Customer Reviews

The Best in Tent Camping: New England: A Guide for Car Campers Who Hate RVs, Concrete Slabs, and Loud Portable Stereos (Best Tent Camping)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Anyone with a favorite campground knows the ritual of driving around with a map, circling the prime sites for future visits while crossing out those that don't make the grade. "The Best in Tent Camping: New England" basically does the same but for top parks across New England, taking much of the guesswork out of finding not only a great campground but also the best possible campsite.

I've consulted my own well-thumbed first edition of this book (published 2002) before camping in 6-8 state parks around New England, and I've seldom been disappointed. The book really helps make the most of my all-too-limited camping time: In addition to maximizing my enjoyment of classic spots like Acadia National Park and Vermont's Green Mountains, I've discovered some wonderful and unforgettable parts of New England that are well off the beaten path.

I've generally found the ratings to be fairly accurate, although I think the cleanliness rankings should give somewhat more weight to the condition of bathrooms and showers (where available) along with the state of the sites and grounds. I've stayed in some parks with five stars where the bathroom facilities were pristine, and in others where I honestly wouldn't feel comfortable showering without donning flip-flops.

The previous reviewer's complaint struck a chord, since I just camped at Lamoine State Park last week (site 62, formerly site 48 -- which was indeed Rockefeller-worthy). I know firsthand that the sites in both Lamoine and Smugglers Notch State Park in Vermont have been renumbered since the book's original publication, and several other parks I've visited have gained new facilities that remain unmentioned in the revised edition. While some inaccuracies or omissions are entirely forgivable (parks are by no means static, after all), what's less forgivable is that a lot of the outdated information made it into the book's second edition. It's disappointing that nobody actually revisited the parks before slapping a new cover on what is basically the same content.

In the grand scheme of things, though, these shortcomings are minor. "The Best in Tent Camping: New England" is a winner, infinitely more useful than most other campground guides in giving a real flavor for state parks and other campgrounds. Every New England camper who's eager to try new venues should have a copy.

This book is really the only one of its kind, so it may be an OK resource to start. However, it is somewhat poorly designed, with the TOC, list of campgrounds, and unlabeled map all on separate pages, so you are flipping around and around trying to see which campgrounds are near your desired destination and what page they are on. There is an error on the map as well, with two locations labeled "12".
Unfortunately, one of the most lovingly-described campgrounds, Orr's Island, is in fact an RV-only no tents allowed campground. I recommend doing research after getting a "feel" from this book.

Ok folks, let's clear up some things. First of all, campground "site" numbers change all the time, so of course you should check the authors site numbers to the latest site map on the campground's website (almost all of the campgrounds in the book have site maps available online). It is hardly the authors fault if site numbers have changed.

I've used the book to pick out 7 different campgrounds so far, and I've been extremely pleased with the authors inclusion of the campground in the first place, as well as their opinion of the best sites in the campground. Also, I am yet to see any conflicting site numbers as described by other reviews @ these 7 campgrounds.

Combine this book with Foghorn's "Camping New England" and you'll know 90% of the best campsites in New England.

Bought this book about 2 years ago. We've used it to plan about 6 camping trips. It is full of facts, including info about the best particular site within a campground. Lives up to its subtitle. Very accurate, except the prices have gone up a little since it was published.

The prime reason anyone would buy this seemingly unreliable book is to find the best New England campites. However, the campsite numbers are incorrect. For instance, in the section on Lamoine State Park, the numbers on the campgound map do not match the official Maine State Park online map. In referring to the views of sites 48 through 54, the author states: "These are views of Frenchman's Bay and its islands worthy of the Rockfellers." The sites are not "along the road facing the ocean" and do not have such views. Due to such carelessness readers cannot rely on this book to make camping plans, some might infer.