With the fall foliage just starting to show here in southern New England, I began reminiscing on one of the best campgrounds we have stayed at during fall camping season. That campground was the Stafford/ Lake Winnipesaukee South KOA Holiday. 

As the name suggests, this campground is in Strafford, New Hampshire and just a 30-minute, scenic drive to Alton Bay on Lake Winnipesaukee. The campground boasts over 140 sites all equipped with full hookups. 

Additionally, they offer a limited number of RV sites overlooking the on-site pond. We were lucky enough to score one of these during our Columbus Day weekend visit. 

The pond view site that we had was very spacious and provided a lot of privacy. It looked like the neighboring sites provided the same amount of space as well. Although our site offered a pond view, it wasn’t directly accessible.

Just below us were yurts that were a bit closer to the water. Even with the yurts just below us, we felt like we were still secluded as there was a good amount of wooded space in between.

The site was gravel and level as well and all the hookups worked as they should. Each of the pond view sites had a nice fire ring and two Adirondack chairs around them. A nice touch in my opinion. 

Strafford/ Lake Winnipesaukee South KOA Holiday has a plethora of things for families to do right in the campground itself. They have a waterpark featuring a waterslide and splash zone. You can rent paddle boats, row boats, canoes and kayaks to be used on their pond. You can fish from the boats or from the shoreline (catch and release only). There’s also a heated pool to swim, a playground, arcade and more. I don’t think the words, “I’m bored” are ever said here. 

Columbus Day weekend is their last, “hoorah” for the season so some of the things like the pool and waterslide were closed already but they looked like a lot of fun. It was a little chilly for water activities anyway. However, we did enjoy fishing on the pond and playing games in the arcade. It was also a Halloween themed weekend, and the entire campground participated in handing out candy during trick or treating. 

For those eager to explore, Alton Bay, located at Lake Winnipesaukee’s southernmost point, is just a 30-minute drive away. There you can enjoy a sandy beach, rent a Pontoon boat, or take a cruise of the lake on the M/S Mount Washington. 

The M/S Mount Washington has a few options as far as the kind of cruises they offer including a basic narration cruise and sunset cruise. We opted to take the brunch cruise which included a narrated tour, live music, and of course a good brunch.  

There are also several places to eat in Alton Bay as well. Most of the restaurants we came across were closed for the season though. I’d imagine the summertime is their busiest time of year. 

If you’re looking for something a little more active, we drove a few miles past Alton Bay on the Mount Major highway to the Mount Major trailhead. There you can hike to the top of Mount Major for scenic, panoramic views of Lake Winnipesaukee. It was about 4 miles round trip. We took the direct route to the summit which involved some rock scrambling and the roundabout way as we descended. The decent wasn’t as steep so you could use that trail to get to the summit as well.  

Given the holiday weekend, the hike was popular, but the breathtaking fall foliage views from the summit made it well worth the crowds and parking challenges.

If you’re looking for a fall getaway with a chance of seeing great fall foliage from both mountains and the water, Lake Winnipesaukee is a great destination and the Strafford/ Lake Winnipesaukee KOA is a great option for your home base. The campground itself has its own water views, lots of activities and Lake Winnipesaukee is only a short drive away. 

Sites here will run anywhere from $60/night to $110/night depending on the site type. It’s a bit pricey compared to other campgrounds in the area but it’s pretty much in line with other KOA’s. I think for the number of amenities and recreational activities they offer, it’s a good price. 

Connectivity here was good if you have Verizon. Starlink or other satellite devices will not work well here as there is a lot of tree cover. The two pond view sites toward the front of the campground had the most open sky above them. 

I hope you enjoyed this review. If you did, please consider giving it a like below. If you’ve stayed here, please feel free to leave a comment on your experience there as well. 

Thank you all for reading. Stay safe and God bless.