Exceeded expectations for a rustic outdoor stay. Great staff and perfect camp store with every last minute thing we needed. Be sure to pock up a few fire starters made by local Veterans - magic! All facilities were spotless and well maintained. Views of the ponds were lovely. If you are a birder, get up early for the warblers, Veery, Wood Thrush and you won't be disappointed at night id you are an owl lover! read more

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Spent one night camping and had a lovely time! Some big takeaways: - Staff were friendly and helpful making finding the campsite and checking in easy - Camp sites are definitely very close together but people were generally not too loud and seemed to respect the quiet hours - Sites had picnic tables and fire pits - There were showers (would recommend flip flops and a caddy), bathrooms, and a sink available - Campsite was surrounded with trails and near water - Dogs welcomed It was our first time camping so we don't have anything else to compare it to but it was great for our first time! read more

Trails galore, some for snowmobiles, outdoor facility rentals, interpretive history, settler cemeteries peeking through the woods, seasonal camping, and hiking all year. If you don't feel like climbing Mt. Washington but still want a woodsy getaway, here are quiet trails and the namesake brook trickling throughout. Signs warn you not to hunt in these DRED woods which kind of makes you giggle until you realize it's a state acronym. The old meeting house actually held a Sunday service the weekend we visited and CCC highlights including a partly-intact CCC camp, are visible everywhere. It's definitely a fun place to explore, and do remember to pay for your parking if you don't have a season pass. read more

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Crying babies, barking dogs, party animals where's the peace in camping. This is our 3rd an last visit to this overpopulated in the middle of nowhere pine needle dumping dirt lot. The camping loops an sites are over stacked on each other so you see other dwellers on every corner of your picnic table. Adding to the rainy summer the place is looking like San Fran street corner read more

Bear Brook State Park - Pine needle floor with views of people on every corner of your picnic table - Parks Near Me - Allenstown, New Hampshire

I liked how secluded this state park was. Felt very low key as far as campgrounds go. Spot #31 was nice and private and my cat and I had a great time here. read more

My wife and I love to go camping!!!! This is our 2nd time camping in this State park in New Hampshire. It's about 3 hrs drive from CT. The park facilities are good for families and big groups of people. Park offers kayak and canoe rentals. There is a small store in the park where you can get snacks, ice, firewood and souvenirs. The pond is beautiful with hiking trails around it. It has a sandy beach area. My wife loves to lay there and tan. Park offers tent & RV spaces with restrooms. You can take a cold/hot showers for a low cost with quarters. Holidays are busy. So you need to schedule your space in advance. read more

We went to this park to paddleboard. We put in by the little beach. There is a nice bathhouse and little park store, picnic tables, and a small playground. The first thing we saw as we pushed off shore were two dead birds floating in the water. We weren't sure if this was an omen, but we paddled on. First we paddled to the left side of the lake, away from the bridge and toward the dam. There isn't too far that you can go before it becomes swampy, but it is quiet and a nice little paddle. After that we paddled in the opposite direction under the bridge. There was a cleaning and we followed a little stream for a short way. We had to get out and lift the boards over a log to pass up the stream. Altogether, you can paddle this lake in an hour or two at a leisurely pace. The most fun happened when we were taking the boards out. They under up being covered in leeches. We probably found around 10 on each board of various sizes. That was super gross. I would not swim in this lake, but I may go paddle again. read more

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The perfect place to get away. The sites are clean and well kept. They offer the perfect sense of privacy without feeling secluded. Dog friendly which was a make or break deal for me read more

Bear Brook State Park - Large dog friendly sites! - Parks Near Me - Allenstown, New Hampshire

Had fun great spot tables beach grilling great for family's I bring my daughter there all the time we love it .

We live with Bear Brook practically in our back yard. We spend a lot of time on the trails. They are always kept clear. There are some for hikers and some for bikers. In the winter there is plenty to do there also. read more

We took the time to explore the park via MTB. An amazing beautiful park with lots to check out, the 40 miles of trails and 10,000 acres were fun! A great place to ride with lots of different singletrack trails, Doubletrack, fun descents, long climbs and great views! The riding here can accommodate all abilities with many well know trails. Be sure to check out: Hemlock in the northwest corner, a fast, flowy, mostly flat singletrack Chipmunk: singletrack that parallels Podunk Road Alpe D'huez: Both up or down. With a name like that how can you not? Little Bear up, Big Bear down: awesome way to finish up by the parking lot. A couple of nice little launches on the way down. read more

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Beautiful, great parking options, maybe more trash cans on the walking trail? Noticed granola bar wrappers everywhere

This is a lovely patch of wildness in Southern New Hampshire made possible by some 10,000 acres of land protected by this state park. That's also about 15 mi.² The camping area is in the middle of the park and amazingly quiet. There are more than 100 primitive campsites. There are clean and fresh bath houses with flush toilets and showers but otherwise there are no sewer, water or electric hook ups for campers. So bring your tent or not too large camper to enjoy the fresh air, three ponds with decent fishing and a myriad of hikes from the easy to the not so easy. Birdwatchers will like the boardwalk through the swampy area at one end of Beaver Pond. The other end has a pleasant beach near the campsites. Pets are allowed. The Friendly crew takes pride in keeping the place clean and answering any questions. read more

Bear Brook State Park - Beaver Pond boardwalk - Parks Near Me - Allenstown, New Hampshire

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We hike in the White mountains and then camped here. Campsite is very nice. Each site is spacious and far from next site, so there is privacy. Each site has a fire ring, picnic table. Restroom is clean. One main restroom has shower (4 quarters for 5 minutes). Rangers are friendly at the store/office. The store has some general stuff including bars/ice cream/kitchen utensils/fire logs. Trails near the campground was okay. Next time I will try trails to the hills. read more

Not a good campsite for dogs. For camping this place wasn't great. They're very strict about their dog on leash policy. That made this less fun for me. My dog was sleeping on a bed near the fire and they made a point to come over and tell me she had to be leashed. I saw them do this to others too. Seems so silly. Also, during the day I wasn't allowed to play frisbee with my dog I my own camp site because, you guessed it, she had to be on a leash at all times. Dogs are also not allowed anywhere near the water. Obviously most places don't allow dogs where people swim, but there were signs that didn't allow dogs within 20 feet of the water. The signs threaten you could be evicted. Long story short, even though they allow dogs I would recommend you find a better place. read more

The hikes at bear Brook were very peaceful. We came to NH for a couple days to "gateway." Bear brook was close to our stay. Our dog is not used to going on hikes being around strangers and Lisa at the gate was VERY understanding. We appreciate her actions and words towards us. Thank you Lisa for being who you are, kind. read more

This place is gorgeous! My sister held her wedding here last month and it was beautiful. The ceremony was in a clearing down a hill and surrounded by tall trees, while the reception was in the large pavilion, with the huge stone fireplace. The site was easy to find and very private - no wedding crashers that I know of. There was also plenty of space to set up games like cornhole, and the large kitchen area in the back was ideal for the food served at the reception. read more

Bear Brook State Park - Parks Near Me - Allenstown, New Hampshire

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Very nice family oriented park right on the river good for swimming, picknic, hiking, camping nice beach, facilities

Camped for 1 night. Staff was super helpful and people friendly. Very dog friendly. 4 paws up read more

super fun camping experience. staff are helpful with firewood and are friendly. clean and nice fresh air!

I'm not really a fan of this park as a general rule. It pales in comparison to it's close neighbor Pawtuckaway. It's easy to get lost, so bring your GPS. There are hiking trails throughout the 10,000 acres that double up for snow mobiles in the winter. There are also 40 miles of trails, but they basically run along bug infested swamps and bogs, so bring your bug repellent. Unlike Pawtuckaway, with it's mountains and beachfronts, this is a lot of trees,trees,and nothing but trees. I love the outdoors, but this just doesn't cut it for me as an enthusiast of nature. I seldom see animals here as well and the visitors tend to be rowdy drunks,potheads looking to smoke, or loud families with screaming kids. It's far from peaceful. Also there's this creepy story about a murdered family who were killed and stuck in barrels in the park. So if the other stuff didn't do it for me, unsolved park murders certainly cross it off my must do list. http://oakhillresearch.blogspot.com/ read more

This is a 3.5 star rating, but I'm rounding up to 4 stars on this one. Bear Brook State Park is about a little over an hour away from Boston, depending on traffic, but offers a nice escape from city living! I've camped here twice and enjoyed both visits. I'll probably look elsewhere next year, as our group may have exhausted many of the more challenging hikes in these two trips. The campground can get crowded on the weekend and does attract a lot of families (when school is out of session). One one occasion, we camped before school was out of session and it was a little less crowded (we're all singles in our 30's). The campground store has a variety of items available for sale, firewood is $6 and will get you through dinner and the evening hours. Quiet time starts at 10:00 PM, and the campground host does drive through on occasion to make sure it's being adhered to. The campsites themselves can be a bit of mixed bag. While some are quite spacious and offer a fair amount of privacy, others do not afford that same quality. It's definitely worth noting the numbers of campsites you prefer if you intend to return, as the online booking system does not provide pictures of the campsites. For me hiking was definitely the highlight in terms of activities. There is a rather extensive trail system, with a fair amount of easy to moderate trails. The lake and its beach area are rather small and can get crowded on a warm weekend day. You also have the ability to rent canoes or one of the two kayaks by the hour. Once you get up here, turn off your cell phone and enjoy all that the park has to offer...plus cell phone service is close to non-existent. If you haven't been here and are looking for a weekend trip from the Boston area, this is a worthwhile spot to check out. read more

Wow, no other reviews?! Anyways... awesome park, with clearly defined trails, a nice beach, and a really nice running brook running through the whole thing. One of the nicest parks I've ever been to. It'd be especially amazing for bicyclists, and judging by all the signs is a snowmobiler's playground during the winter months. Highly recommended. read more

This review is only for Camping. Nice campground area, has nice pond for swimming, but will not be back. We had a bigger group(adults with kids) and we were told we were too loud multiple times. People next to us had generator running from 7 am to 2 pm ( very loud!!!) and apparently that was OK. read more

My wife and I are MTB riders and love advanced trails and loops. This park has all types of trails for MTB riders. If you are an advanced MTB rider, you should definitely try the Hemlock trail, Big Bear trail (starting from the Little Bear coming off Podunk Rd.) and then try doing the Catamount shortcut going up and coming down the regular Catamount trail if you have the guts to do that downhill ride which is not easy. Stay off the Bobcat, one mile, and Pitch Pine trails, they are flat and easy double tracks, no fun there. The top of the Catamount hill is beautiful, it has the best views of NH. read more

Went on a hike with my friend during Covid-19. The trails were clean and well kept, but the trails were poorly labeled which led to us getting lost. The map was inaccurate so looking at it when we were deep in the woods was not helpful. The trails were often only labeled "trail" rather than with the name which would be easier to navigate. We ended up having a great time, but hiked 9 miles when we only wanted to hike 1. I hope they get better trail signage. read more

really pretty trails during the fall! nice little beach to look at too. really enjoyed my walk!

Great park to camp as long as you pick the right sites. The site map is slightly deceiving, the lots are more congested than it looks on paper, but we found the perfect road and site for us. Awesome hiking trails and nice big pond/lake for swimming, fishing, canoeing, with a 1.5 mile trail around it also. Watch for black bears when you hike, there were some fresh wet (large) droppings on the trail in mid July. Great bridge between 2 ponds that we watched salmon swim below us and birds fly overhead while picking blueberries and eating them, a great combination for the senses. No complaints after spending 2 nights there in a tent. The office/store staff were all friendly and believe me they have everything you'd ever need should you forget anything, from matches to pots and pans right up to a tent even. Of course they have wood and ice, wood is a cheap $6.00 per bundle. We also found it convenient to chop fallen trees nearby for extra. The bathrooms were... bathrooms, and the coin op showers looked clean enough as youd expect. Playgrounds are modern and full of activities. This is now our semi-close to home "go to" park for a quick camp out. I recommend to families and first time(ish) campers that don't want to travel further north. read more

Bear Brook State Park - Site #16 #bearbrookstatepark - Parks Near Me - Allenstown, New Hampshire

I have been coming here in tents for over 20 years and never had any bad experiences. Well maybe the 1st time when I didn't know anything about camping..lol Definitely a great place for family camping or having a good time with friends... came here when I was in high school, college and now married with kids. If you are coming here for some privacy I definitely recommend sites from 12-17 (these are my favorite) 65-75 and 94, 95. Other spots are either too open for my taste, near bathrooms or loops where you might get more cars. Definitely don't get sites 90 and 93 because you have a playground area behind you, so if you want to take naps in the afternoon and you go there on a weekend where school is out..lol good luck. At night they're excellent at keeping noise down, rangers do drive around. Main entrance road comes from site 91 and the beach is at the end of site 26 so expect the most traffic with cars or people walking between those 2 points. The office/check-in is at the water fountain between site 46 and 2 where you can buy wood, rent canoes or buy any items you forgot to bring. If you fish they don't have any worms for sale, I usually buy them at the convenience store on rt28 pinewood road. Its on your left a few hundred feet back before you take a right on Deerfield road, I did that mistake twice because its 30-40 min round trip if you forget.. :D If you like trails there's definite plenty of those both for walking and biking..from just going around the lake 30 min walk to medium trails that can take anywhere from 2-5 hrs. There some activities for kids which just started a couple years ago. There's also a baseball field between sites 11 and 35 and a playground area which I mentioned above. Bathroom #1 w/showers are between 18-20 there was a site 19 but they removed it because the spot was to open and to close to the bathrooms so spot 18 its not that bad. Bathroom #2 w/showers are between 76 and 89 on the right. and bathroom #3 its between 62 and 49. Basically my overall experience has always been a A+, rain or shine. Hopefully this will help in your next trip at Bear Brook State Park read more

Excellent venue for winter sports. Tricky and technically difficult cross country ski tracks but amazing scenery.

This review is merely for camping. We're avid campers and have stayed all over New England, but chose this place as we were going with my dad (closer to him). We saw photographs of our site and it looked flat and leafy, pretty normal. However upon arrival, it turns out that was of the parking, our entire campsite was actually sloped, still covered in leaves/unkempt with a giant rock in the center. They couldn't find a flat place for the picnic table let alone us for our tents. Additionally there was a tree in the center, next to the rock, that caused everything to be rooted and rutty. The real problem came when we asked if there was availability to move (no, which is normal), however when we got back in our car, we heard them making fun of us for even asking!!! Upon looking around further, we saw many more sites with similar problems. Stayed and made the best of it, 2 stars ONLY because they are dog friendly. read more

Perfect location for our wedding! Full parking lot, pavilion with restrooms and open area for both a large tent and yard games. Very easy to deal with and can't beat the price. Cleanest restrooms in the history of state parks! read more