Exeter Elms Campground

Camping is 50% what YOU make of it. This place gives you a good outline/​a few options to make being in nature that much better. I’ve been camping in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and outside the U. S & I must say Exeter Elms family campgrounds is a must. Going either as a couple, 3+ friends, 3+family, or 9+ family. With my girlfriend alone, we went twice this past summer and stayed in two different spots the 2^nd time was that much better/​spontaneous. We planned our stay the morning of & had everything we needed on the campground after only 4 hours after we thought to go camping. We built the tent, set up our firewood pile, planned our menu for the next 3 days and relaxed. We went swimming at the campground’s pool & pedal boated down the lake located in the middle of the campgrounds. We had packed just enough food& bug spray; having a successful camp.(Spiders in the door ways of bathrooms are combative after hours; beware!) There are many activities but in good company you are sure to have a good camp. Thank you for making camping peaceful!

We used to go a lot and people and staff weren’t amazing but they were nice enough to return. It is pretty local to me and was an easy way to get away without going far. It is beyond terrible now. Apparently there was a divorce and the staff was happy to share all the gory details. A shame really. No one respected eachother never mind the visitors. It is now a nightmare!

Yikes! I stayed here last week. I will start by saying that I have done a lot of camping in my day. I’ve seen some great campgrounds and some not so great campgrounds. That being said, I have to warn you about the very weird vibe at Exeter Elms. The majority of the campers here seem to be residents who have taken over the place in a strange kind of «Deliverance» way. Many (not all) have let «their» campsite become a messy cluttered site that takes away from the potential this place has. Some of the «residents» are scary. My family and I joked that we living in an 80’s horror/​zombie movie. One night I went to check out the Bingo game at the rec area. I felt like I walked into a scene from The Night of Living Dead. People just turned and stared at me and my two kids. No one said a word to us. They just stared through us. Creepy! Even my kids picked up on the strange vibe. One of my daughters went to the store to ask about the arcade. She came out and told me a man told her it was «down the cellar» as he opened a door down to a dark basement. She ran!!!
Honestly, I have never experienced anything like it in all my days of camping (all over the U.S. and Canada) and I have been camping since I was 8 and I’m now 46!!!

My family (husband and two daughters) camped with our friends (family of three) for a weekend in New Hampshire. I found Exeter Elms on line and took a chance. Usually, I have great camping experiences by exploring different areas. We’re seasoned campers, in tent and trailer camping. We were just going for a weekend, so I figured tenting it would be fine.
Thankfully, it was just one weekend, because I would have found somewhere else if I was trapped there for more than 48 hours. I’ll note the good stuff first — nice roadways for kids to bike around; a well-​stocked little store with true camping basics, not simply junk food; the pool was clean and well maintained. BUT, that’s like putting lipstick on a pig because the management stinks.
I had called ahead to let them know we’d be arriving very early Saturday instead of Friday night. Nobody informed me I’d need a gate key. I had to wait a half hour, even though I called the contact number in the morning. Upon checking in, the clerk was surly and I had to kill her with kindness. We arrived at our side-​by-​side sites to blasting music. Lots of children were wandering around, but really unattended. I make my kids «check in» every half hour or so.
I never saw any security or a manager on a golf cart, checking in with guests.
The music and loud noise went on all day and well into the night. I’m all for music and conversation, and a few beers, but cursing at 3 a.m. and roaring fires was the mainstay. I had rap on one side and Mariachi music on the other. I was woken several times and even a blunt «keep it down» from me didn’t work.
Many sites were filled, but I noticed people got the hell out of Dodge as soon as possible on Sunday morning. When I checked out the clerk didn’t ask me about our stay, so I volunteered that the music went on all night and the drunken swearing was over the top. She said «we have security» to which I replied, «Well, you didn’t have it last night.»
Lesson learned Exerter Elms is off my go-​to list. We’re going to Saco River in a few weeks and will return to the Beach Family Camping that we discovered a few years ago, where I know management and fellow campers won’t put up with the crap I delt with at Exeter.