🥔 Trail TaterFriends made along the way
The road north through the wooded White Mountains

North Woodstock, New Hampshire • 2021–2023

The campground that made us come back.

Lost River Valley became the first campground our family returned to for three consecutive years—a wooded home base beside the river, before the camper ever became Trail Tater.

Read the campfire story See the campground review
Campground Lost River Valley Campground Campsite Double Site 17 Hookup Water only Setting Banks of Lost River

Sometimes the strongest campground review is not a number. Sometimes it is simply this: we packed the tents and came back three summers in a row.

The road north

The White Mountains always announced themselves before we reached camp. The highway narrowed into long green walls of pine, the horizon folded into hills, and the everyday world began to feel farther behind us.

Driving north through forested New Hampshire mountains
The road north was part of the adventure.

Home in the woods: Double Site 17

Our basecamp was Double Site 17, a spacious, wooded, water-only campsite located directly on the banks of Lost River. The double site gave the family enough room for several tents, a shared canopy, meals together and the wonderfully organized disorder that comes with a big family tent camp.

Multiple family tents arranged on Double Site 17
Double Site 17 held the whole family camp.

Trail Tater stayed here

Double Site 17

  • Water hookup only
  • Double campsite with room for multiple tents
  • Directly on the banks of Lost River
  • Wooded shade and a true family-basecamp feeling
  • Short walk to campground facilities and the playground
Lost River Valley Campground map showing Double Site 17 beside Lost River
Site 17 is the purple double site beside the river, near the center of the campground.

The river was part of the campsite

Lost River was not merely nearby. It was the sound behind camp, the cool place to wander, and one of the reasons the site felt so memorable. Rain changed the water minute by minute, making rings across the pools and deepening the colors of the stones.

Raindrops forming circles on a rocky mountain stream
Rain drawing circles across Lost River.
A peaceful rocky section of Lost River in the woods
A quieter evening view upstream.
Two small cat figurines placed on a mossy rock
Even the smallest explorers found their place among the rocks.

Life around camp

The photographs that matter most are not always the grand views. They are the table covered with breakfast supplies, the girls wandering down the campground road, and everyone gathered beneath a canopy after dark. That was the rhythm of Lost River: explore for a while, then return to the woods and to each other.

Family members gathered around the campsite picnic table
The family table was the center of camp.
Three girls walking together through the wooded campground
A campground walk that feels timeless now.
Family gathered beneath lighted canopies at night
Evening under the canopy lights.
Lost River Valley was the first campground we loved enough to return to for three consecutive years. That says more than any ordinary rating could.

Clark’s Bears and White Mountain traditions

Trips into the White Mountains included nearby family stops. At Clark’s Bears, the bear figures shown here were fun photo props—not rides—and they became part of the trip’s collection of wonderfully goofy family photographs.

Two adults posing with bear photo props at Clark's Bears
Ken and Lisa with the Clark’s Bears photo props.
Children posing with bear photo props at Clark's Bears
A family photo stop at Clark’s Bears.
Girls posing beside bear photo props at Clark's Bears
The bear props were always ready for one more picture.
Three girls posing beside a large moose display at a White Mountains visitor center
A White Mountains visitor-center stop with a very large local resident.

Official Trail Tater campground review

Lost River Valley Campground

How the Tater Rating System works →
3
Consecutive years

The first campground that convinced the family to return three summers in a row.

🏕️The campsiteDouble Site 17 gave a large tent group room to live comfortably beside the river.
💧Practical campingWater-only camping suited the tent setup and kept the site simple.
🌲The settingWooded shade and the Lost River shoreline made the site feel special.
👨‍👩‍👧‍👧Family valueSpace for meals, evenings together and years of shared memories.
🗺️Nearby adventuresWhite Mountain scenery, Lost River exploration and Clark’s Bears.
🥔Final verdictThree return trips are the rating.
🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔

Five Taters. Pack the tents—we already proved we would come back.