0
Pull-thru
USFSWhite Mountain National Forest · New Hampshire
Cold River
Overview Cold River Campground is located in a rustic, remote part of White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire, about 15 miles north of Fryeburg, Maine.
Sites148 reservable
Elev.633ft
Comf.May-Oct6 months
Max rig40 ft
Electricnonesites
From Concord2h46real road time
The honest read
Synthesized from
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
At 633 ft, Cold River has a 6-month comfortable window (May-Oct). Winter nights average around 14°F, so the shoulder seasons turn cold fast. 14 sites total: 8 reservable and 6 first-come, first-served. Within about 4 miles: 18 peaks, lake or river access.
The campground at a glance
01 · CHARACTER
Reads strongest on shade and reservability. Softest on roomy sites.
Six axes, each scored relative to every other federal campground in the region: quiet (miles to a major road), cool (elevation), roomy (average site spacing), shade, RV-fit (longest rig), and how reservable it is. All six come from data, nothing hand-tuned.
When to go
02 · CLIMATE
avg highavg lowfrost-freedriest · Mar
May-Oct
Comfortable window: nights stay above 35°F, days below 90°F.
70%
Of summer weekend-days are dry.
May 4
Last spring frost; first fall frost Oct 27.
62°F
Average July low.
Getting there
03 · ACCESS
01
Concord
103 mi
2h46
02
Manchester
121 mi
3h08
03
Boston
160 mi
3h49
By drive time
Routed road time (OSRM). Nearest major highway 8.3 mi away.
Picking your site
04 · 14 SITES
Color byShow only
14 mapped sites · dot color = seclusion · click a dot for details. Basemap © OpenStreetMap.
0
Walk-in
0
50-amp
8
Accessible
0
Prime
14
Sites
★ The standout
Site 007
COLD · shaded.
To neighbor
173 ft
Max rig
40 ft
Type
Standard
What's within four miles
05 · TRAILS · PEAKS · WATER
Trails & Peaks
Trail segments
99
Peaks
18
Viewpoints
2
Water & Access
Lake / river access
yes
To nearest major road
8.3 mi
Method
We synthesize public data layers: RIDB and Recreation.gov facility and site records, Open-Meteo climate normals, OpenStreetMap roads, trails, and water, OSRM drive times, and USGS elevation. We take no bookings, no ads, and no paid placements. Independence is the entire point.