Franconia Notch State Park is located in the heart of White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire.
Franconia Notch State Park is considered the flagship park of the New Hampshire State Park system. The scenery is beautiful and it offers camping in 2 campground areas.
Site Review:
Lafayette Place Campground:
There are 97 wooded campsites, a camp store and a comfort station with coin-operated showers. This campground is ideal for tents though trailers and smaller equipment can be accommodated.
The Appalachian Trail goes through the park and many hikers use this campground as a stopover spot. There are no hook-ups.
Cannon Mountain RV Park:
Franconia Notch State Park offers 7 full hook-up sites for the RV camper at the Cannon Mountain RV Park which is located at the edge of the Echo Lake Beach parking lot. The cost is $40 a night.
I usually advocate for provincial, state and national parks because the sites are generally larger, afford some privacy and allow for a more nature-based camping experience. I dislike the parking lot feel found at many private campgrounds as they try to maximize their revenue by cramming as many sites as possible into their space.
Yet here at Franconia Notch STATE Park you are quite literally camping IN the parking lot.
We had site #4. 
All 7 sites are the same:
- level
- back-in
- paved pad
- full hook-ups
- picnic table
- fire ring
- narrow (unlikely you would be able to fully open your awning-though RVs with slides did have room for them. Site #7 probably had the most room because it was on the end)
The parking lot is for the Echo Lake Beach recreation area. The washrooms for the guests of Echo Lake also serve as the washrooms for the RV campers. They lock the washrooms at night when the beach area is closed (around 9 pm in the summer) and reopen them in the morning (around 9 am). There are no shower facilities.
Garbage Collection:
There is no place to dispose of your garbage but if you leave it out at the front of your site a pick-up truck comes by in the mornings to collect it. There is no signage anywhere telling you this. I did it because I saw other campers doing it.
Noise:
You are so close to your neighbour that you can hear everything they are doing or saying and they can hear you. We were fortunate that the weather was cool and we could keep our windows closed because depending on your neighbour this could prove to be a very noisy experience. We were lucky that the neighbours we had during our stay were not rowdy, or music players.
Campfires:
I do not know where you would purchase firewood for a campfire- maybe the store at the Lafayette Place campground but I’m only guessing. We don’t travel with wood so we did not have a fire. Honestly, it would have seemed weird to have one anyway. The sites are so close together and because the fire rings are situated at the back of the site you don’t even have your camping unit to act as a buffer. I think it would feel like everyone was watching/listening to you.
Activities:
Swimming:
Echo Lake is a spring-fed lake surrounded by mountains. The beach is groomed and has lifeguards on duty during the summer months. 
There is a change house as well as a small store where you can purchase refreshment items (ice cream bars, beverages, etc.) and rent equipment for use on the lake.
There is a Day Use charge of $4 per adult and $2 per child to use the beach. Campers at the Cannon RV park get in for free. I assume, in part, that is because you have to enter the beach area to access the restrooms. I could not find any information as to whether the campers from Lafayette Place campground are also free.
Canoe/Kayak/ Pedal boat
Small non-motorized watercraft can be rented at Echo Lake for $20/ hour or you can bring your own. The lake is not very big but probably would be fun to paddle around.
Boating/Fishing:
You can launch your own motorboat at the end of Echo Lake (opposite end of the beach). You would go down to the next exit off I-93 to access the ramp.
Fishing is also permitted. You can fish from a boat at Echo Lake or fly fish at Profile Lake. 
All anglers over 16 need a New Hampshire fishing license which can be purchased online.
Recreation Trail:
The recreation trail at Franconia Notch State Park is one of its signature features. It is a paved maintained trail suitable for bicyclists and hikers. It runs parallel to I-93 and goes the entire length of the park (about 15 km).
The trail meanders through forests, over bridges and past all of the park’s featured areas. Cannon Mountain offers bike rentals and you’ll find a full range of all-terrain bikes for adults and children. You should note that if travelling from Cannon Mountain RV Park toward the Visitor Centre (from north to south) the ride is essentially downhill and quite pleasant. The return trip is more of an effort.
There is a one-way shuttle from the Visitor Centre back to Cannon Mountain specifically for cyclists to use for a fee. The cost is $20US per person.
There is no fee to use the path itself but there are fees for some of the features that you can access.
Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway:
Cannon Mountain is home to North America’s first tramway.
The 80-passenger aerial tramway takes you above the timberline to the 4080 ft. summit for outstanding views of the White Mountains and beyond into Maine, Vermont and even Canada.
There is a walking path.
An observation deck.
And a snack bar located at the top of the mountain.
The New England Ski Museum is located at the base of the mountain. Here you will find a nice collection of ski-related memorabilia including American skier Bode Miller’s Olympic medals.
The museum is free but the cost for the Aerial Tram is $16US per person. You can purchase the Franconia Notch State Park Discovery Pass for $31US. The pass allows you to experience the Flume Gorge and the Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway for one combined price.
The Flume Gorge:
The other main attraction at Franconia Notch State Park is The Flume Gorge.
The Flume is a fracture in the granite that through erosion, frost action and the flow of brook water has created a deep narrow gorge. Access to the gorge area is via a 2-mile (3.2km) self-guided nature walk.
The granite walls vertically rise to a height of 90 ft.
At the top of The Flume is Avalanche Falls.
The walking trail follows the Pemigewasset River.
Further along the walk, you will come to The Pool which is a deep basin in the river. The pool is 40ft. deep and was formed at the end of the Ice Age.
A bit further is the Sentinel Pine walking bridge.
A trip to The Flume begins and ends at the Flume Visitor Center. Guests can choose to walk just to the gorge and back or do the entire two-mile loop. The walk includes uphill walking and stairs. The cost to enter The Flume area and access the walking trail is $16US per person (whether you just go to the gorge or do the entire loop). It can be combined with the Aerial Tramway for one combined price of $31US.
Hiking:
Franconia Notch State Park is very popular with hikers- maybe too popular- with 600-700 hikers coming on every weekend day. The White Mountain region of the Appalachian Trail is accessible here. There are many day hikers as well. There are parking lots at the trail access points but they often fill up early and cars can be seen lining the side of I-93 for hundreds of yards.
In 2019, a pilot program introducing a hiker shuttle was implemented to offer rides to those who would otherwise (illegally and unsafely) be parking on Interstate 93 and walking along the highway to access hiking routes. There are four 11-passenger shuttle vans. Shuttle cost is $5 round-trip per person, regardless of age. Cash-only.
Additionally, State officials plan to charge $10 to $15 per car at the two popular parking lots in 2022 after seeking authority from state legislators. Using the transit model implemented at Acadia National Park, the plan is to get pedestrians out of harms way and safely onto the trails.
Other Points of Interest:
The Basin:
At the base of a waterfall is a granite pothole 20 feet in diameter. The Basin has been smoothed by small stones and sand, whirled around by the Pemigewasset River.
Boise Rock:
There are a lot of large granite boulders left over from the Ice Age. Boise Rock is one such boulder that was made famous when someone named Thomas Boise survived a blizzard by using it for shelter.
Profile Lake:
The small clear lake is the headwaters of the Pemigewasset River. It is well known for it’s Brook Trout and is open to fly fishing only.
Old Man of the Mountain Historic Site:
The Old Man of the Mountain was comprised of 5 large blocks of granite hanging off the side of Cannon Mountain which formed the profile of a man’s face. In 1945 it was voted the official emblem of New Hampshire. 
It is also depicted on the New Hampshire Millennium quarter.
Overnight between May 2 and May 3, 2003, the Old Man of the Mountain collapsed.
In 2011, Profiler Plaza was opened with 7 “profilers” which allows visitors to again see the famous Old Man of the Mountain profile.
Gilman Visitor Center:
The Visitor Center offers restrooms, a cafeteria, a gift shop, historical displays and a free introductory movie about the park. It is from here that you access the trail that will take you to the Flume Gorge.
Things to Know:
- Pets are NOT allowed in most areas of the park including the campgrounds.
- No entrance fee is required to enter the park but The Flume, The Aerial Tramway and the Echo Lake beach area do charge admission.
- There are coin-operated pay-per-use showers available at the Lafayette Place campground only.
- There are some “minimum stay” rules at both the Cannon Mountain RV Park and Lafayette Place Campground. We stayed during the July 4th week and there was a minimum 3-night stay required. There is a minimum 2-night stay at Lafayette Place Campground on the weekends.
- When staying at the Cannon Mountain RV Park you are required to hook-up to all 3 services. It is primarily an RV park but pop-ups are allowed if all 3 services are used.
- All anglers 16+ are required to have a New Hampshire fishing license. You can buy an annual, 1-day, 3-day, or 7-day license. The cost for a 1-day license is $15US for a non-resident of New Hampshire.
- Interstate 93 becomes a 2 lane highway as it cuts through the park and all park features are easily accessed from I-93.
- Wifi and cell service is spotty to non-existent depending on where you are in the park.
You can winter camp at Cannon Mountain RV Park. There are no bathroom facilities in the off-season.
IMO:
The RV camping experience at Franconia Notch State Park is unusual and not typically what I like. Though I must admit that I didn’t hate it for a short stay. I really appreciated the beauty of the park and I did enjoy the activities.
The fees to enjoy the Aerial Tram and The Flume were a bit steep, in my opinion, given that The Flume isn’t anything more than a self-guided walk in the woods to see a rock formation and some rushing water. And $20 for a lift back to Cannon Mountain from the Visitor Center after doing the recreation trail one way is also kind of a bit much. However, you don’t have to do these things, so I do appreciate a pay per use system rather than getting charged an expensive lump sum park entrance fee.
Overall, I would recommend Franconia Notch State Park as an RV Place to Go.