Campground · Franconia Notch State Park
A wooded base camp for hiking, biking, fishing and swimming.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Franconia Notch Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Franconia Notch State Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Franconia Notch audio tourRecorded for this place
Lonesome Lake and Its Shoreline Loop“Lafayette Place is coming up, the starting point for a hike to Lonesome Lake, with Franconia Ridge across the water.”
Plays as you drive up to Lafayette Place Campground in the Parkwolf Franconia Notch Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Lafayette Place Campground is a developed campground in the middle of Franconia Notch State Park, with 97 wooded sites. It is a practical base for a few days in the park: hiking, biking, fishing and swimming are all easy to reach from camp. Come for the location and a night among the trees; the campground is more useful as a base than as a sightseeing stop on its own.
Every site has a picnic table, a parking space and an open firepit. Registration is at the entrance lodge, where the camp store carries camping basics, souvenirs, firewood and snacks. The entrance lodge keeps registration and camping supplies close at hand.
Wildlife
66 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
38 sightingsMooseMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
19 sightingsWild TurkeyMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
19 sightingsGreat Blue HeronMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
13 sightingsTurkey VultureMost seen around noonSighting map
23 sightingsRavenMost seen around 11 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Franconia Notch. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ChallengingNorth and South Kinsman via Fishin’ Jimmy Trail9.8 mi · 9 hr · At the trailheadA long, rough climb links two Kinsman summits above Franconia Notch.
ModerateLonesome Lake Trail3 mi · 2.5 hr · 0.1 mi awayA climb to a glacial lake with Franconia Ridge across the water.
ChallengingHi-Cannon Trail4.7 mi · 5.5 hr · 0.1 mi awayA steep Cannon climb with a ladder and a Lonesome Lake finish.
ChallengingOld Bridle Path to Greenleaf Hut5.8 mi · 6 hr · 0.2 mi awayA steep hut climb with two open ledges and Franconia Notch views.
ChallengingFranconia Ridge Trail Loop8.1 mi · 8.5 hr · 0.3 mi awayA full-day loop over three exposed summits above Franconia Notch.
ChallengingFalling Waters Trail5.9 mi · 5.5 hr · 0.3 mi awayWaterfalls up front; Little Haystack is the hard part.
ChallengingFishin’ Jimmy Trail1.8 mi · 1.6 hr · 1 mi awayLadders, slick ledges and a pond-side shelter make this AT leg count.
EasyCannon Mountain Rim Trail Loop0.4 mi · 45 min · 1.3 mi awayA short summit loop with Franconia Notch views and exposed ledges.
Sight · 0.8 mi awayBoise RockA glacial erratic paired with a wintry survival legend.Sight · 0.9 mi awayLonesome LakeFranconia Ridge across a small alpine lake, after a 1,000-foot climb.
Lodging · 1 mi awayLonesome Lake HutA hike-in hut with bunks, hot soup, and a lakeside dock.
Sight · 1 mi awayCloudland FallsAn 80-foot fan of water is the payoff on an uphill hike.
Sight · 1.2 mi awayCannon Mountain Observation TowerOn clear days, four states and Canada spread out from the summit.
Sight · 1.2 mi awayRocky Glen FallsA stepped gorge waterfall worth the uphill finish.
Sight · 1.3 mi awayProfile LakeA fly-fishing lake beneath the vanished Old Man profile.Sight · 1.3 mi awayNotch Viewing AreaOn calm days, Eagle Cliff doubles in Profile Lake.Parkwolf’s Franconia Notch ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
