RV Parks In Bristol, Vermont

The closest RV base is Green Mountain Family Campground, a private park on 42 acres inside the Green Mountain National Forest just south of Bristol, with full, partial, and primitive sites plus a pool, trails, and even winterized sites. For a public lakeside option, Branbury State Park sits on Lake Dunmore about 15 miles south with wooded and beach-side sites and a dump station. If you want full electric, water, and sewer, Lake Dunmore Kampersville in Salisbury handles big rigs up to 50 feet. Between the three you can pick hookups, scenery, or price.

Yes, but you have to pick the right park. Green Mountain Family Campground offers full-hookup sites alongside electric-and-water and primitive options, and Lake Dunmore Kampersville down in Salisbury provides full electric, water, and sewer with 30 and 50 amp service and pull-throughs for rigs up to 50 feet. The public choice, Branbury State Park, follows the Vermont State Parks model and has no hookups at the sites at all, though it does keep an RV sanitary dump station on the property. If sewer at your site matters, book one of the two private parks rather than the state park.

Bristol camping is moderate for New England. Private full-hookup sites at Green Mountain Family Campground start around $47 a night, and Lake Dunmore Kampersville runs in a similar range depending on the site and season. Branbury State Park is cheaper on a per-night basis since it has no hookups, but you trade sewer and electric for lakeshore scenery. Foliage weekends in early October command the highest rates and sell out first, while late spring and midweek summer stays are the best value. Many parks also offer weekly rates that lower your effective nightly cost.

For summer weekends and especially the early-October foliage peak, reserve as far ahead as you can. Vermont State Parks like Branbury open their reservation window months in advance and the best lakeside sites go quickly, so booking in late winter or early spring is smart for fall color. The private parks, Green Mountain Family Campground and Lake Dunmore Kampersville, also fill their full-hookup and pull-through sites on summer weekends, so call or book online a few weeks out at minimum. Midweek and shoulder-season stays are far easier and often available on short notice.

Summer through foliage season is the sweet spot. June through August brings warm days, cool nights, and prime time at the Bristol Falls swimming hole on the New Haven River. Early to mid October is spectacular for fall color and cooler camping, though it is the busiest and priciest stretch of the year. Spring is quiet but wet, with mud season and black flies into late May, and most parks do not open until mid-May. Winter shuts down nearly everything except a few winterized sites, so plan a cold-weather rig if you visit off-season.

Yes, if you plan the approach and the park. Lake Dunmore Kampersville is the most big-rig-friendly option, with pull-through full-hookup sites for RVs up to 50 feet. Green Mountain Family Campground can take larger rigs too, though its forest setting means some sites are tighter, so call ahead. The bigger issue is the drive in: do not bring a large rig over VT-17 and the Appalachian Gap, which is a steep, switchbacked mountain pass. Come from the west on US-7 and VT-116 instead, where the roads are easy two-lane highways.

Options are limited but they exist. Parts of the surrounding Green Mountain National Forest allow dispersed camping for self-contained rigs at no charge, but the forest roads are narrow and better suited to vans and smaller RVs than to big fifth-wheels. There is no sanctioned free overnight parking in downtown Bristol, and the small-town retail lots are not set up for it. If you want a developed site without a long reservation lead time, your best bet is a midweek stay at one of the private parks or a first-come state-park site outside the foliage rush.

No. Like the rest of the Vermont State Parks system, Branbury State Park does not provide electric, water, or sewer hookups at its campsites. What it does have is a beautiful setting on Lake Dunmore, with 19 wooded tent and RV sites, 17 grassy sites near the beach, and 7 lean-tos, plus an RV sanitary dump station for emptying tanks before or after your stay. It is the scenic, quieter, lower-cost choice for self-sufficient RVers who can run on their batteries and fresh water. If you need hookups at the site, choose Green Mountain Family Campground or Lake Dunmore Kampersville instead.

Bristol Falls is the reason a lot of travelers stop here, and it lives up to the hype. It is a 14-foot waterfall on the New Haven River about two miles east of town, with deep pools, shallow wading spots, smooth picnic rocks, and a rope swing, and it regularly makes lists of the best swimming holes in New England. You can camp close by at Green Mountain Family Campground just south of town. Parking at the falls along Lincoln Road is limited and not RV-friendly, so leave the rig at camp and walk, bike, or shuttle over in a tow vehicle.

Approach Bristol from the west. US-7 is the main north-south artery through the Champlain Valley, and from New Haven or Middlebury you turn east onto VT-116 or VT-17 for a short, easy run into town on gentle two-lane roads. Do not take a large rig eastbound on VT-17 over the Appalachian Gap toward the Mad River Valley; it is a steep, hairpin mountain pass that can be hazardous for big RVs and closes in winter. I-89 near Burlington is about 35 miles north if you are coming off the interstate system.

Plenty for an active few days. The New Haven River offers fishing and kayaking right by downtown, and Bristol has a walkable Main Street with local dining, shops, and a village green worth an afternoon. Hikers can climb Mount Abraham, a 4,003-foot Green Mountain summit on a 5.2-mile round-trip Long Trail route, or take the shorter walk up to Bristol Ledges for open cliff-top views over the valley. Middlebury, about 13 miles southwest, adds a college town, a river gorge, and more restaurants and services if you want a day off the trails.

Mostly no. Vermont winters are cold and snowy, and Branbury State Park along with the Lake Dunmore parks close for the season, typically reopening in mid-May. The main exception is Green Mountain Family Campground, which keeps winterized sites available for self-contained RVs that can handle the cold. If you camp here in winter, plan on running your own heat, insulating your rig, and managing water carefully, since hookups and services are minimal. For most travelers, the practical camping window in Bristol runs from late spring through the October foliage season.

For dumping, the private parks handle their own guests and Branbury State Park keeps an RV sanitary dump station on site, which non-campers can sometimes use for a small fee. Propane refills are available at dealers in Bristol and in nearby Middlebury, about 13 miles southwest, which is also your best bet for full supermarkets, larger RV service, and diesel along US-7. Staying a while? See our companion guide to RV dump stations in Bristol for the specifics on emptying your tanks around town before you head into the Green Mountains.

The closest RV base is Green Mountain Family Campground, a private park on 42 acres inside the Green Mountain National Forest just south of Bristol, with full, partial, and primitive sites plus a pool, trails, and even winterized sites. For a public lakeside option, Branbury State Park sits on Lake Dunmore about 15 miles south with wooded and beach-side sites and a dump station. If you want full electric, water, and sewer, Lake Dunmore Kampersville in Salisbury handles big rigs up to 50 feet. Between the three you can pick hookups, scenery, or price.

Yes, but you have to pick the right park. Green Mountain Family Campground offers full-hookup sites alongside electric-and-water and primitive options, and Lake Dunmore Kampersville down in Salisbury provides full electric, water, and sewer with 30 and 50 amp service and pull-throughs for rigs up to 50 feet. The public choice, Branbury State Park, follows the Vermont State Parks model and has no hookups at the sites at all, though it does keep an RV sanitary dump station on the property. If sewer at your site matters, book one of the two private parks rather than the state park.

Bristol camping is moderate for New England. Private full-hookup sites at Green Mountain Family Campground start around $47 a night, and Lake Dunmore Kampersville runs in a similar range depending on the site and season. Branbury State Park is cheaper on a per-night basis since it has no hookups, but you trade sewer and electric for lakeshore scenery. Foliage weekends in early October command the highest rates and sell out first, while late spring and midweek summer stays are the best value. Many parks also offer weekly rates that lower your effective nightly cost.

For summer weekends and especially the early-October foliage peak, reserve as far ahead as you can. Vermont State Parks like Branbury open their reservation window months in advance and the best lakeside sites go quickly, so booking in late winter or early spring is smart for fall color. The private parks, Green Mountain Family Campground and Lake Dunmore Kampersville, also fill their full-hookup and pull-through sites on summer weekends, so call or book online a few weeks out at minimum. Midweek and shoulder-season stays are far easier and often available on short notice.

Summer through foliage season is the sweet spot. June through August brings warm days, cool nights, and prime time at the Bristol Falls swimming hole on the New Haven River. Early to mid October is spectacular for fall color and cooler camping, though it is the busiest and priciest stretch of the year. Spring is quiet but wet, with mud season and black flies into late May, and most parks do not open until mid-May. Winter shuts down nearly everything except a few winterized sites, so plan a cold-weather rig if you visit off-season.

Yes, if you plan the approach and the park. Lake Dunmore Kampersville is the most big-rig-friendly option, with pull-through full-hookup sites for RVs up to 50 feet. Green Mountain Family Campground can take larger rigs too, though its forest setting means some sites are tighter, so call ahead. The bigger issue is the drive in: do not bring a large rig over VT-17 and the Appalachian Gap, which is a steep, switchbacked mountain pass. Come from the west on US-7 and VT-116 instead, where the roads are easy two-lane highways.

Options are limited but they exist. Parts of the surrounding Green Mountain National Forest allow dispersed camping for self-contained rigs at no charge, but the forest roads are narrow and better suited to vans and smaller RVs than to big fifth-wheels. There is no sanctioned free overnight parking in downtown Bristol, and the small-town retail lots are not set up for it. If you want a developed site without a long reservation lead time, your best bet is a midweek stay at one of the private parks or a first-come state-park site outside the foliage rush.

No. Like the rest of the Vermont State Parks system, Branbury State Park does not provide electric, water, or sewer hookups at its campsites. What it does have is a beautiful setting on Lake Dunmore, with 19 wooded tent and RV sites, 17 grassy sites near the beach, and 7 lean-tos, plus an RV sanitary dump station for emptying tanks before or after your stay. It is the scenic, quieter, lower-cost choice for self-sufficient RVers who can run on their batteries and fresh water. If you need hookups at the site, choose Green Mountain Family Campground or Lake Dunmore Kampersville instead.

Bristol Falls is the reason a lot of travelers stop here, and it lives up to the hype. It is a 14-foot waterfall on the New Haven River about two miles east of town, with deep pools, shallow wading spots, smooth picnic rocks, and a rope swing, and it regularly makes lists of the best swimming holes in New England. You can camp close by at Green Mountain Family Campground just south of town. Parking at the falls along Lincoln Road is limited and not RV-friendly, so leave the rig at camp and walk, bike, or shuttle over in a tow vehicle.

Approach Bristol from the west. US-7 is the main north-south artery through the Champlain Valley, and from New Haven or Middlebury you turn east onto VT-116 or VT-17 for a short, easy run into town on gentle two-lane roads. Do not take a large rig eastbound on VT-17 over the Appalachian Gap toward the Mad River Valley; it is a steep, hairpin mountain pass that can be hazardous for big RVs and closes in winter. I-89 near Burlington is about 35 miles north if you are coming off the interstate system.

Plenty for an active few days. The New Haven River offers fishing and kayaking right by downtown, and Bristol has a walkable Main Street with local dining, shops, and a village green worth an afternoon. Hikers can climb Mount Abraham, a 4,003-foot Green Mountain summit on a 5.2-mile round-trip Long Trail route, or take the shorter walk up to Bristol Ledges for open cliff-top views over the valley. Middlebury, about 13 miles southwest, adds a college town, a river gorge, and more restaurants and services if you want a day off the trails.

Mostly no. Vermont winters are cold and snowy, and Branbury State Park along with the Lake Dunmore parks close for the season, typically reopening in mid-May. The main exception is Green Mountain Family Campground, which keeps winterized sites available for self-contained RVs that can handle the cold. If you camp here in winter, plan on running your own heat, insulating your rig, and managing water carefully, since hookups and services are minimal. For most travelers, the practical camping window in Bristol runs from late spring through the October foliage season.

For dumping, the private parks handle their own guests and Branbury State Park keeps an RV sanitary dump station on site, which non-campers can sometimes use for a small fee. Propane refills are available at dealers in Bristol and in nearby Middlebury, about 13 miles southwest, which is also your best bet for full supermarkets, larger RV service, and diesel along US-7. Staying a while? See our companion guide to RV dump stations in Bristol for the specifics on emptying your tanks around town before you head into the Green Mountains.

Yes — there are free RV waste disposal options available near Bristol.