Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is without a doubt the best book on tent camping in New England that we've found (and we've done a lot of looking). We moved to Massachusetts from California, and after we arrived here and started looking for places to camp that would give us the same kind of wilderness-oriented car camping that we loved to do in the West, we started feeling very disappointed -- every guidebook we read seemed oriented toward RVers and people who are looking for a lot of "amenities" (shuffleboard courts, swimming pools, paved paths, etc.) when they go camping. Then this summer we discovered Lafe Low's book, and our camping outlook brightened considerably -- this is a wonderful resource for people who enjoy the same kind of tent camping that we do.

One particularly nice feature of this book is that it doesn't just describe each campground in general terms, it also describes in detail the specific campsites at each campground, and gives recommendations for which sites will give tent campers the most privacy, quiet, scenery, etc. This is such helpful information to have when planning a trip -- we used it when going to Harold Park State Forest here in Massachusetts this summer, and we got a beautiful campsite that really suited us.

If you tent camp in New England, buy this book -- it's excellent!

Lafe Low has put together a concise, thorough and extremely helpful guide to finding quiet tent campgrounds in New England. He even goes to the point of describing individual sites so you know which ones to reserve. He provides details on privacy, facilities and overall beauty as well as which water sports can be practiced in the area. It is a necessary resource for anyone trying to find spots where they won't be overrun by so-called RV "campers". My only suggestion would be more details/broader maps since many of the parks are in out of the way spots that don't get adequate attention on larger maps.

I bought this book last year, a few short weeks before our annual camping trip - this time to New England - because the free AAA campground "guides" we used the year prior were awful and featured mostly sites catering to RVs.

I must say, we found the reviews in the book very helpful, and it did lead us to some wonderful spots in campgrounds we might not have otherwised discovered. However, having only learned about these great destinations a month before our trip prevented us from securing some of the most beautiful spots. My recommendation, therefore, is to plan ahead, far, far in advance, if you want to experience the best sites New England has to offer. Otherwise, you will arrive only to find out the spot you want has been booked.

Greetings Dev33 and Natureboy,
I'm sorry you had a less than positive experience with the reviews and ratings in my book. I do realize that slapping a numeric rating on something as subjective as impressions of privacy or beauty can be problematic.
I did try to be as honest as possible about my impressions. Perhaps the campgrounds were less crowded when I was there doing my reserach.
Natureboy, regarding some of your comments about Beartown and Greylock, I was never bothered by traffic at night on the Greylock access road. Perhaps there was something going on that night you were there, but that was never a factor when I was there or I certainly would have mentioned it. Also, I did mention that the pondside sites at Beartown are open to each other, but the view of the pond and surrounding hillsides made up for it, at least in my view. I doubt the air traffic that bothered you was from Otis AFB, however, since that is over near Cape Cod. Again, I am sorry your experiences with those campgrounds were not as positive as mine. I wish you better luck and more pleasant camping experiences in the future.
If you would like to respond to me directly, my e-mail address is llow@redmondmag.com. I would like to hear from you and hear your concerns directly. Thanks, and I hope you enjoy some of the other spots mentioned in the book. If you're ever in Maine, try the Mount Desert Campground. I'm certain you'll like that place.
Cheers,
Lafe Low

I was hoping this book provided recommendations for state owned and private campgrounds, but it does not. It holds a lot of information on the state owned areas which is extremely helpful. However, if you are looking for recommendations and info on private campgrounds in New England, you are out of luck.

I took my young son camping for the first time to a nice campground found in another book. However, it didn't match his idea of camping because of the RVs and the close campgrounds. So, I searched for and found this book to trim the list of numerous campgrounds in New England to just the choice ones that are still reachable by car but not RVs and offer more privacy. This book is it. It was just what I as looking for. We both look forward to visiting the campgrounds next season.

Since I bought the first edition in 2003 I have consistently chosen campgrounds using this book as my guide and it has never steered me wrong. Lafe Low rates each park according to six criteria (beauty, quiet, security, cleanliness, etc.), provides information on facilities offered, reservations, driving directions, and much more. He even provides guidance on which campsite to choose when making a reservation. A terrific combination resource is "New England Waterfalls: A Guide to More Than 200 Cascades and Waterfalls" by Greg Parsons and Kate B. Watson. My family has enjoyed many wonderful camping experiences using these two books.

If you are a tent camper and haven't read this book, you're missing out!

When we go camping we are not looking for campgrounds with a bunch of amenities and we don't like being on a campsite squished in next to 10 other campsites, and we don't want to listen to the hum of generators from folks with campers, etc. We want to be in a peaceful place where we can feel like we are out in nature. Sadly, that can be hard to find in campgrounds now a days!

This book was perfect for helping us find that. The emphasis here is on tent camping, not on campgrounds that support RVs and electric hookups and campers, etc. What I especially loved about the book is that it not only told you about the campgrounds, but also about the sites at the campgrounds - so you can pick a site that suites your needs and desires the best when you are reserving. It also tells you about hiking trails and points of interest nearby.

This book doesn't review a lot of private campgrounds, generally those campgrounds are not geared at tent camping, they are geared at RVs and/or emphasize squishing as many tents onto the land they have as possible. If you are looking to camp at a resort, this isn't going to be the book to find what you want. If you prefer state parks to private campgrounds, this is the book for you.

Very well done and we will definitely be using this as a reference for years to come!

How many times have you traveled a good distance to a campground to find sites the size of a postage stamp or with the ambiance of a redneck bar? This guide is essential if you want to cut through the gaff to get to the good spots. Trust me, New England has a ton of camping grounds, and there's lots to hate here. You're going CAMPING and not getting drunk in the woods with friends.

I found that using this book along with the iNet will go a long way to ensuring an enjoyable camping experience. The first time I used it I hit gold, so Low gets high marks for documenting his finds and sharing them with the world.

Pros: Thoughtful, discriminating camping guide. Takes effort to describe site characteristics. Other than this, you can only go by word-of-mouth.

Cons: Why, now the secret's out! Read the intro. It states why he discriminates campgrounds to the narrow list provided. The book is ten-plus years old now, so there will be dated information. Example: parks often change things around during maintenance, often site numbers; some may have closed, so check online or call. If you're unsure of anything, ASK QUESTIONS.

I am getting ready to start tent camping again after a long time away from it, and this book has wonderful information about campgrounds near me. The only problem I've found so far is that the map of the Grout Pond recreation area in VT has mistakes. 2 sites he describes in the book aren't on the map at all, and one site is on the opposite site of the hiking trail from where he says it is. I guess I'll have to go myself to see which is the correct location.