Erving State Forest

General Notes:

After a long day we  did a virtual version of throwing a dart at map to head out and do an overnight camping trip.   Our dart landed on Erving and we literally had never heard of it … so we were … skeptical.   However, we were absolutely delighted by this great spot in the  beautiful Erving State Forest.  

Pros / Cons:  

This is a very small campground with only 27 sites and only 13 sites open during the 2020 / Covid Season. 

Situated by a beautiful lake and access to several hiking trails. 

Although you have good privacy to your left and right - you are not far from your  camping neighbors across the way … and we quickly learned the names of their small children as parents yelled their names almost constantly.   

There is also zero cell service (there is an operational pay phone at the showers) which is fine … but wished we knew ahead of time. 

All pros outweigh the cons.  We'll definitely be returning to this small hidden gem which is also situated by a lovely lake and has fantastic hiking trails.

Friends told me about this little gem in north central Massachusetts, not far from Rt 2. The big draw here is the pond, with the public beach on one side and lined with private cabins on the other.  Swimming, boating, fishing, and hiking will keep you busy. There's a separate boat launch at the far end of the road from the beach.

There are only 27 sites, but in 2020 many of the ones served by composting toilets are closed. You need reservations in advance. Fees in 2020 are only $17 for MA residents, but $55 for out-of-staters.

Campsites are laid out in a linear fashion along a one-way road that leaves from the parking area. It's a bit of an uphill hike from the beach to the campsites. Sites are large, wooded, generally level. It was quiet with a lot of families. I took site pictures, but for the closed sites, the numbers were not posted.

Download your maps for offline use! Cell connection was horrible heading up here.

We grew up going to Laurel Lake and camping out there. It’s a great place to tent camp and a very relax quiet place to spend a long weekend.