Confession time! I am not a fan of camping. However, my oldest son has been bugging me to do real camping in the US for literally over one year. Most of the places we’ve been to in the past year haven’t exactly been camping friendly. So when I started to plan our trip to Vermont, I made him a cross-your-heart-hope-to-die type of promise to camp.

Now the main challenge for me was to not only find a fun family camping ground with all the camping amenities but one that offers a cabin for the not-such-excited-campers (me and my brother mainly).

Brewster River Campground in the Smugglers’ Notch area quickly came on my radar. Once I started to talk to Tim, the owner, I knew we had found the place.

The campsite is located about ten minutes from Smugglers’ Notch Resort and ArborTrek Canopy Adventures. And less than thirty minutes from Stowe Village.

Related Read: Smuggler Notch Resort Review

Smugglers Notch Campground

Tim’s campsite, which is literally located right on Brewster River, hence the name, is one of those true campsites that I used to visit when I was younger. Age has taken the camper out of me.

The campsites, 26 in total, were privately set apart with a campfire area and a clean spot along the River, covered by trees, where you can place your tent of any size. We had a six-person tent with a small porch-like area – basically, it was huge – and there were tons of space for an even bigger one.

Brewster River Campground

Since I had requested the Loft, which is the apartment, our campsite was right next to it. Now that we’ve visited the place, I actually think – campsite #7 – is one of the best ones there.

It was right next to the shared bathrooms, below the Loft.

Each site comes with a place to make your fire and a grill. With a picnic table.

The firewood was super close, which you can buy for $5. There is a cart you can use to cart your wood with, very convenient.

In the same place where the firewood was, there were extra chairs to sit around the campfire.

Recommended Post: Hiking Spruce mountain, Vermont

The Campground and River

The campground is located literally along the river. You can hear the flow of the water as you hang out at your site. It’s such a refreshing and beautiful sound, especially when you are coming from a city.

Along the river is a little path, following the campsites, which takes you to a twenty-foot waterfall and swimming hole. This was less than a five-minute walk from our site. You can request staying as close to the waterfall as you want, there are sites leading up to it.

Some of the sites have small cabins and lean-to’s on them, no bathrooms. So you can opt for one of these enclosed spaces as well.

The waterfall is great for swimming and just chilling out on the huge boulders that surround it.

The Loft – for the ‘Other’ Type of Campers

This was the deal maker for me. The apartment.

This place came with a full kitchen, refrigerator, microwave, and coffee maker. Tons of games to play. A private bathroom with hot showers. One bedroom with a queen-sized bed.

The living room had a pull-out couch as well.

You do need to bring your own sheets, pillowcases, and towels. Blankets and pillows are supplied for you.

No internet! Well, technically there isn’t any. However, Tim said if you really need to use it, he can set it up from his house. We declined. I might not be a tent sleeper or dweller, but I did want to disconnect and be with my family.

And one thing that is also important to think about, is your air mattress getting a hole. Here’s a guide to finding the hole in your air mattress and how to fix it.

Video Fun

More Features and Info for Brewster River Campground

• There are sites that have water and electric hook-ups available.
• Three sites are for small trailers/RVs with water and electric hook-ups.
• A trail to Mt. Mansfield, the highest point in Vermont, can be easily accessed from the campground.
• Horseback riding, fishing, bicycling, and canoe/kayak outings on the Lamoille River are all available locally.

Information for Staying at Brewster River Campground

Tim doesn’t take any walk-in which is great. I found in the past that many campsites allow anyone off the road, and a lot of times they are not the best camp neighbors to have. Even though, it’s hard to determine what kind of people you still get when making direct reservations. He does like to have a screening process.

With that said, the campground is open from Mid May until November and I highly recommend making reservations in advance, especially during the summer months and on weekends. Since the place isn’t huge, it does get filled up quickly.

Phone – 802-644-6582

• Tent site without electric hook-up: $25 per night
• Tent site with electric hook-up: $30 per night
• RV/camper with hook-ups: $30 per night
• Lean-to: $43 per night
• Cabin: $54 per night
• Loft (apartment): $80 per night

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