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Best Tent Camping near Centerville, MA

415 Reviews

Cape Cod's coastal areas near Centerville, Massachusetts provide several distinctive tent camping options that range from primitive backcountry sites to established campgrounds. Sandy Neck Beach Park Primitive Campsites offers a unique beach camping experience with five dispersed sites located 3-4 miles from the trailhead. Wellfleet Hollow State Campground, about 30 miles northeast of Centerville, provides a tent-only camping environment with shaded sites and access to nearby beaches and trails. Washburn Island Campsites in Waquoit Bay Reserve offers boat-access tent camping on a small island with waterfront views, providing a more secluded experience for tent campers seeking isolation.

Tent campsite conditions vary significantly across these locations. Sandy Neck's primitive tent camping requires a challenging hike through sand without shade cover, but park staff will deliver water and firewood to ease the burden. Sites are first-come, first-served and must be secured at park headquarters. Wellfleet Hollow features compact sites with varying walk-in distances, some requiring campers to park separately from their tent location. The terrain at Wellfleet is somewhat hilly with sites that aren't always level. Washburn Island's ten campsites all include fire pits, with firewood available for purchase at the ranger station. Most locations permit campfires, though seasonal restrictions may apply. Bathroom facilities range from basic outhouses at primitive sites to improved facilities with hot showers at Wellfleet Hollow.

The backcountry tent camping experience at Sandy Neck provides exceptional seclusion and beach access. According to reviews, "The sites are tucked away from the beach a bit into the brush which provides a nice relief from the wind." Campers noted that while the area can become buggy in mid to late summer, the reward is beautiful beach sunsets and relative isolation. At Wellfleet Hollow, the tree canopy "lets in plenty of light but won't let you be baked with hot sun," creating comfortable conditions for tent campers. The campground's proximity to Duck Pond and the Cape Cod Rail Trail enhances its appeal for hikers and cyclists. Washburn Island remains particularly quiet, especially during shoulder seasons in May, September, and October when visitation decreases substantially, making it ideal for tent campers seeking solitude.

Best Tent Sites Near Centerville, Massachusetts (3)

    1. Sandy Neck Beach Park Primitive Campsites

    4 Reviews
    West Barnstable, MA
    6 miles
    Website

    $20 / night

    "This is a really cool option for those interested in visiting Cape Cod and also backpacking. The park has 5 dispersed sites located 3-4 miles from the trailhead with picnic tables and an outhouse."

    "Took one more trip down for the end of the season, great weather but VERY windy"

    2. Washburn Island Campsites — Waquoit Bay Reserve

    1 Review
    Falmouth, MA
    11 miles
    Website
    +1 (508) 457-0495

    $8 - $35 / night

    "Fire pits at each site with wood on sale at the ranger hut. 1 composting toilet."

    3. Wellfleet Hollow State Campground

    4 Reviews
    South Wellfleet, MA
    26 miles
    Website
    +1 (508) 349-3007

    $22 - $55 / night

    "A quiet campground in mid June - sites are close together but not many people this trip, quiet and friendly neighbors. Right on the rail trail."

    "We've been camping at Wellfleet Hollow (formerly Paine's Campground) for close to thirty years. "

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Tent Camping Reviews near Centerville, MA

415 Reviews of 3 Centerville Campgrounds

  • Jean C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Mar. 2, 2021

    Fearing Pond Campground — Myles Standish State Forest

    Wooded sites near a pond

    There are 2 Fearing Pond loops at Myles Standish State Forest, the H & I loops. The H loop entrance is closer to the Charge Pond loops and is higher above pond. This loop is better suited to the larger trailers/tents with more space to drive around a loop , but some spots have slopes. The I loop's best feature is a small beach that is easily accessible from all sites. They've done a lot of site restoration and the fact that it didn't open in 2020 helped. In spite of that, many of the sites have awkward approaches and there is a large parking lot closer to the bathroom. There are no hookups, but there is a dump station available. Water is available, but no electric hookups. Fire rings and picnic tables provided.

    The forest has miles of biking trails, ponds for swimming, fishing, and boating, and even cranberry bogs to explore (though harvest is late in the camping season and this section is not open at that time).

    Cell phone coverage is poor to absent in the forest, so download maps for offline use prior to your arrival.

    Plymouth is nearby for a any forgotten provisions and for sightseeing. Erickson's ice cream cafe is near the entrance if you need a treat!

  • Jean C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Nov. 27, 2020

    Scusset Beach State Reservation

    Coastal campground open late in season

    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.

  • Jean C.The Dyrt PRO User
    May. 30, 2020

    Wellfleet Hollow State Campground

    Newer rustic state campground for tents and small trailers

    Formerly Paine's campground, this is now under the Massachusetts DCR. It offers inexpensive, rustic camping on the Cape, though rates are much higher for out-of-state guests than for instate. Many sites are small, some require walk-in, and parking may be separate from the site; in some instances it is across or near the site, and for others it is closer to the park entrance. Under the new ownership they've paved some of the roads, but the roads are narrow and with curves. All of the conditions have led them to limit campers to tents and short trailers/campers only, with length <15' and only 1 unit/vehicle per site. There is 20A electric on a number of the sites. When you read site descriptions, it will indicate 'compact loop' or 'petite site' and those are accurate!

    Sites are largely shaded. Some of the sites back up to neighboring yards (9-12 area). Walk-in distance to some sites can be substantial (see sites 49, 59, 61, etc.) so be sure to read site descriptions carefully, but 61 in particular offers greater privacy. The sites aren't always level. There are no photos on the reservation website, so I've tried to capture most, but not all, here.

    No alcohol or pets allowed. 

    The are nearby beaches, hikes, Cape Cod Rail Trail and other biking opportunities are nearby. If you don't have a bike, you can easily rent one from nearby shops.

    It won't be for everyone, but if you want a campground that is less expensive, caters to tents and trailers rather than the big rigs, this may be for you!

  • Our Greight Escape ..
    Oct. 27, 2020

    Bourne Scenic Park

    Wonderful campground!

    We stayed here for a season and loved it! The staff from the front desk to the front gate are incredibly friendly and welcoming!

    Pros-

    Front office is open late (9pm)

    Offers wood, ice, fire starters, hoses and adapter cap for gray water drain.

    Country Store

    Ice Cream

    Amazing views of the canal.

    Bike path along the canal, easy access.

    Lots of playgrounds for different ages

    Bounce pad (in-ground)

    Pool

    Stair access to canal bike path.

    Dump station

    Inexpensive to have visitors\

    Located near so much! Walmart, Market Basket, Target all within 15min.  

    Cons-

    No on site drainage for black water (grey takes an adapter). You will need a poop tote.

    Lots of tight spaces

    Anyone can pay to access canal, so they can access any campsite even without staying there. 

    Highway noise.

    BRIDGE TRAFFIC- if you know you know.

  • Ashlee L.
    Jul. 2, 2018

    North of Highland Camping Area

    Absolutely wonderful and quiet

    This is by far one of the best campgrounds I’ve stayed at so far. North of Highland Camping area definitely caters to tent campers – the roads are not big enough for large trailers or RVs, and they have no electric or sewage hookups anywhere in the park. This campground has been owned by the same family since the 1950s.

    We arrived around 10 am on a Saturday morning, and even though it was the weekend before July 4th, there were still several sites available for walk-ins (they have more than 250 sites). The desk clerk was one of the friendliest people I’ve ever met, and extremely helpful – he walked us through picking the best site available by asking us what our preferences were (did we want to be near the restrooms, close to the beach path, what size tent did we have, etc). He even gave us tips on getting beach fire permits. The price for the site was reasonable for the area.

    The campground itself is gorgeous – it’s within the pine barren forest near Head of the Meadow beach, completely surrounded by Cape Cod National Seashore land. All of the sites are shaded, and they are decently sized with picnic tables. There is also a ½ mile walking path that leads directly to Head of the Meadow beach; if you go to the town beach side, walk-ins are free!

    There are several restrooms centrally located to the main camping loops, plus one building that houses the coin-op showers, the camp store, a rec hall, and even an adults-only quiet room w/ electronic charging stations. The restrooms were very clean and well maintained, and even had soap and paper towels, which is rare in campgrounds. Each restroom building also had outdoor showers for rinsing off.

    The owners are VERY strict on their quiet hours policy (1030pm – 730am), and they are very restrictive on some noises during the day as well – pets, motorcycles, and portable generators are not allowed in this campground at all. This is exactly the kind of camping experience I’m looking for, as I’ve had some bad experiences the last year or so with other campgrounds attracting loud partiers.

    Overall, this was one of my favorite camping experiences and I will definitely be back!

    Pros: Wonderfully helpful staff, reasonably priced, very quiet and relaxing, clean and well-maintained facilities, great location, beautiful.

    Cons: If I had to pick any cons, it would be that the roads throughout the campground are in kind of rough shape and could use more signage (a lot are one-way and sometimes hard to distinguish from campsite parking spots). I had no problem in my SUV, but it might be a little rougher driving on them in a compact car. Also, no fires are allowed in the campground itself due to fire restrictions, but you can easily get beach fire permits to have one on the beach. That’s all I can think of – this campground was great!

  • Jean C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Mar. 2, 2021

    Barretts Pond Campground — Myles Standish State Forest

    Small campground near a small pond at Myles Standish

    This campsite loop at Myles Standish State Forest is closest to the headquarters and borders a small pond with beach. In addition to tent/RV sites, there are 3 yurts available with bunks. Sites that appear to be near the pond are pond view rather than pondside. Approaches to Yurt JC and J5, J 26, J27 are sloped. J14 is a little awkward. J33 is probably among the largest and nicest with a pond view. The sites aren't as large as those in the Charge Pond loops, but it's a smaller campground.

    The loop has flush toilets and showers. Water is available, but no electric hookups. Fire rings and picnic tables provided. Cell phone coverage throughout the forest is poor to absent; download maps for offline use if you want to be sure to know where you are or find directions. There are miles of bike trails and ponds for fishing, swimming, and boating. There's a larger beach and picnic area at College Pond.

  • Anna C.
    Jun. 11, 2019

    Sandy Neck Beach Park Primitive Campsites

    Backcountry Camping at Cape Cod

    This is a really cool option for those interested in visiting Cape Cod and also backpacking. The park has 5 dispersed sites located 3-4 miles from the trailhead with picnic tables and an outhouse. The hike in to the sites can be particularly difficult because it requires trekking through sand without any sun coverage and with all of your gear. It’s also a bit of a gamble because the sites are not reservable ahead of time. In order to secure a spot, you must show up at the park headquarters where sites are handed out on a first come first served basis. A nice amenity is that the park staff will send someone to the sites to deliver 5 gallons of water for free as well as firewood for a small fee so you don’t have to carry those resources. The sites are tucked away from the beach a bit into the brush which provides a nice relief from the wind. Fires are permitted at the beach and I was lucky to witness a really beautiful beach sunset. I did not encounter too many bugs during my time of visit but I’ve been warned that it can get quite buggy in mid to late summer. Overall, this is a 5 star primitive spot for me because it’s secluded, requires a bit of leg work and has a great view.

  • Alicia F.
    Aug. 15, 2018

    Marthas Vineyard Family Campground

    I love this campground!

    Pay $300-$500/night for a hotel or this campground for $35/night? I’ll take the campground any day. Several years now I’ve packed a suitcase w a tent, tarp, air mattress and sleeping bag and had some of the best weeks of my life! The bus picks up and drops off just outside the campground and with a weekly bus pass you can be anywhere on the island within minutes. Every day was a new adventure to Edgartown, Vineyard Haven, Menemsha etc. Large shared male and female bathroom/shower complex next to the camp store and office as well as an outdoor shower for those more adventurous. Most sites have electric and water nearby. The management/owner takes pride in the campground and loves what he does. It’s the best way to experience Martha’s Vineyard!

  • Rachel P.
    Jun. 30, 2019

    Scusset Beach State Reservation

    An RVer’s Paradise

    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.

Guide to Centerville

Tent campsites near Centerville, Massachusetts range from basic sites to those with modern facilities, all within a 30-mile radius. The camping season typically runs from late May through mid-October, with July and August bringing warmer temperatures averaging 75-85°F and higher humidity. Coastal camping locations often experience evening fog and cooler nighttime temperatures, requiring appropriate gear even during summer months.

What to do

Explore tidal areas: Sandy Neck Beach Park Primitive Campsites offers unique opportunities for shoreline exploration. "This is one of the few places where you can sleep on the beach! It's a great place. The water is on the cold side but it's worth it. Beach camping is a very special thing," notes camper Matt R.

Visit kettle ponds: The glacial kettle ponds near Wellfleet Hollow State Campground provide swimming opportunities without saltwater. According to reviewer Cal K., "Great Pond and Long Pond are both close by and lovely swimming. You can also walk to Duck Pond from the campground."

Stargazing: The Cape Cod region offers exceptional night sky viewing opportunities. Tom C. points out that at Wellfleet Hollow, "At night you can go out to the power lines for some of the best star gazing on the East Coast."

What campers like

Beach access camping: Sandy Neck Beach Park Primitive Campsites provides direct beach access. "You need a sandy neck ORV pass and a self contained camper (toilet) to camp here, but it's very worth it. Right on the water, relaxing and sunny most of the time! Campfires allowed at night, and pets are allowed," shares Matt R.

Natural shade coverage: The tree canopy at many campgrounds provides relief from summer heat. As Tom C. notes about Wellfleet Hollow State Campground, "The campsite itself is wonderful with a tree canopy that lets in plenty of light but won't let you be baked with hot sun."

Bike trail access: Proximity to the Cape Cod Rail Trail enhances the camping experience. "It's a short bike ride to the Cape Cod Rail Trail which is wonderful," mentions Tom C. about Wellfleet Hollow State Campground.

What you should know

Site reservation challenges: Securing a tent campsite requires advance planning. For Washburn Island Campsites, Tim C. advises, "Campsites can be reserved 6 months in advance so it is tough to get one during the summer months but great camping in May, September, and October as well."

Variable site conditions: Not all campsites accommodate vehicles directly at the site. Will A. notes about Wellfleet Hollow, "The booking site is a little confusing in terms of if your site will have room for a car. Some don't and you have to park in the parking lot which can be a haul to your site."

Transportation requirements: Some camping areas require boat access. Tim C. explains about Washburn Island, "You need a boat or a ride out there, close to the main land so a canoe/kayak would work."

Tips for camping with families

Beach camping logistics: When camping at primitive beach sites, prepare for challenging terrain. Anna C. explains about Sandy Neck, "The hike in to the sites can be particularly difficult because it requires trekking through sand without any sun coverage and with all of your gear."

Wildlife viewing opportunities: Wellfleet Hollow State Campground offers wildlife encounters. Cal K. reports, "Wild turkeys moved through camp during my visit."

Beach permit timing: Seasonal beach access varies throughout the year. "Wellfleet beaches and glacial kettle ponds don't require a parking sticker Labor Day-2nd weekend in June," notes Cal K., providing useful information for family budget planning.

Tips from RVers

Size restrictions: Many Cape Cod campsites have strict limits on RV size. Jean C. notes about Wellfleet Hollow, "All of the conditions have led them to limit campers to tents and short trailers/campers only, with length <15' and only 1 unit/vehicle per site."

Power availability: Electrical access varies between campgrounds. Jean C. states about Wellfleet Hollow, "There is 20A electric on a number of the sites."

Road navigation challenges: Cape Cod campgrounds often feature narrow, winding roads. "Under the new ownership they've paved some of the roads, but the roads are narrow and with curves," cautions Jean C. about accessing tent campsites near Centerville, Massachusetts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Centerville, MA?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Centerville, MA is Sandy Neck Beach Park Primitive Campsites with a 5-star rating from 4 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Centerville, MA?

TheDyrt.com has all 3 tent camping locations near Centerville, MA, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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