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Best Tent Camping near Dartmouth, MA

631 Reviews

Tent campers visiting the Dartmouth area of Massachusetts have several coastal and island-based options within reasonable driving distance. Washburn Island Campsites at Waquoit Bay Reserve offers tent-only sites accessible by boat from mid-May through Columbus Day, while Sandy Neck Beach Park provides primitive tent campsites with both drive-in and hike-in access. Boston Harbor Islands State Park, though farther north, provides a unique island tent camping experience from June through Labor Day weekend.

Most tent sites in the region require advance planning due to limited availability and seasonal operations. Sandy Neck's primitive sites are located 3-4 miles from the trailhead, requiring campers to trek through sand carrying all gear. Sites are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis at park headquarters rather than through advance reservations. Washburn Island's ten campsites are boat-access only, making a canoe or kayak necessary for reaching this secluded location. Composting toilets are available at most sites, though amenities remain minimal, emphasizing the primitive nature of the camping experience.

The coastal tent camping experience offers unique advantages despite logistical challenges. At Sandy Neck, park staff will deliver water and firewood (for a fee) to campsites, eliminating the need to carry these heavy items during the challenging sand hike. Sites are typically positioned away from the beach in brushy areas that provide protection from coastal winds. A visitor commented that "the sites are tucked away from the beach a bit into the brush which provides a nice relief from the wind." Washburn Island campsites all feature water views and exceptional quiet, particularly during shoulder seasons when one camper noted "there were only 1-2 other sites being used" during a May visit.

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Best Tent Sites Near Dartmouth, Massachusetts (10)

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Dartmouth, MA

17 Photos of 10 Dartmouth Campgrounds

Tent Camping Reviews near Dartmouth, MA

631 Reviews of 10 Dartmouth Campgrounds

  • Jean C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Mar. 1, 2020

    Burlingame State Park Campground

    Huge campground, not many level sites.

    I've never camped in Rhode Island, so I was curious to see what a state park campground had to offer. Rates are reasonable for state residents, but quite high if you are out-of-state, given the amenities. There are no hookups, but dump stations are available. Bathrooms have flush toilets and coin-operated showers. There's a small beach at the pond, a boat ramp, and proximity to wildlife refuges and the ocean. It's a HUGE campground, with 700 sites and 20 cabins. Canoes are available to rent.

    There's a nice playground, a camp store, and a naturalists cabin. Trails are available for hiking and biking. The beach is sandy and there's a small parking lot there, but I suspect most people walk to it. No alcohol allowed. 

    I didn't see more than a handful of level sites, with varying degrees of slope, but many are quite large. If you have an RV, plan to level; if you have a tent, be sure to bring good mattresses to protect you from the roots and rocks and orient your head to the uphill side. Most of the sites have some degree of visual separation from their neighbors, but there are places where it's hard to tell where one site ends and the next one starts. Site have fire rings and picnic tables, but if you plan to cook over the fire, bring your own grate or plan to use sticks and/or aluminum foil. 

    If you don't have a tent, consider reserving one of their rustic cabins. These offer two sets of bunks (no mattresses) and a small porch with a picnic table and fire ring outside. Some are located along the pond.

    3-4 bar cell phone coverage. No road traffic. East Beach is nearby, but parking fills early.

  • 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.

  • K
    Aug. 20, 2022

    Fort Getty Campground

    No shade no rule enforcement. Great place for a big group to party if that’s what you want.

    Loud campers in large groups.

    Rules regarding quiet hours, no generators, number of tents per site and late arrival and setups were not enforced.

    People next to us crammed 8 tents on 3 sites. I counted a group of at least 20.

    There is no privacy, people were constantly walking through our site and stepping over our tent guy lines.

    People partied until 2:00am and woke up at 5:30am shining headlights and idling cars.

    Bathrooms were dirty, sites boundaries not marked and crammed together. No shade.

    Beautiful location, rangers were nice.

    RV folks were surly, seemed like a lot of them stay there for the entire season. One said hi, the rest stared when we drove by.

    We booked and paid for two nights and left first thing after just one night.

  • 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.

  • Laura M.
    Aug. 25, 2018

    Burlingame State Park Campground

    Nice campground

    Super large sites, store is adequately stocked, nice lake/pond. I came here because of the location. Super close to the beach. This is a state park, no alcohol is allowed, quiet time strictly enforced. Nice family campground. No hookups.

  • Lee D.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 7, 2024

    Burlingame State Park Campground

    HUGE state park

    General: HUGE state park with over 700 sites. It does not fully open for the season until May 1 and when we were there in mid-April, only two sections, Fish Camp and Mills Camp were open. The Ranger station is staffed 24 hours a day, with a ranger on site until 11 pm. You need to show your pass to get inside the gate leading to the campsites. There are no hookups in any site (as far as I could tell). Sites are designated for tents, small trailers, large trailers, and RVs. As with other RI state parks, non-residents pay double the price of residents which kind of ticks me off (I don't mind a nominal upcharge but double is excessive IMO).

    Site Quality: The site numbers throughout the park are painted on rocks but the sites themselves are not very clearly defined. There is no designated camping pad. Our site (114) had a water view but was not level. It was large enough for us to park horizontally and make it work for one night. Some sites had excessive roots and also were not level. Some picnic tables have been replaced with new ones, but others badly need it.

    Bath/Shower house: The one in Fish Camp was adequate and clean. There is hot water, but you need to run it for a while before you get any. There was no garbage receptacle, and the toilet paper is so thin, that you can see through it. Showers are $.75 to get it started for the first three minutes. After that, the amount per minute increases to $1, $1.25, $1.50, and so forth. Machines take up to 22 quarters. There is a change machine at the Ranger Station. I did not use the shower so I cannot comment on how well they work. 

    Activities/Amenities: There is a camp store that offers wood, ice, coffee, basic groceries, propane, and canoe rentals. It was open with limited hours during our stay. Fishing, boating, swimming - all in season. Even though the park was only about 10% occupied, there was a strong Ranger presence. He circled our small loop three times just before check-out time and wanted to make sure we were leaving not a minute past the designated time. 

    This was just an overnight stay for us in a convenient location but there is no way I would stay at the height of the season!

  • 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.

Guide to Dartmouth

The Dartmouth area of Massachusetts offers several coastal and inland tent camping options within an hour's drive. Summer humidity averages 75-85% with seasonal temperatures ranging from 55-85°F during camping season. Most local camping areas limit operations to May through October, with weekend reservations filling several months in advance.

What to do

Water activities: Explore Wakefield Pond at Buck Hill Campground in nearby Rhode Island, where you can enjoy fishing and paddling. "The water is clean and fine for swimming with a few areas that make for easy entry into the water," notes Greg R.

Beach exploration: Sleep by the ocean at Sandy Neck Beach Park, where nighttime beach fires are permitted. "This is one of the few places where you can sleep on the beach! The water is on the cold side but it's worth it. Beach camping is a very special thing," reports Matt R.

Historical sites: Visit old military fortifications on Boston Harbor Islands State Park. "The island is beautiful and has an old fort to explore as well as a lot of Rocky shoreline and trails. You can build bon fires and see gorgeous sunsets," writes Martha H.

What campers like

Isolation: Find true quiet during shoulder seasons at Washburn Island Campsites. "Small island with 10 camp site (one group) all with views of the water very quiet at night. Fire pits at each site with wood on sale at the ranger hut," explains Tim C.

Island hopping: Take inter-island ferries from Boston Harbor Islands campsites to explore multiple destinations. "During the day you can take small ferries to a variety of other islands to go swimming or explore. This is a great adventure for kids," mentions Martha H.

Wildlife viewing: Dawn and dusk wildlife appearances occur regularly at regional campsites. During August, "we collected handfuls of blackberries as we explored Peddocks," reports one Boston Harbor Islands camper.

What you should know

Transportation logistics: Plan carefully for island sites as transportation schedules can be complex. "Getting to the island was a bit of a hassle. We live in Boston and took all of our gear on the T to the harbor by the aquarium. We then took the ferry to Georges Island. After that we waited and got on a much smaller island to Lovells," explains Jess G.

Site allocation systems: Understand reservation procedures as they vary significantly between tent campsites near Dartmouth, Massachusetts. "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," explains Anna C. about Sandy Neck.

Water access: Bring adequate drinking water as most primitive sites have limited resources. "Make sure that you bring enough drinking water and that you are ok with using the composting bathroom or going in the woods," advises one Boston Harbor Islands camper.

Tips for camping with families

Equipment transportation: Consider a folding wagon for Boston Harbor Islands. "If you have a folding wagon, you may appreciate having it to carry items on and off the ferry and to your site on the island," notes Jean C.

Beach camping with kids: Prepare for wind protection at coastal sites where brush areas provide natural windbreaks. "Sitting on the beach watching the sun set over Boston was awesome and made everything entirely worth it," reports one camper after improvising at Lovells Island.

Junior Ranger program: Engage children in educational activities at national park sites. "Earn a Junior Ranger badge from the National Park Service, fly a kite, or go for a swim or kayak," suggests a Boston Harbor Islands visitor.

Tips from RVers

Limited RV options: Research thoroughly as most tent campsites near Dartmouth have few or no RV accommodations. "This campsite is a lot of fun but can get noisy at night," notes Walter C. about Boston Harbor Islands, one of the few sites with some RV facilities.

Water's Edge alternative: Consider nearby Coventry for Water's Edge Campground which offers electric hookups, sanitary dump, showers and toilets within reasonable driving distance from Dartmouth.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Dartmouth, MA is Washburn Island Campsites — Waquoit Bay Reserve with a 5-star rating from 1 review.

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

TheDyrt.com has all 10 tent camping locations near Dartmouth, MA, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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