Barnes Field Campground
- Right now
- Nobody has saidNo season, no closure, no bookings to read
- Sites
- 11All of them booked ahead
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 10 notices
In the agency’s own words
Located 6 miles south of Gorham, New Hampshire, at the base of New England's tallest peak, the historic Barnes Field Campground provides a scenic and private space for organizations, families and others to gather. The campground is one of a few in the area that remains open in winter, providing first-come, first-served winter camping for individuals or groups. It is adjacent to Dolly Copp Campground. Lush forests, spectacular mountain views and convenience to outdoor recreation and scenic driving draw visitors to Barnes Field, which also provides access to some of the most popular hikes in the White Mountains. The surrounding White Mountain National Forest encompasses nearly 800,000 acres in New Hampshire and western Maine, and is one of the most popular forests in the country. Keep reading
Recreation
The campground is a popular spot for groups to camp, picnic and hike. It is a hub for hikes into the Presidential and Carter-Moriah Ranges. The Daniel Webster Scout Trail leaves from the southern end of Dolly Copp Campground into the Great Gulf Wilderness on the northeast side of Mount Washington. Many more miles of trails can be accessed within a short drive. Within the facility, anglers can try their luck for brook trout in the creek and river. Families can learn more through educational programs presented at Dolly Copp on weekends in July and August. The end of the camping season may also offer great opportunities for viewing fall foliage, and winter brings much fun for snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and ice climbing enthusiasts. Learn more about recreation in the national forest.
Facilities
The campground is organized in a single loop on a field that was farmed in the early 1900s. It features large, open sites designed for larger than normal camping parties and large organized groups. Both standard and tent-only sites are available. The facility provides water and restrooms; Dolly Copp Campground has additional amenities. Winter camping is first-come, first-served for camping parties of any size. Individuals camping in winter may need to share these large sites.
Natural Features
Barnes Field is situated in a mixed hardwood, spruce and pine forest at the base of 6,288-ft. Mount Washington, the highest peak north of the Smoky Mountains and east of the Mississippi River. The Peabody River and Culhane Brook pass by the facility as well. The national forest is home to many species of northern wildlife, including moose, white-tailed deer and black bear. Almost 200 species of birds, including the rare Bicknell's Thrush, live in the White Mountains. Summer temperatures are often very pleasant; however mountain weather can change drastically, putting visitors at risk for exposure to cold, rain and snow even during summer. Winters bring bitter cold and severe weather. Campers should come prepared.
Nearby Attractions
Numerous hiking trails, mountain biking trails and rock climbing routes are within a short drive of the campground. The nearby towns of North Conway, Jackson and Gorham provide shops, restaurants, supplies and other conveniences. In summer, confident campers can try the drive up the steep Mount Washington Auto Road to catch a view from the Northeast's highest peak. Guided tours are also available. The Cog Railway ascends the other side of the mountain, and is about an hour drive from Dolly Copp. The White Mountains region hosts four alpine and five nordic ski areas, which provide year-round recreation opportunities. Contact Info For facility specific information, please call (802) 289-0970.
What the agency tells you
This campground has a Winter rate of $18.00 per vehicle through May 21, 2025. Fees are determined by group size from May - Oct. and by vehicle number through the remainder of the year.
All camping gear must be kept on gravel (tents, tables, RVs).
No switching sites upon arrival.
Everything else this campground posts · 7
Be bear aware; keep all food out of site in approved containers or locked inside a hard-sided vehicle and remove all food from area after eating.
Reserved Sites will be held until checkout time (NOON) the day following your arrival date. Sites must be occupied by the checkout time of the second day to hold a reservation or the site will be forfeited and released to other guests.
Once your reservation start date has begun, neither the Recreation.gov Contact Center nor the campground manager will be able to modify your reservation
Refunds: Refund requests made through www.recreation.gov will be charged a $10 processing fee. This fee is retained by the reservation service contractor along with the non-refundable reservation fee. All requests for the return of the non-refundable reservation fee and the cancellation fee will be declined by the campground concessionaire as they did not receive these fees (these are the fees retained by the reservation contractor, a different entity).
Visitors should be prepared for rugged trails and changing weather: Hike Safe
Don't move firewood: To limit the spread of invasive tree-killing pests, firewood from outside the area is not permitted. Some states have quarantines and may confiscate your firewood. Please help protect our forests from invasive species by obtaining your firewood at or near your camping destination and burning it on-site. Visit dontmovefirewood.org for more information.
Click here to learn more about White Mountain National Forest website
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 11 · 4 tent-only, 11 group
- Hookups
- None
- Longest rig
- 40 ft
- Accessible sites
- None listed
- Pets
- Allowed
- Shade
- Every site
Facilities
- Stay limit
- 14 nights
- recreation.gov facility rule maxStay
Around the campground
- On the water
- River, Creek
- Hiking
- Winter sports
- Night sky · 8th darkest of 28 in NH
- Bortle 3
- Fall color · reported 4 days ago, 8.6 km away
- Minimal color
Nothing on the booking system for the next 30 nightsread 16:11 UTC
Every site here is reservable, and the record lists none held back for anyone who drives up.
Every one of the next thirty nights is in recreation.gov’s record and not one site is being offered on any of them. That’s a campground closed or not yet released for booking, not a sold-out one.
Watch for a cancellation
Full? Watch it.
One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
Tell me when the season opens
Watch for the season to open
One email when the season goes on sale, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We check once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time the agency has that season on sale.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.
Every line of the receipt · 10
What you actually pay
Who keeps the booking fee
The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →
How we know this receipt · 4
recreation.gov availability, read 16:11 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
11 sites · which ones have room · the site map
The sites, ranked
from 11 mapped sitesAll 11 sites
Toilet distances are OpenStreetMap’s, measured for 11 of the 11 sites listed. A site with no reading is unknown, never far.
Measured shade is NLCD Tree Canopy Cover 2024 (USDA Forest Service / MRLC) read at the site’s own coordinate, 27% canopy or more, and only for the sites the agency gave no Shade value. It never changes the agency’s own shaded count beside it.
| BARN | 001 | group tent only area nonelectric | 20 ft | 48 ft | 139 ft | 228 ft |
| BARN | 002 | group standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 51 ft | 200 ft | 145 ft |
| BARN | 003 | group standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 53 ft | 113 ft | 237 ft |
| BARN | 004 | group standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 51 ft | 207 ft | 137 ft |
| BARN | 005 | group standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 105 ft | 309 ft | 53 ft |
| BARN | 006 | group standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 81 ft | 243 ft | 99 ft |
| BARN | 007 | group tent only area nonelectric | 20 ft | 105 ft | 343 ft | 140 ft |
| BARN | 008 | group tent only area nonelectric | 25 ft | 49 ft | 149 ft | 174 ft |
| BARN | 009 | group tent only area nonelectric | 40 ft | 49 ft | 118 ft | 214 ft |
| BARN | 010 | group standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 78 ft | 183 ft | 180 ft |
| BARN | 011 | group standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 48 ft | 103 ft | 265 ft |
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Dolly CoppWhite Mountain National Forest · 0.4 miRattle River ShelterWhite Mountain National Forest · 6.2 miWild River CampgroundWhite Mountain National Forest · 8.0 mi
Black Mountain CabinWhite Mountain National Forest · 10 mi
Basin CampgroundWhite Mountain National Forest · 11 mi
Cold RiverWhite Mountain National Forest · 11 miFrom Gorham, New Hampshire: Take Highway 16 south for approximately 5 miles to Dolly Copp Road. Turn right and travel approximately 1 mile to the campground. Follow signs.
From North Conway, New Hampshire: Take Highway 302 to Glen. Turn right onto State Route 16 north and follow for about 22 miles. Turn left onto Dolly Copp Road and travel approximately 1 mile to the campground. Follow signs.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Gorham, NH
Typical weather
Typical October night 35°F, day 54°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical January night 6°F, below freezing. Bring a bag rated colder than that, and expect ice in the water bottle.
Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more
A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Julys are colder than the July line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.
The land, and who answers for it
what threatens it · who answers for it
What threatens this place
You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.
Who answers for this land
Barnes Field Campground is in New Hampshire’s 2nd congressional district. Its representative, Maggie Goodlander (D), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: A+. See every public-lands vote →