Our go-to campground in New Hampshire is under new management. Was it worth going back?

At the end of our first year of full-time RVing, we returned to New England to spend November in New Hampshire. Lots of campgrounds close for the season in mid-October, so the pickings were slim. As the camping season grows longer and people brave the winter to enjoy rugged outdoor activities like skiing and snowmobiling, nature enthusiasts funnel to the handful of "all season" campgrounds in the area.

One of these year-round campgrounds was Meredith Woods, located just a few minutes off I-93, with easy access to the Lakes Region and White Mountain National Forest. The campground was located on the north side of route 104, while its sister park, Clearwater Campground, was situated on the south side, along the shores of Pemigewasset Lake, or as the locals call it, Pemi Lake. Clearwater closed after summer, but Meredith Woods remained open, allowing both seasonal and transient campers a place to stay, no matter what the New England weather chose to do.

We stayed at Meredith Woods from November 2-19, 2022. It was our last stop before we headed back to our home-base for Thanksgiving. We had full hookups, thanks to insulated water spigots, and we were given a campsite right across from the office, so we had easy access to amenities. The only downside was that the office had limited hours this time of year, and when the office closed, so did everything else. Still, being a 30-second walk to an indoor hot tub on cold November nights was definitely a treat.

Our time there brought polarizing weather. We had gorgeous warm days, snowy days, and everything in between. Our neighbor situation also went through some drastic changes. As the weeks went on, the transient campers left, and even the seasonals didn't frequent their campsites often. One night, our entire ~200-site loop was empty except for us. It also happened to be the eve of the full moon. Spooky, but also sublimely peaceful.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Brighter on Wheels | Full-Time RV Travelers (@brighter_on_wheels)

We left Meredith Woods with very little to complain about. It would be nice if they let campers access the amenities beyond office hours. Their game room could use some sprucing up. Then, months later we read an article that their pool had some sort of bacteria in it, including during the time we were there. We used it and were fine, so it wasn't really a turnoff for us, although maybe it should have been! We knew we had found a campground that we'd be happy to return to whenever we're back in New England.

This year, we made plans to spend over five months traveling around Vermont, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. We knew that as the months got colder, the choice of campgrounds would become scarcer, but we kept Meredith Woods in mind. In 2022, we called them months in advance because we needed to guarantee a spot for almost three weeks. This time, I ventured onto the website in the summertime to make initial plans. That's when I noticed that Meredith Woods was no longer Meredith Woods. It was now Hunter's Run RV Park, run by the parent company Modern America, who has taken over many a New England campground in recent years. Now, both Meredith Woods and Clearwater Campground were officially united. Meredith Woods was the "hillside" part of Hunter's Run, and Clearwater was the "lakeside." The place still looked the same in the photos. The reviews were still positive. Now they even had online booking! But, as I looked for available dates toward the end of the year, I noticed that booking was no longer available in November. This campground lost its biggest draw; it was no longer an all-season.

Further research has left me confused as to whether or not they allow seasonal RVs into the winter. Lots of campgrounds in the area do. Some websites seem to think so, but their website shows no indication of this.

We were disappointed, especially because we hoped to stay traveling well into November before returning to our home-base for the holidays. We would need to find other campgrounds, and we knew as the all-season campgrounds dwindled, the sites would be in higher demand. We couldn't stay at Hunter's Run in November, but we could still check it out another time. I booked us a 10-day stay in September, just after Labor Day. To change things up, I reserved a site in the lakeside loop. Might as well see what the campground formerly known as Clearwater was all about!

Because this used to be two campgrounds, we had no idea where to go when we arrived. The map still shows two offices. So we called them on our way, and the woman told us to head to the "Meredith Woods" side to check in. Apparently they still call the hillside and lakeside the "Meredith Woods" and "Clearwater" sides. Heading to this part of the campground was a tad inconvenient. We had to be let in through the gate, drive through the entire Meredith Woods campground, stop at the office to check in, drive all the way back out, tow across route 104, scan in to enter the gate on the Clearwater side, and then weave our way through that campground to our site. Later we discovered that the Clearwater office does open, but only a few days a week. If we had arrived on a Thursday instead of a Wednesday, we probably would have been able to check in there.

We of course can't do a direct comparison between our stays, as we had never been to Clearwater before, and for all intents and purposes, it is basically another campground. We found ourselves wishing we had stayed in the hillside loop because it was familiar to us and the office had better hours (and the hot tub!). But, we were two sites away from Pemi Lake, and the campground has a lovely little beach area where people can sit in the sand, swim, or rent kayaks and SUP boards. We wouldn't have had views like this from the hillside loop.

The campground roads are extremely forested and tough to navigate. We had to constantly watch out for tree branches and tight turns. However, our campsite, like all the others we saw, was beautiful. It was nice and wide, had a huge firepit, and felt all cozy, nestled among the trees. We did have a few scares with giant acorns hitting our roof, but hey, it's an indication that fall was arriving! We can't be mad about that!

I tried to choose a campsite that looked like we'd have a lake view, but instead we backed up to a fence. On the other side of the fence are cabins, not owned by the campground. We had a tiny peek of the water from between two of the cabins. It was a little bit awkward being backed up to houses, but at least the fence was tall enough to provide privacy.

We didn't venture over to the Meredith Woods side, but from what we could tell, Modern America very much maintained the essence of Meredith Woods and Clearwater, which we were happy about. When the Clearwater office was open, so were the lakeside amenities. Not much, but there was a lounge room with a TV and a couple of game tables. We will say, this place does lounge rooms right. They are so comfy! We also had laundry on this side, which was accessible beyond office hours. All week long, we planned to hop over to hillside so we could use the hot tub. We had been battling furnace issues all week and really wanted a good hot soak. But, with all the furnace-related stress and post-Labor-Day catching up on work, we never got there. That's the problem with the amenities all being spread so far apart.

We can't say if the vibe of the campground was the same as two years ago. Not only did we choose the other loop, but we were also there a totally different time of year. Though we did not camp during peak season and most days more than half the sites were empty, we certainly didn't feel like the only campers! But, all our neighbors were wonderful and we immediately felt like part of a community. All of the staff were very nice as well.

If you're RVing New Hampshire, this stretch of route 104 is a great launch point for all your adventures. You are just minutes from Lake Winnipesaukee and its neighboring lakes, and you are close enough to I-93 to venture north to the White Mountains in about 25 minutes. We didn't get out too much due to the aforementioned stress and busyness, but whenever we're in the area, we make a point to visit some of our favorite locales.

Nahamsha Gifts and the Gilford Country Store

We said it with Vermont, and we'll say it again: A New England visit isn't complete without a trip to a country store. Nahamsha Gifts is owned by hiker and YouTuber Taylor the Nahamsha Hiker. She and her mom each own gift shops in the same building at Lakeshore Landing in Gilford, NH. We stopped by to pick up some gifts and goodies, and then ventured next door to the holistic mindfulness store.

Beans and Greens Farm

Up the street from Lakeshore Landing is Beans and Greens. This farm stand shouldn't even be called a farm stand because it offers so much more than that. It has farm animals, seasonal events like the autumn corn maze, and a beer garden. They often have additional food trucks and carts. It's a great place to get a taste of New England. It's also open year round!

Town Docks

There are plenty of restaurants to choose from along the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee, but we frequent Town Docks for its humble beachy vibe. You can sit with your toes in the sand and enjoy a fried seafood platter, a chicken tender basket, a burger, or a salad. If you aren't up for a full meal, stop by the ice cream stand and have a cone while you wander the lakeside walkway. Town Docks in open seasonally.

Moulton Farm

We have mentioned Moulton Farm before because it's our favorite farm stand in the area. They always have a great selection of produce, baked goods, soups, meats, and dairy. When the weather cools, we pop over to buy some prepared soups, soup mixes, and rice pilaf mixes. We never leave without indulging in cider donuts from the on-site donut shack, Cider Bellies. This time, I also bought a decorative pumpkin to grace our campsites as we make our way through New Hampshire.

This list truly is the smallest subset of recommendations for the Lakes Region. We wish we could have done more during our stay at Hunter's Run, but sometimes life gets in the way of adventure. At least this is a place we've been many times before and plan to visit many times in the future. If you're planning a trip to the region and want more ideas than these, hit us up! We would be more than happy to offer our recommendations.

We have noticed lots of changes in campground ownership and management recently in New Hampshire. There is a revitalization happening. Lots of campgrounds were run-down and now new management companies are buying them out. They're not all corporations, either. Some are families. We noticed that another campground we stayed at in 2022, Riverbrook, has also now been bought by Modern America. Once again, we're curious if things are mostly the same as they were, or if any big changes have been made. Perhaps one day we'll stop by and do a comparison there, too.

As for Hunter's Run, besides it no longer being open in the off-season, we were very pleased with how much they kept the same, from the sites, to the amenities, to the homage they're paying by continuing to call the sides Meredith Woods and Clearwater. They even kept the original road signs! We like to see that the history of this park is being maintained. We love the RV parks that offer full hookups, but in an atmosphere where we really feel like we're camping in the woods. Online booking has been an improvement, and this time we definitely got more of a community vibe, but that was most likely due to the fact that we weren't there by ourselves in November! Just like two years ago, we wish we could use the amenities when the office is closed. We do understand that this is for security purposes, but we think there must be a way to grant campers access. We already have key cards for the entrance gates, so maybe they could do double-duty!

After ten days at Hunter's Run, it was time to venture north in the state, but we can safely say that our go-to Lakes Region campground will in fact remain our go-to, new management and all.