Gale River Campground
White Mountain National Forest
Write a Review Gale River Trail Bethlehem, NH 03574 603-536-6100 Official WebsiteGPS: 44.2432, -71.632
Overview of Gale River Campground
Accessibility is not guaranteed, always scout ahead before driving down dirt roads. Learn more: Boondocking 101
Last Price Paid: $0
Reported by Kenzey on 10/21/2022
Longest RV Reported: 38 feet (Class A)
Reported by Rebooting Us on 11/2/2021
Number of Sites 11
Pad Type dirt
Open Seasonally May - Oct.
Elevation 1,345 ft / 409 m
Max Stay 14
Tent Camping Yes







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To ask questions of the owner or manager please contact the campground directly. 603-536-6100
Reviews of Gale River Campground 15 people have reviewed this location.
“Stayed For One Night ”
Reviewed 10/21/2022
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
Site Number: | 6 |
We slept in our tent for a night here. The weather got pretty cold but we made sure to bundle up. There was extra wood others had left stacked up. There was some trash left here from previous campers unfortunately. Everything was pretty wet from the rain earlier in the day so we weren’t able to get a fire going. We only had one vehicle... more
We slept in our tent for a night here. The weather got pretty cold but we made sure to bundle up. There was extra wood others had left stacked up. There was some trash left here from previous campers unfortunately. Everything was pretty wet from the rain earlier in the day so we weren’t able to get a fire going. We only had one vehicle drive by in the morning, he sped by twice with his music very loud and smelled of marijauna. It was definitely a little creepy for a group of girls because he was staring us down. Other than that we had a great stay!
Kenzey would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Quiet And Beautiful Spot”
Reviewed 10/3/2022
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
Site Number: | 1 |
RV Length: | 22' (Class B) |
Heavily wooded area which isn’t great for solar but we had a great stay in our class B for the night. Trees are starting to turn colors in late September and it was just beautiful. Don’t let the review about thieves deter you from staying! We only saw one other car drive by during our stay. I’m sure if you leave your stuff, people migh... more
Heavily wooded area which isn’t great for solar but we had a great stay in our class B for the night. Trees are starting to turn colors in late September and it was just beautiful. Don’t let the review about thieves deter you from staying! We only saw one other car drive by during our stay. I’m sure if you leave your stuff, people might take it. But we didn’t leave the site, no one bothered us and we never felt unsafe. Hopeful for a bear siting if anything, but didn’t see any animals at all. All sites are numbered, we took number 1 and could see number 2 way down the road but didn’t go any further to check out the rest of the sites. Gravel road is very tame, cell signal with Verizon was close to zero
Lauren would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“PEOPLE WILL STEAL FROM YOU ”
Reviewed 9/13/2022
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 8 |
Site Number: | 9 |
This is a beautiful place- but I cannot give it a FULL 5 stars like I originally was going to. I was staying here on my trip through New Hampshire, and was invested in staying the full 2 weeks. I asked the ranger, and he said to “show that you are still occupying the lot, leave your camp gear up, that way no one will come and take your... more
This is a beautiful place- but I cannot give it a FULL 5 stars like I originally was going to. I was staying here on my trip through New Hampshire, and was invested in staying the full 2 weeks. I asked the ranger, and he said to “show that you are still occupying the lot, leave your camp gear up, that way no one will come and take your lot”. I work remotely, so Monday- Friday I come down the mountain and go to a local Walmart for wifi for a few hours, I come back and a man and his family not only took my lot, even though my foldable chair was there, mugs next to the fire pit, and my sleeping bag for camping was there- but they STOLE my foldable chair. They deliberately pulled their car into the opening of the lot so I could not get in, then proceeded, while my items were still there, to pull in a massive “bang bus” titled school bus, and another vehicle. When I confronted them about it, they lied and said the “ranger walked through” and gave them the ok to take my lot. The ranger ok’d taking my lot even though a person’s things were there? Even though it clearly shows a person is still occupying the lot? The ranger ok’d stealing my items as well? Ultimately, I was so disgusted with these people stealing from me, lying, and abusing the trust and basic decency that humans should have to one another, I left entirely. The system needs to be enforced more here, and lots checked up on regularly with who is staying there and for how long. not coming back again and will not recommend to anyone and everyone
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Not for bigger RVs”
Reviewed 11/2/2021
Days stayed: | 0 |
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RV Length: | 38' (Class A) |
We did not stay here. We had planned to stay but there were very few spots that would accommodate our 38 foot Class A. We also discovered that after the first few spots, there is very little room to turn around. We were able to get turned around after a 12 point turn at the end of the road. We did encounter a very belligerent lo... more
We did not stay here. We had planned to stay but there were very few spots that would accommodate our 38 foot Class A. We also discovered that after the first few spots, there is very little room to turn around. We were able to get turned around after a 12 point turn at the end of the road. We did encounter a very belligerent local that was not happy about us having out RV on this road.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Good and bad at the same time, if you are over 25ft combined don't count on it... ... ”
Reviewed 7/31/2021
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 5 |
RV Length: | 36' (Fifth Wheel) |
I want to give 4 or 5 stars but I can't make the site more popular... We arrived in a Friday in August and all sites were taken, scouting for sites I asked one camper when he was leaving and I came back in the morning of the day he left to secure the spot, otherwise I would never got it here, not even 5 minutes of me arriving at least... more
I want to give 4 or 5 stars but I can't make the site more popular... We arrived in a Friday in August and all sites were taken, scouting for sites I asked one camper when he was leaving and I came back in the morning of the day he left to secure the spot, otherwise I would never got it here, not even 5 minutes of me arriving at least other 4 campers stopped by...
Some sites crowded with more than 10 cars in it...
The sites are very far apart from each other. The road is great for a dirt road (conditions will vary depending the weather and season)
Tent, car, van, or bike campers should be fine in any of the sites.
Smaller class B, or class C will fit in most of the sites, anything larger than 25ft combined will have trouble finding available spots, most sites are blocked by large boulders to prevent folks from driving in.
Far as I could see only 1 site will fit trailers larger than 30ft comfortably, any size will be good at this single site... 3 other sites may fit rigs over 25ft, rigs over 30ft will require some fine driving skills.
I could not verify other reviews mentioning feces in the sites, m site was clean.
Verizon works great at this current site and at most sites, the entire region has no or minimal coverage for t-mobile, AT&T, or Sprint
2624LuisNY would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Great spot”
Reviewed 7/22/2021
Days stayed: | 6 |
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Site Number: | 11 |
Nice and private. Sites are well spaced all along the loop road. Mostly clean. Lots of trails for hiking. The river is beautiful. Plenty of room to boondock if the sites are all full, including a big turnaround/parking area at one end of the loop and a big pulloff on Rt 3 across from the other entrance at Trudeau Road. Supplies are 15 ... more
Nice and private. Sites are well spaced all along the loop road. Mostly clean. Lots of trails for hiking. The river is beautiful. Plenty of room to boondock if the sites are all full, including a big turnaround/parking area at one end of the loop and a big pulloff on Rt 3 across from the other entrance at Trudeau Road. Supplies are 15 minutes away in Bethlehem and definitely spend a day in Littleton just up the road.
Seven-11 would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Nice dispersed camping, not all vehicle accessible ”
Reviewed 5/21/2021
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
Site Number: | 2 |
12 sites available along the gale river loop road. All sites are numbered. Check the forest Facebook page to make sure the road is open depending on the time of year. Forest rangers drove past a few times but never came to chat. Sites were nicely spread out. Not all sites can be driven into. Sites 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 9 you can drive a c... more
12 sites available along the gale river loop road. All sites are numbered. Check the forest Facebook page to make sure the road is open depending on the time of year. Forest rangers drove past a few times but never came to chat. Sites were nicely spread out. Not all sites can be driven into. Sites 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 9 you can drive a car right into. The other sites are set back from the road and have large boulders to prevent you from pulling a vehicle into them. We camped in truck tents at site 2. There was a large mud puddle at the site entrance but the rest of the site was nice and we were able to find two level spots for the trucks.
Dvanatta would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
Reviewed 1/2/2021
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
Site Number: | 1 |
RV Length: | 20' (Travel Trailer) |
This was a great spot! They were all generously space. We were there on October 13, 2020 and there was plenty of availability. It's probably busier earlier in the year. No electric or water but close to all kinds of great activities including hiking and biking!
We were there in our 20ft Airstream. No issue getting into the site.
Denise and Steve Buck would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Lovely spot”
Reviewed 7/29/2020
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
Im not sure which site I was at but its the one where you turn right at the fork in the road and a little further down there is a dead end. There was a little trash at the site but nothing terrible. Overall id stay here again in a heartbeat. Due to the tree cover this spot got extremely dark at night and I couldn't see my hand even whe... more
Im not sure which site I was at but its the one where you turn right at the fork in the road and a little further down there is a dead end. There was a little trash at the site but nothing terrible. Overall id stay here again in a heartbeat. Due to the tree cover this spot got extremely dark at night and I couldn't see my hand even when I put it to my face. There is a nice fire ring just be careful of creatures living in it. I had a few frogs jump out when I lit my fire so it would be easy for a snake or something else to get in there. This spot also does have cell signal.
Stranger512 would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“SO Beautiful! Cell service in some parts, zero in others.”
Reviewed 10/9/2019
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 2 |
Site Number: | 3 |
RV Length: | 33' (Fifth Wheel) |
We stayed here during the colors changing and it was one of the most beautiful spots we have camped! If you pull in where the GPS directs you, this is the start of the loop. I think there are 12 sites total. As you drive in, not too far from the highway will be a fork. Stay left. The right goes down to a gated road. You will start ... more
We stayed here during the colors changing and it was one of the most beautiful spots we have camped!
If you pull in where the GPS directs you, this is the start of the loop. I think there are 12 sites total. As you drive in, not too far from the highway will be a fork. Stay left. The right goes down to a gated road. You will start seeing the sites. Site #3 has access for solar and has great verizon internet. 20+ without a booster.
As you continue you will come to where another road tees into the road you are on. Turn right. DO NOT go straight unless you are small. We had to back down this road after meeting a dead end. I think there was only one more site up that road anyways.
After you turn right, you will see all the other sites. Some are obviously tent only. Some are for smaller rigs. Over here the internet went to almost nothing, and actually nothing at times. Booster allowed a phone call, but no data.
This road continues all the way around and spits you back out onto the highway.
@no.e.t.a would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Muddy And Full ”
noted 9/25/2023
Tried to stay here in my class c 31ft and couldn’t because it was full. There were a few good size sites but you have to get early to get a spot I guess. Not very many that will fit bigger rigs. Since the rain some spots were very muddy too and with a solar system this is not the idea camping spot. AT&T LTE with 1 bar most places.
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Amenities
Hookups
- dry camping
- Dispersed Camping
Site Amenities
- fire ring
Pets
- pets
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