Scusset Beach State Reservation, near Sandwich, Massachusetts, is a popular destination for campers looking to enjoy the beauty of Cape Cod. This campground offers a mix of RV and tent sites, with a focus on providing access to a stunning sandy beach and the scenic Cape Cod Canal.

The campground features well-maintained facilities, including flush toilets and showers, making it easy to clean up after a day of outdoor activities. Visitors appreciate the community fire pit, where RVers can gather in the evenings, as individual fire pits are reserved for the tent sites. As one camper noted, “The beach is big, open and beautiful with lots of shells to hunt and marine life to check out.”

For those who love biking and fishing, the campground is conveniently located near the Cape Cod Canal Trail, which offers a picturesque route for cyclists. Fishing enthusiasts can cast their lines from the shore or the jetty, enjoying the peaceful surroundings. The campground also has a playground for kids, ensuring that families have plenty of options for fun.

While the RV sites are more open and can feel a bit like a parking lot, the tent sites offer a more secluded experience with some shade and privacy. If you're planning to visit during the peak season, be sure to make reservations early, especially for the limited tent sites. Scusset Beach State Reservation is a great choice for those looking to soak up the sun and enjoy the natural beauty of the Cape.

This recreation area is part of [Cape Cod Canal][1]

[1]: http://www.recreation.gov/recreationalAreaDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&recAreaId=200&agencyCode=130

Scusset Beach State Reservation

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Sandwich

The Best Camping Near Sandwich, Massachusetts

Scusset is a very popular beach and campground in the summer. It's located close to the Sagamore Bridge on the mainland side. Traffic can be messy in the summer, especially on weekend days!

The campground itself is a haven for RVs. There are 5 "wooded" tent sites, where campers are allowed to have tents as well as a fire on the site. All other sites are located in a wide open area and are best suited for motor homes and trailers. Note, only the tent sites are allowed to have fires, all other sites you must do your cooking on a stove, and no fires are allowed. There is a communal fireplace near the entrance of the campground where everyone gathers at dusk to share a nice big fire.

Most sites have a paved driveway for your camper and space for a small car, and there is an overflow parking lot if needed. Flush toilets, sinks and showers are available in the main bathroom building and are cleaned on a regular basis. During beach season there is another restroom down by the beach with outdoor showers to get off all the sand! Sometimes the refreshments stand is open.

The beach is big, open and beautiful with lots of shells to hunt and marine life to check out. At the edge of the beach is the beginning of the Cape Cod Canal, and its walking/bike path. Along the canal are inlets to let you back into the campground.

In the morning you'll see lots of folks fishing, watch for old line/hooks.

Because the camp has so few trees, the winds can be gnarly. On the flip side, the lack of trees gives you a great spot to stargaze, especially if you focus your view out over the ocean, away from the lights of the mainland.

Right on the water

Great for fishing and biking

State run campground located at beginning of cape cod route 6\. The sites can accommodate large rvs and tents. They are dog friendly however, not allowed on beach during peak summer season. No fires are allowed and no great views of ocean. The cape cod bike path and lots of great fishing off canal located right next to campground.

Cape cod beach camping

Scusset Beach Reservation overlooks Cape Cod Bay and accommodates a multitude of RV sites. The campgrounds aren’t the most attractive, but the pull here, of course, is the beach- which is actually pretty amazing. 

Not nearly as crowded as a majority of the nearby Cape beaches and rather quiet- especially shocking for the weekend just before the July 4th holiday- Scusset Beach has all the amenities you could really want for a low-key beach outing. The beach is clean, with beautiful, white, rock-free sand. There’s a small snack bar with basic food options, bathroom and locker room facilities, picnic tables and plenty of parking. Lifeguards begin their work around 10am and are pretty serious about announcing all the rules.

In the grounds, you’ll find rows and rows of RV sites. Not much in terms of privacy- basically a glorified parking lot with the occasional tree and nearby nature center. The Park, however, also has 5 tent sites towards the back that are really your best bet if you want anything close to a true camping experience. Tent sites 1, 4 and 5 are the most attractive options, offering shade and a fair amount of privacy. Each is set up with a grill, fire pit and picnic table and are pretty decently sized.

Additionally, there are several trails around the Reservation. A nice bike path along the waterway is literally feet away from the tent sites; and there also seemed to be smaller paths dispersed throughout.

If you’re a fan of the Cape and ocean, definitely give Scusset Beach a try- especially one of the tent sites. You can literally walk to the shore and stores and restaurants are a quick car ride down the street.

An RVer’s Paradise

Scusset Beach offers an extended camping season, although the extended season is restricted to self-contained units as the restrooms are turned off.  Also, there are only 5 designated tent sites during the peak season, so if you want to tent camp here, you'd best make a reservation well in advance.. You cannot reserve an RV site for a just a tent, though if you have a trailer, you may also have a tent on the site. The 5 tent sites have their own fire pits, but the RV sites must use a community fire pit, though in mid-November, just before the campground closed for the season, RVers used the firepit at a tent site that provided some additional protection from the wind.

The RV sites have paved parking pads and picnic tables, but the area to the side of the parking pads sometimes slopes away, so it's less usable for chairs, etc.  In the 2020 camping season, every other campsite was closed (thus the picnic tables across the entrance of the parking pad). Some of the sites, 32 34, 36, are along the back of the campground closer to the trees/scrub, and so have some degree of privacy and protection as compared to the others in the wide open park.

The campground is on the north shore of the Cape Code canal and provides access to a sandy beach, a jetty, and the Cape Cod Canal Trail for biking and walking. There's a nice playground for youth. You can fish from the shore or jetty, No need to cross the bridge to the Cape. Plymouth is also nearby to explore.

Photos of Scusset Beach State Reservation

Real photos from real campers