America’s Camping Report Card
Vermont
#1 of 43 for camping
Top-ranked among graded states · overall grade B+ — campers like it.
Graded on 2,738 written reviews from Vermont - no star ratings, just what people wrote.
The breakdown
Letter grades reflect how campers actually felt about each topic - A means they loved it, not that it beat other states.
What campers praised
- beautiful park30
- beautiful lake26
- beautiful place26
- beautiful campground17
- beautiful setting17
What campers warned about
- beauty of the park1
- brook views1
- direct sun, near woods/river1
- dry ground, loose leaves and pine needles1
- fields outside park sprayed with manure1
- Praised by
- 49.6%
- Warned by
- 1.1%
- Rank
- Better than 74% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.485 (±0.019, 95% CI) from 2,738 written reviews, 28% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- hiking trails11
- great hiking trails8
- great trails6
- hiking trails nearby6
- trails6
What campers warned about
- beach closed, used nearby beach1
- beach swimming not good1
- beaches not great1
- black spruce bog exploration blocked1
- boring for a single child1
- Praised by
- 39.6%
- Warned by
- 1.5%
- Rank
- Better than 98% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.381 (±0.019, 95% CI) from 2,738 written reviews, 28% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- clean59
- clean bathrooms50
- very clean49
- well maintained44
- clean facilities28
What campers warned about
- human feces and toilet paper2
- marginal bathrooms2
- not particularly clean2
- bath house rarely cleaned, only restocked1
- bathhouses could be better kept1
- Praised by
- 38.1%
- Warned by
- 2.5%
- Rank
- Better than 95% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.356 (±0.020, 95% CI) from 2,738 written reviews, 28% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- spacious sites21
- nice campsites12
- well spaced sites10
- great campsites9
- spacious campsites9
What campers warned about
- sites very close together4
- adjacent sites close together2
- elevated sites, steep bank2
- gravel-covered tent sites2
- large tent may not fit pad2
- Praised by
- 40.6%
- Warned by
- 6.5%
- Rank
- Better than 81% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.341 (±0.022, 95% CI) from 2,738 written reviews, 28% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- friendly staff88
- great staff29
- friendly and helpful staff23
- very friendly staff22
- helpful staff15
What campers warned about
- no host present2
- absence of park host1
- attendant dishonest/unhelpful1
- attendant misrepresented site1
- camp host quit, little ranger support1
- Praised by
- 28.7%
- Warned by
- 2.6%
- Rank
- Better than 71% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.262 (±0.018, 95% CI) from 2,738 written reviews, 28% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- bathrooms and showers13
- clean facilities11
- hot showers11
- bathrooms9
- nice facilities8
What campers warned about
- no hookups11
- no showers4
- no water3
- no water available3
- bathhouse condition2
- Praised by
- 25.1%
- Warned by
- 9.7%
- Rank
- Better than 88% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.154 (±0.021, 95% CI) from 2,738 written reviews, 28% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- quiet60
- quiet campground30
- very quiet29
- quiet atmosphere26
- quiet and peaceful16
What campers warned about
- highway traffic noise3
- busy on weekends2
- road noise2
- road traffic noise2
- very noisy / little privacy2
- Praised by
- 18.0%
- Warned by
- 5.8%
- Rank
- Better than 93% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.122 (±0.018, 95% CI) from 2,738 written reviews, 28% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- family friendly13
- friendly campers5
- kid friendly4
- dog friendly2
- great for families2
What campers warned about
- no respect for others' space1
- not excited about returning1
- outsiders intruding on wedding1
- told in someone else’s spot1
- unwelcoming attitude1
- Praised by
- 3.7%
- Warned by
- 0.3%
- Rank
- Better than 88% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment +0.034 (±0.007, 95% CI) from 2,738 written reviews, 28% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- reasonable price4
- great value3
- inexpensive3
- reasonable rates3
- reasonably priced3
What campers warned about
- $10 camp wood1
- $16/night too expensive for what you get1
- $4 day-use fee1
- $5 per person park fee1
- $50 one night1
- Praised by
- 5.0%
- Warned by
- 2.0%
- Rank
- Better than 93% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment +0.030 (±0.010, 95% CI) from 2,738 written reviews, 28% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- easy access11
- easy to get to5
- easy to find4
- close to town3
- easy access to trails3
What campers warned about
- no cell service3
- spotty cell service3
- bit of a walk in2
- bridge tight for big rigs2
- muddy walk to walk-in site2
- Praised by
- 7.1%
- Warned by
- 5.9%
- Rank
- Better than 60% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.012 (±0.013, 95% CI) from 2,738 written reviews, 28% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- easy check-in4
- last-minute booking3
- easy check-in process2
- group site reservations2
- able to reserve ahead1
What campers warned about
- mobile check-in spotty2
- $8 reservation fee1
- 3-day advance rule not clear1
- advance reservations needed1
- all sites reserved1
- Praised by
- 1.8%
- Warned by
- 1.8%
- Rank
- Better than 98% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment +0.000 (±0.007, 95% CI) from 2,738 written reviews, 28% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- safe8
- felt safe3
- avoided incoming rain storms1
- bathrooms feel secure1
- bear activity alert and food storage guidance1
What campers warned about
- felt watched at night2
- active bear area; caution needed1
- aggressive drivers1
- bear encounter near tent1
- bear sightings1
- Praised by
- 1.7%
- Warned by
- 2.0%
- Rank
- Better than 93% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment -0.004 (±0.007, 95% CI) from 2,738 written reviews, 28% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- dog friendly6
- dogs allowed2
- quiet hours2
- quiet hours enforced2
- 2 pm check-in1
What campers warned about
- ada service dog misunderstanding1
- authority enforcement1
- beach sometimes closed late august1
- campers evading stay limit1
- cancellation and add-on day policy1
- Praised by
- 1.4%
- Warned by
- 2.3%
- Rank
- Top-ranked among graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment -0.010 (±0.007, 95% CI) from 2,738 written reviews, 28% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- bugs manageable1
- few bugs1
- lack of mosquitoes1
- moose sighting1
- no bugs in july1
What campers warned about
- more mosquitoes than wanted2
- tons of mosquitoes2
- unleashed dogs2
- active bear in campsite1
- bad smell in restrooms1
- Praised by
- 0.4%
- Warned by
- 2.9%
- Rank
- Better than 98% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment -0.025 (±0.007, 95% CI) from 2,738 written reviews, 28% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
We read every written review of a campground in Vermont and used AI to label what each camper praised or complained about, across 14 topics. A topic’s score is the share who praised it minus the share who complained, and the letter is absolute: A means campers loved it, F means they were frustrated — on a fixed scale, not a curve. So a topic isn’t marked down just because another state scored higher. Switch to Raw numbers to see the share who praised vs. warned behind every grade.
The rank (Vermont vs. other states) is shown separately, because most states are genuinely good overall — the ranking is what tells them apart. The overall grade is the average of the topic grades, weighted by how often campers raise each one.
Only states with at least 2,000 reviews are graded, and every topic carries a 95% confidence interval from its sample size.
Topic weights
- Scenery15%
- Campsites15%
- Cleanliness13%
- Facilities12%
- Staff & hosts10%
- Things to do9%
- Crowds & noise8%
- Getting there6%
- Bugs & weather3%
- Booking2%
- Value2%
- Rules & policies2%
- Safety2%
- Welcoming1%
Methodology v3-absolute-grade-plus-rank | 43 states graded | updated June 2026.