Plainfield, Vermont · on the Winooski River
Beautiful camping & fun people.
Tent and RV camping on 23 acres along the Winooski River. Stay for a few nights, settle in for the season, or come explore The Elemental Commons.
Help complete The Elemental CommonsThe bridge is open. Come on over. Rebuilt after the 2023 flood, the Onion River Road bridge welcomes you back.
Plan a visitSeasonal camping
Make a little room
for a whole season.
Keep your home base beside the Winooski. Come back to the walking trails, familiar neighbors and evenings outdoors, with time to make this place your own.
Plan your 2027 season early. Pre-pay for the full season to secure an early rate. Electricity is included.
Call about a seasonal site Just a few nights? Book a campsiteReserve earlier. Save on the season.
2027 seasonal site rates · Pre-pay for the full season, no deposit required.
Earliest reservation
$3,600for the season
Reserve by December 31, 2026
Save $1,075 off the $4,675 seasonal rate
Winter reservation
$3,850for the season
Reserve January 1–February 28, 2027
Save $825 off the $4,675 seasonal rate
Spring reservation
$4,095for the season
Reserve March 1–April 10, 2027
Save $580 off the $4,675 seasonal rate
Call the camp office to confirm availability and site details.
The place
Somewhere under the rainbow, there is a place where everyone is welcome.
Onion River Campground sits in Vermont on unceded Abenaki land, along the Winooski River, which takes its name from the Abenaki word for "the land of wild onions." The water always flows downstream, except where it stops to swirl around in one place. With no shortage of natural beauty, this on-site, owner-operated campground is a microcosm of creativity and community. We strive to have fun, cultivate a diverse environment and tap into the wisdom of circling together. Between the walking trails, swimming in the river and meeting your fellow campers, you may begin to fall in love with this place as much as we have.
Rates & payment
Camping rates. Electricity included.
Call the camp office to confirm availability and site details.
| Site | Night | Week | Month | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tent | $30 | $160 | — | — |
| RV | $45 | $270 | $850 | $4,675 |
All prices include the full cost of electricity. A $500 deposit reserves your seasonal site, with monthly payments starting May 1. The deposit is refunded upon departure. Pre-pay for the full season at the early seasonal rates above with no deposit required.
Come by the camp office
Celebrate the bridge reopening with a free cup of coffee through the rest of the 2026 season. Browse the “Cheap Art” gallery, with artwork available by donation. You can also pick up firewood and ask about the grounds.
Hiking & swimming
In lieu of a pool, a watershed.
Explore the simple beauty of the 23-acre grounds: walking trails, peaceful swimming spots along the Winooski, and the Cross-Vermont Bicycle Rail Trail just beyond the property. Instead of a pool, game room or lodge, the campground offers the Winooski watershed and her sloping, forested shoulders, a place to reconnect with nature at your own pace.
For a quieter wander, explore The Elemental Commons, a public botanical path through Earth, Air, Fire and Water.
In July 2023 the river cut a new channel through the road, campsites, utilities and bathhouse. The infrastructure was restored; the sandy stretches and exposed roots were left as the river arranged them. We are not just on the floodplain. We are the floodplain.
Free public botanical walk
The Elemental
Commons.
A place to pause. A path we’re building together.
Follow a quarter-mile path through Earth, Air, Fire and Water. A pond, a creek, a fire hearth, a pagoda and a pollinator garden invite you to slow down and spend a little time with the world around you.
Neighbors, students, gardeners and builders have helped bring the walk to life. Community donations help finish the gardens, signs and remaining path work, so more people can find their way here.
Choose a one-time or monthly gift on the donation page.
Earth
Pause and find your footing.
Air
Listen, breathe and let go.
Fire
Gather and make room for change.
Water
Follow what connects us.
Everyone is welcome
You don’t need to be camping here to visit. Trails, gardens and orchards are open free of charge from sunrise to sunset, May through October.
Start at the camp office
Stop in for a welcome and current walk access. Some elements are still taking shape. Respect occupied campsites and follow posted signs.
A bridge back to the grounds
The Onion River Road bridge has reopened. Call before arriving with a large RV or trailer so we can help plan your arrival, and follow posted limits.
Campground map
Sites, trails and the river, on one sheet.
Open full-size map
Rules & respect
Play safe. Respect other campers.
- Quiet hours
- 11 pm to 7 am for campers, vehicles and pets.
- Speed limit
- 10 miles per hour. No idling in any vehicle.
- Dogs
- Welcome, leashed and cleaned up after. Bring proof of rabies vaccination. No incessant barking or guard-dog behaviour.
- Campfires
- Firewood is available at the camp office. Please buy locally: Vermont restricts untreated firewood brought in from outside the state; certified heat-treated wood and approved waivers are exceptions. See Vermont’s firewood guidance. Put fires out before leaving or turning in. No burning trash.
- Per site
- One RV and up to four campers unless approved. Two vehicles; guests use the overflow lot.
- Tow-in, tow-out
- Tow-in rigs are permitted only with a vehicle on hand to tow them out.
- Safe campers
- No electrical or plumbing hazards, holes, tarps, plastic coverings or major leaks.
- Bathhouse
- There are no gender-neutral spaces yet. If you need a non-gendered bathroom or shower, let us know and we will do our best to accommodate you.
- Not allowed
- Fireworks, hard drugs, underage drinking, vandalism, and cutting or altering the landscape.
- Smoking
- Not inside public buildings. Please be considerate of your neighbors and put extinguished cigarette butts in a receptacle.
This place and the people who run it are magical: the most generous, open-hearted and welcoming folx you could ask for.
Janne C.
Fantastic family-run place. Staff friendly and helpful. We camped in the tent city section next to a fish-laden babbling river.
Frank D.
This was the most community-oriented, casual campground I've ever been to. Everyone was so warm and deeply respectful of us.
Mir R.
Questions
Is this campground for everyone?
Not quite. If you are seeking a luxury RV resort with paved 50-amp sites, mowed turf and tidy boundaries between you and your neighbours, you may not be at ease here. If you are open to complexity, wildness and meeting others across difference, you might find yourself deeply at home.
Why isn't the campground more manicured?
Because this is not a resort. It is a regenerative ecosystem and a relational experiment. You will find clean showers, cared-for trails and responsive humans. You will also find brush piles, root balls, sandy swaths and wildflowers in the wrong places. Campers are asked to show up as temporary stewards and cohabitants rather than critics or consumers.
What should I know about the bridge and arrival?
The Onion River Road bridge has reopened following reconstruction after the 2023 flood. Call before arriving with a large RV or trailer so we can help plan your arrival. Follow all posted road and bridge limits.
Can I visit The Elemental Commons?
Yes, come explore the public grounds. Trails, gardens and orchards are open free of charge from sunrise to sunset, May through October. The Elemental Commons is still being completed, so stop at the camp office for current path access. You can support the remaining work through the walk’s donation page.
What kind of people stay here?
People living out of fifth wheels, school buses, tents and tiny dreams. Working-class Vermonters making a life in place, wandering artists, forest nerds, travelling families and retirees seeking simplicity. We do not screen for income, class or gear quality. We do aspire to screen for kindness, curiosity and consent.
Are the hosts always on site?
No. The team is sometimes spread across time and terrain, so campers are trusted to be self-directed, neighbourly and communicative. Messages are checked regularly and someone is reachable for anything urgent.
Do you host long-term or unhoused campers?
Yes, and proudly. Affordable, dignified access to land is increasingly rare. A healthy campground is one where people in different life circumstances can coexist.
Find us
61 Onion River Road
Plainfield, Vermont 05667Email onionrivercampground@gmail.com or call 802-426-3233.
