Camping: White Mountains 2026, Day One

Sunday, August 23, 2026, was the first of six days of camping at Lafayette Place Campground in Franconia Notch State Park in the White Mountains in New Hampshire.

Preparations

This was my first trip to the White Mountains after living in New England for twenty-five years. My plan was to ride my bike, ride two trains, and do a little hiking.

I had reserved a campsite using New Hampshire’s reservation system at Reserve America. My campsite cost me only $35 per night. For late August, campsites were sold out on Friday and Saturday nights, but availability was good for Sunday through Thursday nights.

I rented a Zipcar for the six days at a cost of about $700 (gas and insurance included). I folded down the rear seats and put my Trek Valencia hybrid bicycle in the back after removing the front rack and pedals. I should have turned the handlebars to make it easier to get the bike into the back of the car.

I packed my camping equipment that I use for bicycle touring, including my bear canister. Instead of freeze-dried meals, which are much lighter when hiking or touring, I brought cans of tuna fish and Progresso soup to eat for dinners.

The Drive

The drive was not complicated: I got on I-93 in Somerville, Massachusetts, and drove north on the interstate to Lafayette Place Campground.

I left at noon. There was some heavy rain on the drive north on I-93, making driving unsafe near Manchester and Concord, where many drivers did not reduce their speed even with poor visibility and a lot of water on the road. I stayed in the right hand lane as much as possible.

Since I was getting sleepy during the drive, I stopped twice. My first stop was at the New Hampshire I-93 Canterbury Rest Area between Concord and Northfield. I walked around a little and went inside the visitors center to get advice on what to see in the White Mountains area; I picked up some maps and brochures.

Farther north on I-93, I stopped a second time at the White Mountains Attractions Visitors Center in Lincoln, New Hampshire, just east of I-93 on the Kancamagus Highway.

I had to drive past Lafayette Place Campground on I-93 because there is no exit when going northbound. I reversed direction a few miles north and drove back south to the exit. My total driving distance was about 146 miles.

I arrived after three hours at 3:00 p.m.

Lafayette Place Campground

I set up my campsite and walked around the campground. The campground was clean and well-maintained, and it was about two-thirds full. It is located close to I-93, so it suffers from traffic noise. There are hiking trails in and near the campground, and the Franconia Notch Recreation Path for walking and bicycling runs just east of the campground.

I found a pedestrian and bicycle tunnel under I-93 that connects the campground to the trailhead for the Bridle Path Trail and the Falling Waters Trail; these trails climb more than two thousand feet to the top of Franconia Ridge east of Franconia Notch.

Tunnel Under I-93 at Lafayette Place Campground

Bridle Path and Falling Waters Trailhead

AMC runs a daily hiker shuttle that stops at Lafayette Place Campground when going southbound through Franconia Notch State Park and stops at the Bridle Path and Falling Waters Trailhead, on the east side of I-93 opposite the campground, when going northbound through the state park.

This shuttle offers a seamless ride from Boston to the backcountry. No car swaps. No logistics. Just more time on the trail, and less time in the parking lot.

The only shortcoming is that I can’t bring my bicycle on the shuttle.

Franconia Notch Recreation Path

Late in the afternoon, I rode south on the Franconia Notch Recreation Path to Flume Gorge and back. Going south I lost about 600 feet of elevation, so it was a good climb coming back. The path is not a rail trail with an even and gentle grade. Some sections are unreasonably steep.

Franconia Notch Recreation Path

Evening Camping Activities

After I ate dinner, there was heavy rain at 7:30 p.m. My tent is excellent, and I stayed dry. There is no Verizon cell service in campground. I used my Garmin inReach Messenger to text by satellite. I went to bed at 8:00 p.m.

For the second day of this six-day camping trip, see White Mountains 2026, Day Two.