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Best Campgrounds near Watertown Town, MA

691 Reviews

State parks and established campgrounds surround Watertown Town, Massachusetts, providing camping options within a 30-mile radius of Boston. Harold Parker State Forest in Andover, about 20 miles north of Watertown, offers wooded sites with water hookups and hiking trails. Wompatuck State Park Campground in Hingham, approximately 25 miles southeast, features a mix of tent and RV sites with varying levels of privacy. For military personnel, Hanscom AFB FamCamp in Bedford provides a convenient base for exploring historic Lexington and Concord. Most campgrounds in the region operate seasonally from May through September or October, with a few luxury options like Normandy Farms in Foxborough extending their season from April through November.

Massachusetts state parks enforce specific regulations that distinguish them from private campgrounds. Most notably, alcohol is prohibited at state park campgrounds, as mentioned by several campers. One reviewer noted, "Only complaint about Massachusetts state parks is no alcohol even while sitting in your site." Reservations are essential, particularly for summer weekends, with most bookings handled through Reserve America. Cell service varies by location, with some campgrounds reporting limited connectivity. Many sites offer water hookups, though placement isn't always convenient for RVs. State park campgrounds typically provide basic amenities like fire pits, picnic tables, and access to hiking trails, while private resorts offer more extensive facilities including swimming pools and recreation programs.

Campers consistently highlight the convenience of these locations for Boston residents seeking quick weekend getaways. One reviewer described Ponkapoag Camp as "superlatively convenient if you live in the Boston area," noting its wetland setting and proximity to trails. Harold Parker State Forest receives praise for its "nice large campsites" with "privacy that is very diverse." Site selection proves important at most campgrounds, with reviews frequently mentioning significant differences between sites within the same facility. Wompatuck State Park campers report peaceful nights "with very little human noise" and opportunities for wildlife viewing. Many campgrounds serve as convenient basecamps for exploring coastal towns, historic sites, and beaches, with several reviewers appreciating the balance of natural settings with proximity to regional attractions.

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Best Camping Sites Near Watertown Town, Massachusetts (93)

    1. Lorraine Park Campground — Harold Parker State Forest

    32 Reviews
    North Reading, MA
    17 miles
    Website
    +1 (978) 475-7972

    $17 - $35 / night

    "north of Boston and <5 miles from the interstate, Lorraine Park campground at Harold Parker State Forest provides ample on-site activities and also serves as a jumping off point for exploring the Massachusetts"

    "You could be tucked away from everyone or closer together depending on the site you choose but they are all pretty decent in size. All sites have water which is a plus."

    2. Wompatuck State Park Campground

    43 Reviews
    Hingham, MA
    21 miles
    Website
    +1 (617) 895-8245

    $17 - $23 / night

    "Ours (R002) was large, beautiful, and mostly surrounded by forest."

    "I chose a spot away from others and was glad I did. Behind me was nothing but quiet woods and a deer meandered through a couple times."

    3. Hanscom AFB FamCamp

    9 Reviews
    Bedford, MA
    9 miles
    Website
    +1 (781) 225-3953

    "The campground offers RV sites, some with hookups, as well as more walk-in secluded tent sites as well as one yurt tent. The campground is peaceful and quiet, although adjacent to a very busy AFB."

    "Close to minute man historical sites- revolutionary war historical trails and Ranger Station. Not too far from Boston."

    4. Normandy Farms Campground

    39 Reviews
    Foxborough, MA
    23 miles
    Website
    +1 (866) 673-2767

    $50 - $200 / night

    "The staff was positive and helpful and that made a difference for me. I traditionally dry camp or go for semi hooked up on purpose, I just like the quieter camping."

    "Driving around this place is definitely not a typical campground but more of a luxury camp because of all of the amenities.

    That being said it was very nice and felt safe."

    5. Spacious Skies Minute Man

    28 Reviews
    Ayer, MA
    22 miles
    Website
    +1 (978) 772-0042

    $39 - $999 / night

    "The pool is huge and clean and there is a ton of seating around. The shop has everything you could need. There are horseshoes, can jam, basketball, and bocce. There’s a playground and a rec room."

    "The location was perfect to see so much in the area (Minute Man National Historical Park, Boston, Salem, Plymouth, Cape Cod, Providence etc)."

    6. Boston Harbor Islands State Park Campground

    8 Reviews
    Hull, MA
    14 miles
    Website
    +1 (781) 740-1605

    $8 - $55 / night

    "The yurts have bunk beds, a floor lamp, a table inside, a picnic table outside and a grill. Just getting to the island is a fun adventure."

    "You may choose to leave from Long Wharf, near the Aquarium T stop on the Blue line, or from Hingham, with overnight parking available."

    7. Ponkapoag Camp

    6 Reviews
    Randolph, MA
    13 miles
    Website
    +1 (781) 961-7007

    $20 - $65 / night

    "The area around Ponkapog is beautiful, showcasing a wetland climate that, while common, is an integral part of the Massachusetts ecosystem that many people don’t even realize is within a stones throw."

    "The camp is on a beautiful piece of wooded land surrounding a large pond/lake. There are about 25 rustic cabins, and a few tent sites dispersed throughout the camping area."

    8. Winter Island Park

    14 Reviews
    Salem, MA
    19 miles
    Website
    +1 (978) 745-9430

    $35 - $105 / night

    "Many of the RV sites are located in the main parking lot; others are in a field just to the right of the entrance."

    "We drove 3-1/2 days from Idaho to get to a COVID testing site which would take non MA residents and turn the results around under 48 hours. We needed quiet camping and not have it cost a fortune."

    9. Camp Nihan Education Center

    2 Reviews
    Saugus, MA
    12 miles
    Website

    "The group site is super close to parking and yet the terrain is rugged enough that it always felt like we were really in the woods."

    10. Circle Campground Farm Campground

    7 Reviews
    Franklin Town, MA
    24 miles
    Website
    +1 (508) 966-1136

    $45 - $75 / night

    "Im guessing these sites will be considered "close" to "moderately close" by other site standards but it housed my 24ft trailer, truck, and my family just fine.

    - Roads are a little narrow which made"

    "Everything you need 100% Everything clean 100% EASY Access to all attractions 100% We did Boston (caught the train), Salem, mystic seaport, Sturbridge village, plymouth rock, the Mayflower ship, and plymouth"

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Recent Camping Photos near Watertown Town, MA

348 Photos of 93 Watertown Town Campgrounds

Recent Reviews near Watertown Town, MA

691 Reviews of 93 Watertown Town Campgrounds

  • SkipperAllen C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 8, 2025

    Wompatuck State Park Campground

    Very nice stopover

    Good place to spend the night.It was quiet comfortable and plenty of room between campsites

  • JThe Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 6, 2025

    Beach Rose RV Park

    Nice park

    Owners were helpful on arrival, level concrete pad full hookups. Sites close together but quiet.

  • d
    Aug. 19, 2025

    Cape Ann Camp Site

    25 cents for a shower

    The aerial photos of this place are very deceiving. This camp ground is the foreground of the main house which, is situated on the top of the hill. The sites are all dirt. There is no concrete pads. There is no WIFI. There is no sewer hook up however, near the street there is a "dump station."  The camp ground is run down and unmaintained. Our site had a fire ring which, was filled with ash. Our first night we woke up to a trailer filled with smoke because, someone near by had a fire in 92 degree heat. Most campers are full time residents. There is no sight of them during the day light hours but, at night they are up and about on bikes and mingling with each other. 

    25 cents per 5 minute hot shower is offered in the public restroom. Some shady people immediate started to hover near the public restroom once we drove up the hill to use the public restrooms. For $70/nite for a view it's not worth it. I was glad to leave- very creepy.

  • Rachael K.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 17, 2025

    Lake Dennison Recreation Area Campground

    Really pretty and chill

    This campground is pretty and offers many private site options. We didn't use the bathrooms so can't speak on that. But overall it's a clean campground.

    There are two loops. The loop closer to the entrance has a lot of private sites. Although if you have one closer to the main road, it is quite noisy with road sounds. But many of the sites in the middle are more quiet. The sites by the lake are really pretty, but there's not much privacy. All of the sites are good size and the fire pits are placed well.

    The other loop farther away from the entrance has a lot more lakeside sites. But there's very little privacy. The sites with higher numbers by the lake are all on top of each other with little to no trees or shrubs between sites, and you can't really decipher where one site ends and the next begins. We would not stay on that loop if we visited again. Unless it was site 101 which seemed more private for that loop.

    Sites 1 through 5 on the first loop are pretty quiet and peaceful. We stayed at site 4 and we think that it was one of the best sites in the campground. We didn't have neighbors on either side of us. We only had neighbors across from us. The site was spacious , peaceful and pretty. There was a little trail from our site that went down to a marsh. That was absolutely beautiful.

    We will definitely stay here again.

  • gabe N.
    Aug. 16, 2025

    Lake Dennison Recreation Area Campground

    What a gem

    We camped here one night on a pit stop and it exceeded our expectations! We camped on the north shore; sites were big and offered immediate access to and view of the lake. However, there is limited privacy between sites so hope for good neighbors :) also cell service was fine with AT&T.

  • Cassie G.
    Aug. 12, 2025

    Winding River Campground

    Fun laid back place. This campground has a lot of potential. Some info on their website and Facebook isn’t accurate.

    I would like to share my experience this past weekend at Winding River in Exeter NH. My family of 3 Stayed at tent site 523 in the Oak area. We also had family at 553 and 554 and Cabin 2.

    About site 523: I clearly had one of the largest and most private tent sites. It was set back with a long driveway tucked between 522 and 524. It’s a very steep drop into the river making most sites a little nerve wracking with a little one. Online it said water available nearby. Most sites had a hookup but there wasn’t a one on my site. It looked like there may have been one to share on the road, but I didn’t end up needing to figure that out.

    Tent sites 522 and 524: Along with most of the tent sites these sites were very close to each other, much smaller and closer to the road. I wished my family members had gotten 552 and 553 as they blended together nicely if you are tenting in side by side spaces. The ground was very rocky making staking tents down difficult. They were right next to the bathroom which was convenient but loud. Ventilation in the bathroom was not good so the doors were propped open much of the time and loud hand dryers.

    Shower:

    • This is the smaller of the two bathrooms in the campground. There are 2 showers there. Each with a single insufficient curtain and no hooks on the wall or bench to place things down. Water was hot enough, pressure was ok if you set it to the high power massage-like setting.
    • The showers in other bathroom (near the town center area) had a door and two curtains. Some had hooks (some of which were broken). I almost tripped going in and out of these bathroom stalls because they are raised up but there is no marking on the ground to indicate that.

    Cabin 2: Ac worked well. There was a good sized bed downstairs, smaller beds in two lofts. I was surprised the couch didn’t pull out. Fridge and all dishes were nice and clean. All the cabins seem to have different back porch setups. This porch was smaller than C1. There was a propane grill that smelled rancid with sooo much caked on The burners. The location of the ceiling fan under the other lights in the ceiling gave them a flashing effect that really bothered me.

    Pros:

    • Lower price compared to other campgrounds (but I don’t feel like I got everything advertised on the website)
    • Two playgrounds, both were nice.
    • Water slide was fun
    • We arrived Thursday at the gate and were told how to get to our site, to set up and then come over to the office which was nice.

    Cons:

    • The river is very low and yucky so none of the boating or fishing advertised was possible. likely causing the massive amount of mosquitos.
    • The whole arcade building was was “out of order”
    • The laundry room had two washers (one was broken) and two dryers 2.50 each per load. Not sufficient for a campground this size (especially when people leave their clothes in the machine for 30 mins after they’re done!)
    • Camp store was poorly stocked (multiple empty coolers).
    • Ice $3 per SMALL bag.
    • Wood $10 per bundle and rules say you can’t bring from off-site. I saw people with huge metal bins of wood but was never offered that option when I payed for multiple bundles.
    • Camp store closes at 3 on Sunday and doesn’t open until 11 am during the week (which is also checkout). This made it a little confusing when I wanted to return the golf cart. They have a small area with icecream that is scooped and maybe a kitchen. I never saw it open but I think the sign said open morning to 12 and then again in the evening.
    • The pool was green and cloudy on day 3. I called the office and was told they had just shocked it and that was a result of the copper. I am not informed enough on pool safety so I opted out of swimming on the hottest day of our stay. My son was bummed.
    • Planned activities were only scheduled for Friday and Saturday, when online mentions “daily”. During adult kareoke there were plenty of kids and really poor wifi (wasting so much time between songs).

    And just to add:

    • Staff I encountered was friendly enough, but It would be nice if they wore shirts to identify themselves.
    • Golf cart was great, but cost more than the site per night.
    • Pedal go-carts were available for rent (I didn’t ask a price).
  • Savanna B.
    Aug. 8, 2025

    Winding River Campground

    Place is nice, can get loud

    It's a nice campground with a pool and hottub. The store is a little overpriced. Most of the staff is okay but there are some that are a little rude. It can get loud at times but it's mostly chill

Guide to Watertown Town

Camping near Watertown Town, Massachusetts, offers a variety of experiences for outdoor enthusiasts. With beautiful parks and campgrounds nearby, you can enjoy nature while still being close to the city.

What to do:

  • Hiking and Trails: Explore the scenic trails at Pawtuckaway State Park Campground. Many campers appreciate the "great location with lake views, trails, etc." and find it easy to launch kayaks from the shore.
  • Water Activities: Enjoy swimming and kayaking at Wompatuck State Park Campground. One visitor noted, "You can take a trail from the campsite," making it easy to access the water.
  • Family Fun: Check out Normandy Farms Campground for family-friendly activities. A reviewer mentioned, "It has so many things for the kids to do," making it a great spot for families.

What campers like:

  • Spacious Sites: Campers at Lorraine Park Campground enjoy the "spacious and shaded" pitches, which provide a comfortable camping experience.
  • Clean Facilities: Many appreciate the cleanliness of the restrooms and showers at George Washington State Campground. One camper said, "Very clean bathrooms & hot showers," highlighting the well-maintained amenities.
  • Natural Beauty: Campers love the "lovely waterfront sites" at Pawtuckaway State Park Campground. A long-time visitor stated, "So many lovely waterfront sites, clean facilities," making it a favorite spot.

What you should know:

  • Pet Policies: If you're bringing pets, be aware that Wompatuck State Park Campground allows leashed pets on trails but not in the campground or beach area during the summer.
  • Crowded Weekends: Expect busier conditions on weekends at places like Greenfield State Park Campground. One camper noted, "The weekend was packed!" so plan accordingly.
  • Limited Amenities: Some campgrounds, like Bear Brook State Park Campground, do not offer electric hookups. A visitor mentioned, "No hookups in the campground," so be prepared for a more rustic experience.

Tips for camping with families:

  • Activities for Kids: Look for campgrounds with organized activities, like Normandy Farms Campground, where one reviewer said, "Tons of games, multiple playgrounds, multiple pools."
  • Choose Spacious Sites: Opt for campgrounds with larger sites, such as Lorraine Park Campground, where families can spread out and enjoy their space.
  • Plan for Mosquitoes: Be ready with bug spray, especially at campgrounds near water, like Greenfield State Park Campground. A camper warned, "Watch for ticks," so keep an eye on the kids.

Tips from RVers:

  • Bring Leveling Blocks: Some sites, like those at Normandy Farms Campground, may not be level. One reviewer advised, "Bring plenty of leveling blocks!"
  • Check Site Size: Before booking, check the size of your RV against the campground's site dimensions. A visitor at Boston/Cape Cod KOA mentioned, "Some of the FHU sites are pretty tight."
  • Utilize Amenities: Take advantage of the amenities offered at campgrounds like Minute Man Campground, where one camper appreciated the "game room" and "clean facilities."

Camping around Watertown Town, MA, provides a mix of outdoor fun and family-friendly activities. Whether you're in an RV or tent, there's something for everyone to enjoy!

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular campground near Watertown Town, MA?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Watertown Town, MA is Lorraine Park Campground — Harold Parker State Forest with a 4.5-star rating from 32 reviews.

What parks are near Watertown Town, MA?

According to TheDyrt.com, there are 15 parks near Watertown Town, MA that allow camping, notably West Hill Dam and Buffumville Lake.

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