Lincoln/Woodstock KOA in New Hampshire: A Review
Head to the Lincoln/Woodstock KOA in New Hampshire for the perfect home base for exploring the White Mountains!
This family friendly campground is just five minutes from everything you’d need in Lincoln, while still retaining a laidback, woodsy feel.
You’ll find a variety of camping options here, including back-in and pull-through spots, glamping tents, and cabins, so your family can camp however feels best.
Plus, there are plenty of activities onsite, so you don’t have to even leave the campground (unless you want to). But the campground is also close to the Kancamagus Highway, Franconia Notch State Park, and Mt. Washington if you’re looking for adventure.
In the review below, you’ll find everything you need to know about this campground, including photos of the campground property and details about every part of our stay from check-in to check-out.
Having fun in the Granite State at the Lincoln/Woodstock KOA!
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Camping in Lincoln, New Hampshire: What to Consider
Lincoln, New Hampshire, is an adorable town at the western end of the scenic Kangamagus Highway.
It’s also only 45 minutes from the New Hampshire-Maine border, and 2 hours from the U.S.-Canada border, making it well positioned if you wanted to do day trips to other areas while you’re here.
In Lincoln-proper, you’ll find restaurants, shopping, and grocery stores, so you’re not far from essentials if you need them while you’re camping here.
We decided on the Lincoln/Woodstock KOA because of its great online reviews, and location near all of the things we were in that area to see, including the incredible Flume Gorge hike in Franconia Notch State Park.
Other Camping Options Nearby
Our camper parked at site 18
The White Mountains of New Hampshire are a beloved outdoor retreat for both New Englanders and Canadians alike, so there are several camping options in the larger Lincoln/Woodstock area.
For an inexpensive but no-frills option, there’s the Russell Pond Campground in the White Mountain National Forest to the east of Lincoln.
For a campground that’s more similar to the KOA, Camp Maple Haven is north of Lincoln in North Woodstock, and it has plenty of family friendly amenities like a playground
We ultimately settled on the Lincoln/Woodstock KOA for a couple of reasons.
One, I loved that there were so many things to do on-site for us. We were on a multi-week road trip through New England, and it is important for us to build in rest days and down time when we’re gone for that long.
And two, I had points saved up from our many other camping trips around the U.S. and was able to upgrade us to one of the deluxe patio lots here.
That upgrade included a pull-through lot, a grill, table and chairs and an end cap position. (More on the actual site below!)
Now, that we’ve actually stayed there, I’m glad we chose the KOA!
Lincoln/Woodstock KOA Review
One of the many cute planters around the property
After spending over 2 weeks exploring Maine and Acadia National Park, we turned west to head into New Hampshire.
My entire catalyst for visiting this part of New Hampshire was the Flume Gorge hike at Franconia Notch State Park, but I was also excited about hiking, visiting Mt. Washington via the cog railway, and doing some scenic driving along the Kancamagus Highway.
The Lincoln/ Woodstock KOA ended up being perfect for that part of our road trip. (And, funny enough, we left Woodstock, New Hampshire to go to Woodstock, Vermont later in this route! Be careful where you set your GPS in this part of New England because it could get very confusing very quickly.)
We stayed here for 4 nights, and I cannot say enough wonderful things about the staff, who went out of their way to welcome us and check in with us throughout our stay.
The property was clean, well staffed and an excellent stop for this part of our road trip.
Here are some of my New England planning resources to help you out:
Check-in Process
The front office and camp store
The day that we arrived at the Lincoln/Woodstock KOA was a shorter driving day for us. We were heading over the Maine-New Hampshire border after dropping my mom off at the airport in Portland, so we’d only had a couple of hours of drive time that day.
Finding the KOA was extremely easy as it is well signposted off of I-93. Even campers driving larger trailers and RVs should be able to access the KOA as the interstate and the side road (Daniel Webster Highway) leading to the campground are wide, open and don’t have any of those covered bridges I was worried about on this entire trip.
We arrived right at the posted check-in time at 1 PM, and only had one camper ahead of us in line.
That other camper was actually almost done with check-in, so my kids and I breezed through this process. The lady at the front desk was very nice and walked us through all of the things that we had available to us on property.
We were put in site 18, which is on the first row of campsites behind the office and near all of the amenities, including the pool.
Individual Campsite Review
Our camper in site 18
This KOA isn’t the biggest that we’ve stayed at, but it is well laid out so that all of the sites are easy to find.
We loved the stone fire pit and seating at our site.
As I mentioned above, I’d used some saved-up KOA rewards points to upgrade us to the campground’s only basic patio site. There are 2 other premium patio sites, which are wider, but the basic patio site is a great way to try out this level of site without the additional cost.
We were on the end of the first row of campsites, near the seasonal work campers at the edge of the property and the tent-only loop.
Site 18 was shady thanks to the towering pine trees and felt surprisingly spacious for a KOA site. We’ve stayed at other KOAs that were nice, but had very close sites, and that was not the case here.
Even looking at the standard campsites elsewhere in the campground, they seemed to have some breathing room between the sites.
In our case, it was fantastic only having potential neighbors on one side, and that alone felt like it would be the upcharge for a premium site.
Site 18 is a pull through site, which made setting up the camper a breeze. The patio site also includes a table and 4 chairs, a brick patio that nearly spans the length of the site, Adirondack chairs, and a gas grill with propane included.
New to camping? Check out these helpful guides:
Campground Layout
The main row of campsites with the office to the left
I will note that we visited before the summer season got into full swing, so the campground only had a handful of campers in it.
Not only were we camping during the low season, but the employees that I chatted with mentioned that it was a particularly slow start to the warmer month camping due to ongoing arguments between the U.S. and Canadian governments.
This part of New Hampshire usually sees a lot of Canadian travelers even in late May and early June, but the onsite employees noticed that group of visitors was drastically reduced.
That, combined with a slow start to the summer weather, meant that we ended up having the campground nearly to ourselves!
When you visit (and you should, as this part of New Hampshire is so pretty), you’ll arrive to the KOA from Eastside Road, which is a small, 2 lane country road.
The entrance to the KOA is clearly marked, and you’ll first pass by the store. There’s plenty of room to park here while you check in and get your site assignment.
From there, you’ll find your site.
The entire campground is essentially an oval with a couple of rows running across the middle. The main RV sites are on the row running behind the store with another group set alongside the back of the property at the top of the oval.
If you’re tent camping, there are two dedicated loops for just tents. The first was near our site, on the far right of the property, and the second is to the far left of the property.
For those visitors who are glamping, there is a tree house, multiple cabins, and a safari tent on the left edge of the property near one of the tent sections. There’s also a Conestoga wagon for a fun option!
The safari-style glamping tent on-site
NOTE: We didn’t stay in the Conestoga wagon here, but we did stay in one at the Yosemite Pines RV Resort near Yosemite National Park in California, and it was a blast!
In the middle of the campground are a variety of activities, including a gaga ball pit, a covered pavilion for picnics, 2 jumping pads, a playground, and a volleyball court.
Closer to the store at the front of the campground is the pool, a mini golf course, a basketball court, and a place to rent pedal carts.
On the back of the property, there’s also a short (but steep) walking trail to a fishing pond and the Pemigewasset River.
U.S. Campground Reviews
Wherever you’re planning to go camping, be sure to check out our interactive map of kid-friendly campgrounds first!
Campground Amenities
Since we were at this campground for several days, we had a chance to explore everything that the KOA had to offer in the way of amenities.
Besides the amenities listed below, there are also activities occurring throughout the week during peak season, which we were slightly before, so we missed a lot of what was planned for later in the summer.
These summer activities include train rides around the campground, rides on the campground’s vintage fire truck, crafting activities, tie dye classes, a summer version of Elf on the Shelf (where you find the property’s camping dolls), s’mores nights, and free lawn game rentals.
We’ve stayed at KOAs in peak season, like when we were at the Alamosa KOA in Colorado, and it is a blast with your kids!
Wifi
No matter the campground, I always assume that I’m not going to have very good internet service, even if we are provided with wifi access.
Wifi is included here, and, even better, it actually works. I was able to catch up on emails, and work on social media posts and my website, which is always a relief on these trips.
You’ll get a wifi code at check-in, and the access from there is easy.
Bath Houses
The interior of the women’s bath house near the office
The Lincoln/Woodstock KOA has 2 bath houses available. One is attached to the office at the front of the property, and the other is between the cabins and the main activities are in the middle of the campground.
We mostly used the one attached to the office since it was close to our site, but I did duck into the other to check it out. Both were spacious, private feeling, and clean.
Because of when we were visiting, we always had the bath houses to ourselves since most of the other campers in our area looked to be self contained.
We do have a shower in our Winnebago Micro Minnie trailer, but it is small enough that I prefer to use the bath house if one is available.
The main bath house attached to the office had multiple shower stalls with real doors (always a bonus!) and plenty of room to hang my towel and clothes so that they didn’t get wet.
There is a long row of sinks and toilets on the other side of the bath house.
My dad and my son both said that the men’s bath house was equally well kept and clean.
Dog Walking Area
Called Kamp K9, this dog area is perfect for your dog to get some energy out while you’re camping!
If you’re traveling with your furry best friend, this dedicated area is located to the left of the camp store near the lefthand tent camping loop.
It includes a fenced in area, so that your pup can frolic without the worry of running off, and it has plenty of well kept grass landscaping.
You’ll find a couple of benches for you to sit down on, too.
Laundry Room
For visitors on longer trips like us, full timers or anyone who just needs to freshen up their vacation wardrobe, the Lincoln/Woodstock KOA has a laundry room available for their guests.
This is a perk that I look for when we’re on camping trips since our travel trailer is very small and we have to pack light in order to fit all of our stuff.
Since we only ever have 5 or so changes of clothes available at any given time, we find ourselves doing laundry regularly on trips that are longer than a week.
The laundry room here is attached to the office building near the main bath house.
The Camping Kiddos splash in the KOA pool
Pool
My kids love a campground with a pool, which is why we stay at so many campgrounds around the U.S. with one.
While we were visiting this part of New Hampshire, I didn’t think it was anywhere near warm enough to get into the pool available at the KOA, but my kids had a different opinion.
So, I sat by the pool in a sweatshirt while I watched them play.
The pool here isn’t huge, but it will keep your kids entertained. There are multiple chairs and tables set up in the fenced in area if you want to bring some snacks or sunbathe while your family is hanging out in the pool.
You’ll find the pool near the office and main bath houses.
Sports areas and playgrounds
There are several places throughout the campground where families can burn off some extra energy and stay in shape.
While most of the KOA campgrounds we stay at have plenty of kid-friendly options, I feel like the Lincoln/Woodstock property is packed with outdoor activities.
From gaga ball (which my kids had to teach me how to play) to volleyball to basketball, there are courts here for multiple sports.
If you have a younger kid who isn’t ready for the court yet, there is a junior jumping pad in the main activities field. Bigger kids will enjoy the big jumping pad, and even adults can get in on the fun with this one.
If you haven’t ever used a jumping pad, it’s kind of like a big, puffy, air-filled trampoline.
Hiking Trail and Fishing Pond
The Pemigewasset River from the campground’s hiking trail
At the back of the property is a short hiking trail through the woods down to the Pemigewasset River.
It’s not super well marked, so look for the break in the trees between sites 126 and 127.
The trail will take you down hill before flattening out near the fishing pond. If you continue on just a hundred yards or so, you’ll come to the river banks.
I don’t know what the river conditions are in other parts of the year, but the current was very swift while we were there and wouldn’t have been suitable for swimming.
However, the river bank is a great place to watch the sunset or skip rocks!
If you’re new to hiking, check out these helpful tips:
Final Thoughts on the Lincoln/Woodstock KOA
More campsites and the Conestoga wagon hiding in the background
The Lincoln/Woodstock KOA was such a cute campground and it helped make our trip to New Hampshire fantastic.
While we did have a very quiet stay, I know that much of that is attributed to the fact that we were visiting in the low season and because tourism from Canada was down at the time.
I’d love to see it in full swing so that we could try out more of the activities and amenities.
I appreciated the layout of the campground, which spreads out the campers to the edges of the property and allows for families to have fun together and with other guests in the main activities areas.
The campground also has plenty of large pine trees which help make it feel more like a state park than a private campground usually does.
Plus, the location is truly close to everything that you’d want to see in and around Lincoln, New Hampshire.
Whenever we’re back in this part of New Hampshire, I will definitely be staying here again, either in my camper or in one of the cute glamping tents!
