Lafayette Place Campground

Lafayette Place Campground is the campground inside Franconia Notch State Park: 97 wooded tent sites at $35 a night, open from late May through Columbus Day weekend. 88 sites are reservation only and 7 are first-come, first-served. Book online or at 1-877-647-2757 (1-877-NHPARKS), up to 11 months ahead. Pets are not allowed. It sits in the middle of the Notch on the southbound side of I-93, at the trailheads for Lonesome Lake and across from the Franconia Ridge Loop.

Campsites and Facilities

• 97 wooded tent sites in total: 88 by reservation only, 1 for youth group reservations, and 7 for first-come, first-served campers.
• Each site has a picnic table, car parking and an open fireplace. The state asks campers not to move the fireplaces.
• Coin-operated showers, open 24 hours.
• A lodge with the registration desk and a small camp store, open 8am to 9pm, selling firewood, charcoal, ice, milk and snacks, plus brochures and weather reports.
• A visitor center cabin near the entrance with information on trails, hiking safety and the Notch's natural and cultural history. Interpretive programs run in summer.

The state publishes a campground map (PDF) and a policies sheet (PDF).

Price and Season

Sites are $35 a night. In 2026 the campground opened full-time on May 22, and October 11 was the last reservable night. The state's policies sheet describes the normal reservable season as mid-May through Columbus Day weekend. Visitors who come to see campers pay the park's day-use fee and may stay only during posted visitor hours.

How to Reserve

• Online through the state's reservation system, linked from NH State Parks.
• By phone at 1-877-647-2757 (1-877-NHPARKS).
• NH State Parks opens camping reservations 11 months in advance.
• The 7 first-come sites are the only option without a booking. Call the park at 603-823-9513 before driving up on a busy weekend.
• Organized youth group camping must be booked by calling the Concord office at (603) 271-3556. It is not available online.

Rules to Know Before You Go

• Check-in: every camper, even with a reservation, registers at the campground office between 1pm and 8pm. Check-out is 11am.
• Payment is due at registration: cash, money order, Mastercard, Visa or Discover.
• Quiet hours are 10pm to 7am. No generators during quiet hours.
• No pets in the campground.
• No firewood from out of state. It is against New Hampshire law (RSA 227-K:17) because firewood spreads insects and tree diseases. Buy it at the lodge.
• Don't cut standing trees or their limbs.
• Wildlife: keep a clean site and lock food and scented items in your car at night. The state warns that raccoons open coolers and bears destroy them.

Getting There and Hiker Parking

The campground's entrance is off the southbound lanes of I-93. Northbound drivers use Exit 34B to turn around, as the state's brochure advises. Hikers may not park in the campground or at campsites; they use the separate hiker lots outside it. See parking for every lot.

Winter and Off-Season Camping

Lafayette Place stays open for primitive winter camping. There is no running water in winter, only a vault toilet, and camping is carry-in, carry-out. Primitive tent sites with no facilities use a self-registration pay station, which the state says begins after October 9. Off-season staffing is limited.

Cannon RV Park

If you have an RV, Lafayette Place is tents only; the park's RV option is Cannon RV Park, seven sites on the north shore of Echo Lake. It is open year-round. From Memorial Day weekend through Columbus Day, sites have water, sewer and electric hookups; off-season it is carry-in, carry-out with electric only. RVs must be self-contained with a restroom on board, and pop-ups are not permitted. The state's two pages give different nightly rates, so check the price when you book.

What's Close By

The campground sits along the Franconia Notch bike path, and the state lists easy access to the Flume, the Basin, Boise Rock, Echo Lake, Profile Lake and the Old Man of the Mountain historic site.