For the last three summers, my wife, kids, and I have done extended camping (I work remotely). This…read moreyear, our lease ended and we thought it was the perfect chance to camp longer while we decided whether to move out of state or stay local. We called Swanzey Lake Campground and asked about length-of-stay rules. Jill assured us there were none and even let us choose a site in person. The lake and new bathrooms made the higher price feel worth it.
Everything started fine until a couple weeks in. My wife and I had a heated--but non-violent and quiet--argument and we foolishly called the police. They came, found no issue, and left. Jill and Bill were understandably upset, but after a sincere apology, Jill gave us another chance, saying if it happened again, we'd have to leave. Fair enough.
Then out of nowhere, a welfare check was called on us by another camper claiming I wasn't letting my kids out of the tent. Absurd. In reality, it was a quiet Saturday--we had fans running, windows open, and WiFi going. My kids were happy and safe. It felt like someone was watching us simply for not being social. My kids were upset, my oldest was confused and scared, and I let the office know how angry I was. We had done nothing wrong. Even the officer said she didn't know why she was called and gave me her number in case I had any new concerns myself.
A few days later, someone I had worked with months ago at a nonprofit (not law enforcement or anything official) called the campground asking for me because I hadn't responded to her calls. That same day, we were told to move again--and that we had one week left. Baffling.
I went to the office and tried to explain, but Jill refused to hear anything. She referenced the call and said now she was on "a state agency contact list" - whatever that means - and said that was enough to end our stay. That was the moment I realized logic was no longer part of the equation.
Later I spoke with Bill, who was respectful but said he had to support Jill's decision. It became clear--if you're not part of the seasonal RV crowd, you're not really welcome here. We were in a tent, not an RV, and that seemed to make all the difference.
Even after we left, I was told there was yet another complaint--this time about our dog being left in the car. The car had been remote-started with AC blasting. It was still cold when we returned. But again, everything we did seemed to be reported and twisted.
We were moved to a spot with zero privacy, surrounded by campers who all seemed to know each other, hung out together, dined together. Jill had told us we could stay through mid-August. Then suddenly we were told the site was "seasonal only." The inconsistency was exhausting.
If you're doing actual extended camping--not just a weekend RV hangout--this is not the place. There's clear favoritism, it's very clique-like, and we were constantly scrutinized for things others were doing openly without consequence.
We didn't accept the additional week and left the next day. We were treated unfairly and judged, and despite our best efforts to respect the rules and communicate, it wasn't enough. I wouldn't recommend this campground to anyone looking for more than a brief stay. We were not the problem. Your clique was, your judgment was, and Jill, you owe us an apology. But we already know we'll never get one.
Do not stay here. Period.
