By:
Submission
Visitors can enjoy a variety of recreation opportunities around the campground, including fishing in the Wild River, strolling along the easy grade of the Wild River Trail, or exploring the rugged Wild River Wilderness.
This remote campground is located 5 miles down the gravel Wild River Road off Route 113, 3 miles South of Route 2 in Gilead, ME. Route 113 is gated closed during the winter months.
I parked my car at the hiker parking lot at Wild River Campground Oct 1 -3, 2022 I did a backpacking trip into the Wild River Wilderness and up to Mt. Moriah. Since I didn't actually camp here or use any other facilities (except the bathroom, which was fine/clean/typical) I can only say of the campground itself that it looked very clean and nicely laid out, with attractive and large sites. However I want to share a few updates others may find helpful:
a. A sign at the start of the gravel rd around 5 miles N of the campground says there is no potable water at the campground.
b. At the time I'm writing this review, google maps shows the road ending near where Bull Brook meets the Wild River, about 0.7 mi north of the campground's location (down near Blue Brook meets the Wild. This is not true. The road actually continues all the way to the campground.
c. The cable-suspended wooden walking bridge shown in Jim Armstrong's review from 3 years ago is no longer there. That bridge used to go over the Wild River, connecting the Campground side to the Moriah Brook Trail. Alas it has been washed away, and the only way to get from the east side of the river to the west down at the campground is to ford the river (walk through it). That was easy to do with care in early Oct 2022, but I can imagine it might be quite dangerous or impossible in higher water. Cross at your own risk!
d. Nadja Mayumi's review says "There is no hiking from the parking lot to the spot." That may be related to my comment b above, as google maps makes it look like you have to take a trail from the end of the road to reach the campground. But, just to be clear, there is tons of beautiful hiking in the area, on many trails that start there, or pass right by. The Basin Trail heads SE from there, and the Wild River Trail SW, both on the east side of the Wild River. And if can ford the wild river, the Moriah Brook, High Water, and Shelburne trails lead W, S and N.
Great hidden gem and the onky White Mountain National Forest campground that is so secluded and spectacular.
A nice campground far away from your problems. 5,5 miles when you get at the dirty road. A nice river with a perfect sound during the night. The campground has a grill for a fire and cook, as a picnic table. There is no hiking from the parking lot to the spot. The only thing is, the setups are kind of near of each other (so if someone is noise...), also is first come first serve.
I hate to talk this place up and get more people going, but here I am. The campground is beautiful. You can hear the river in the distance from any campsite, and on clear nights you can damn near see the Milky Way. Plenty of walking trails and even some nice but cold places to swim if you can find them - be careful, some fast moving and deep areas! There are 14 campsites in a big are, all pretty far from each other with decent privacy. The campgrounds also have a single male/female vault bathroom and a water faucet outside. The stench of the "bathrooms" is miserable, but it beats squatting and burying in front of others.
A park ranger/camp manager is always on site in season, and usually has firewood to sell; although I'm sure you can find plenty of fallen debris from the winter season - bring wood feom NH to burn. $20 for a stay with one car per day, I think $10 for an additional car. There's plenty of room at each site for two or three tents if you squeezed them in, and a picnic table and fire pit with a grill ready for use - 8 people to a site. If you go in May or early June there will be a ton of mosquitos, so be prepared. Also be prepared for rain and no cell service (on site, you can get some down the road a few miles), its the White Mountains after all.
Please keep food in cars, in air tight containers - the site is notorious for some bear spotting, but I've never encountered them - only the occasion large piles of destinct bear droppings. You can be fined a lot of money for not storing food and waste properly, leave no trace.
All in all, if you want an off the grid and well prepped trip, with lots of nature to see, this is a great place. The drive there is so beautiful, with a lovely lake at another campground you can stop at on the way. Bring enough food and clean water to last your trip.
