Pawtuckaway State Park Campground

Absolutely adored Pawtuckaway State Park. We camped there back in 2013 for a week in September. The sites on Horse Head Island are mostly right on the lake and the facilities are well kept. Definitely planning on a return trip soon. Ideal campsites on Horse Head are 7, 19, 62 & 74.

This is a very popular state park with wonderful trails and a large lake to explore. Many of the sites are waterfront. No hookups for RVs but water is supplied and there are clean showers in the bath houses.

We had a wonderful weekend. We took advantage of the hiking trails, we took a very adventurous mountain bike ride and the kayaking was so nice! There is fun bouldering in the park and rock climbing.

We were in site 63 but... 62 would have been even nicer. We were in our camper so we did not use the restrooms. On previous trips, the bath houses proved to be fairly average.

Our site was right on the lake and quiet but faced lake residences (across the "channel" we were on). We enjoyed the multitude of boats and kayaks floating past us!

Groceries and stores are 20 minutes away.

First the bad: No dump station on site or nearby. This is unsatisfactory for the price you are paying. Very over-priced: $30 for a parking spot with no services or dump. Our site on Horse Island was over 3 miles from the front entrance to the park. Neighbors are close and very noisy especially on weekends. Our adult neighbor thought that it was great to yell out whoops all day. The roads are not good and since you have to drive 3 miles in, it takes a while. Bathrooms are old and in disrepair.

The good: Sites on the lake are scenic but sloped from front to back. The Tuckaway restaurant in Raymond, NH is awesome and worth a stop. Nice hiking trails in the park but you have to park 1/2 mile from the trailhead.

If you hike near any water, bring a mosquito head net and cover your skin, they are bad. Mosquitoes were not as bad in the campground, Citronella and Thermacell kept them away.

AT&T service was good with 3 bars, no HDTV channels.

We stayed here 1 night and had to move spots. Our fifth-wheel could not get into site 58 because of large trees and the 90 degree angle. We moved to site 7 where we could back in. No services, not even a dump station and we were far from the entrance to the park.

We stayed here for 4 nights in early October of 2022. The nightly rate is averaged with any online fee to reserve the site. We were in site 8 on Horse Island which was fine for our 22 Imagine 17MKE. Site 7 would have been difficult to get in to... Prior reviews state no dump station (yep - bummer) and wonky sites. My suggestion is to thouroughly check out sites online if you do have an RV. There are loads of fabulous tent sites and quite a few that would fit smaller RVs and a few that would fit larger RVs. Many of the sites are long back ins (not super fun with a large rig) or are curved and/or slanted. Many would be hard for larger rigs. Also, no trash except for out closer to the entrance and yes, Horse Island is a long way from the entrance. Dry camping, but there were bathhouses (didn't use) scattered around.
That is pretty much the cons. The pros - gorgeous! And very quiet when we were here.
4 stars for no dump.
We would definitely camp here again!
For a campground review video (with a lot more info): https://youtu.be/loGko4IfLS8

Stayed here with a 15 foot teardrop. Signed up for stie 58. Two trees border the opening with no easy way to back turn in
Switched to 58 wich was a great site for vehicles much larger than mine. Showers and bathrooms clean. Place being renovated late 2024 to add bathrooms and more showers
Great sites right on the water wood to buy. We were there mid October. 8 out of 40 sites on horse island occupied. Would definitely come back in fall

Stayed here 10/16/23. Pretty sure our site was #65 on Horse Island. Our experience was wonderful. It was off-season quiet during their last week of full operation. Amazing views, friendly Rangers. Yes, the bathouse is a bit dated, theres no dump and amenities are few, but the waterfront site and privacy are very special. Lots of hiking trails and fall walks through crunchy leaves.
I'd recommend this highly as an October escape.