B.  They have a brand new toilet/shower building.  The area is pretty remote with a small town and well stocked store about 2 miles away but not much else.  If you love nature, quiet, and some great paddling it is just the spot.  

tabiphile

Unless you sea kayak PEI can be a bit of a yawner. The beauty of the island is it's shoreline. Otherwise it's miles of wheat and potatoes.
It's quite a drive from Acadia to PEI but there are interesting camping areas between. It will take several days to get there. With the border closed through late September it might be optimistic to plan any Canada travel. There are lot's of other ocean and inland NE options. The White Mountains are fabulous for hiking and touring. The lakes and rivers in Northern Maine are also fabulous...Moosehead, Grand Lakes, Mt Katahdin etc. There are miles of ocean access from Boston North. Acadia tends to get a great deal of Autumn traffic but there are many other options.

ChanW

Lake St Catherine State Park in Vermont, nearish Rutland.
Pretty nice sites, somewhat roomy. Mountain trail across the road overlooks the lake at the summit.

ChanW

These are great suggestions for the northeast!
Will put them on our list!!

TomB

We like New Discovery in Vt. in the Groton state forest. Beautiful pond for kayaking, lots of gentle hikes. No hook-ups - mostly small RV’s and renters. 

MischiefBrewing

FYI, I don't believe any Vermont state parks have hookups, and only a few of the national forest campgrounds in VT do.  A lot of states are requiring quarantining if arriving from other states, which has kept me in Vermont this season.

Vermont has a neat map that shows case rates in northeastern counties which allows Vermont residents to know if they have to quarantine after visiting other states.  https://accd.vermont.gov/covid-19/restart/cross-state-travel

Be safe and please do your best to research and adhere to the destination state's Covid rules.