Best RV Parks & Resorts near Malden, MA

We had an incredible stay at Douglas Forest RV Resort! From the moment we arrived, we were blown away by how peaceful and well-maintained everything was. The RV sites are spacious and easy to navigate, with full hookups and strong Wi-Fi— a big plus for us since we work remotely on the road. What really sets this place apart is the location. You’re literally steps away from Douglas State Forest, which made morning hikes and evening strolls absolutely magical. It’s pet-friendly too, and our dog loved the wooded trails and open areas. The staff was super friendly and helpful, and the camp store had everything we needed. Even though the recreation area is still being built, the amenities already in place more than made up for it. We’re already planning our next trip for summer when the pool opens! If you’re looking for a relaxing spot that blends nature with convenience, look no further. Douglas Forest RV Resort is a true hidden gem!

We planned a brief stop in the Boston area with the intent of seeing the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum and Normandy Farms appealed to us for various reasons. One reason was the fact that they have dog walkers that will come to your site and take care of your precious pooch while you are away. Not knowing how long we would be away from the campground that service was a great option. As it turned out, we did not need to use this service but for some it would be a great perk if you were going to be gone all day. And with Boston traffic, we can see how that could happen. By the way, the library is well-worth it.

When you enter Normandy Farms it is more like checking into a hotel than campground complete with a concierge and express check-in. The park is gated and a code is needed to enter and leave giving you a sense of security but I’m not sure it is necessary. Driving in you quickly realize how huge this park is with some 400 RV sites, tent sites, yurts, lean-to’s, safari tents, and cabins. 

There are plenty of sites to choose from the “premium” full hook-up (50 amp) to basic with just water and electric and many others in between. Both back-in and pull thrus are available as are sites with shade and full sun. Premium sites have paved patios while other sites are gravel. Roads are paved and plenty wide enough for big RV’s to navigate. They offer cable television that yielded nearly 100 channels. Wifi worked well at our site and other places throughout the park. All sites come with a fire pit and picnic table. 

We chose a paved full hook-up pull thru with paved patio (Site E1). Our site was easy to navigate in and out of and was definitely big rig-friendly with ample space for our motorhome and tow car. All utilities were well-placed and functioned properly. The site was level. At the time we were there in October the campground was not very busy but we imagine that things get a little crazy when the park is full. 

There is a really long list of amenities for this campground….four pools (include an indoor heated one), fitness room (with elliptical, treadmills, bikes, machine and free weights), creative arts center, camp store, 20,000 square-foot activities building (with adult only lounge, pool table, arcade, games, wide-screen televisions, sauna, Jacuzzi), restaurant, huge off-leash dog park (you can reserve individual day kennels), BMX bike park, horse shoe pits, baseball diamond, volleyball, fishing pond, shuffleboard, disk golf, and playground, and probably a few more things I missed. During the busy summer months there is a long list of activities ranging from yoga to kids games.

Normandy Farms is approximately 35 miles from Boston. If you don’t want to drive to the city, you can park at the nearby train or subway station and ride into the city. You are just five miles from Gillette Stadium (home of the New England Patriots) and Patriot Place (a hub for shopping and dining). About a mile from the campground is Foxboro State Park where you will find 20+ miles of hiking trails. Also within a five mile radius are plenty of restaurants, shopping, hardware store, grocery store, and more. 

Some of the really good features are the huge dog park which has a dog washing station, water fountains for dogs and humans, agility-type obstacles for them to play on, dog kennels, and a bin with balls and Frisbees. I also liked (and used daily) the fitness center which had functioning equipment and a large television to help pass the time while working out – and was never crowded. The large community building has and adult-only lounge which serves as a nice place for people to get together and watch television or hang out without kids. With everything this campground has to offer you can see why it is a destination park for some people as their kids would be busy all day. 

The downside really is the price and how many sites there are. If you are looking for a quiet, peaceful getaway this is not it.

Winter Island Park Campground: (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good (70 yr olds in 17’ trailer). I rate primarily based on desire for at least a moderate wilderness type experience w at least some camp site privacy. Overall Rating: 2.5(RV field and hanger spots; 4.5 (Bayside sites). Price 2023: $42 Usage during visit: 100% full because of October celebration in Salem. Site Privacy: None Site Spacing: Very close Site surface: Grass, gravel, and blacktop Reservations: Required Campground Noise: Quiet Road Noise: Not near a major road. Through Traffic in campground: Some traffic down to parking lot. Electric Hookup: Yes Sewer Hookup: No. Dump Station: Yes Potable Water Available: At the site. Generators: I think all trailer sites have electrical hookups. Bathroom: Yes - old. Showers: Yes - old style. Dressing area is not private. Pull Throughs: All are back in. Cell Service (AT&T): Very good. Setting: 3 settings : Open field, Back up to warehouse with ocean view, On blacktop along harbor. Weather: Clear and cool Bugs: None. Solar: Yes Host: Yes. Rig size: Large rigs will fit in many sites. Sites: 12 - 16D along the bayside have a beautiful view of the bay. These sites would be fantastic to be in even though the sites are close together. The sites along the hanger have a water view with a huge parking lot in between. The RV Field area is only good as a convenient spot to visit nearby Salem attractions or Boston (1 hr plus drive through heavy traffic).

We really liked this park! It was clean, very well cared for, supper nice people and a decent price($43/night) for camping in coastal New England. The park recently added new 50-amp full hook-up sites (some of which are pull-thrus) so there are plenty of options for big-rigs. Half of the park is seasonal campers (which is a lot more cramped and more junked up) and the other half is for transients. The two sides are separated by a tree line where the tent sites are located. The park is in a good location and pretty close to the beach, restaurants, shopping and access to Route 1. You are also just twenty minutes or so to Portsmouth and Newburyport which are some of our favorite New England coastal towns. 

Our site (#124) was one of the new sites which they had just completed. It was a gravel back-in which was plenty long and level. They recently seeded the area so new grass was starting to grow. The roads in the park are fairly narrow and we had to drive over the grass across from our site in order to back in. Lucky for us nobody was parked in that site. We hate driving over grass as our coach can really make some ruts, but we had no choice in this situation. The ground was dry and hard so we didn’t make deep ruts. The park does not have cable and we were not able to get reception on our satellite because of the trees and could not get any over-the-air channels. No television was fine because we enjoyed sitting by a campfire after our long day of exploring. We had a picnic table that was kind of small if you had 4-6 people but fine for just two of us. Our firepit was a light weight portable one which we could move. The older sites had heavy fire rings that were not to be moved. None of the sites have a lot of space between them and I bet this park could feel quite cramped when it was full. We were there in the off-season (May) and didn’t have any neighbors so it was pretty quiet. 

There are not too many amenities in the park which was fine for us since we really don’t use them. There was a very large playground, horseshoe pits, shuffleboard, basketball, and camp store. This park really cares about appearance and grounds-keeping is top notch. Our site had a nice grassy space with a small garden planted with flowers. The laundry was very nice, clean and had big front-loading machines. Check-in was super easy and fast. All the staff were very nice. 

About 5 miles to the east is Hampton Beach and a little farther is the town of Rye which are worth the drive. There we discovered Ray’s Seafood and Petey’s Summertime Seafood where you can get a great meal right next to the water. After lunch pop over to Wallis Sand Beach for an afternoon relaxing by the sea. We love visiting the Kittery Trading Post (in Maine) which is a good outdoor outfitter and eating at Bob’s Clam Hut.

We really liked this park! It was clean, very well cared for, supper nice people and a decent price ($43/night) for camping in coastal New England. The park recently added new 50 amp full hook-up sites(some of which are pull-thrus) so there are plenty of options for big-rigs. Half of the park is seasonal campers(which is a lot more cramped and more junked up) and the other half is for transients. The two sides are separated by a tree line where the tent sites are located. The park is in a good location and pretty close to the beach, restaurants, shopping and access to Route 1. You are also just twenty minutes or so to Portsmouth and Newburyport which are some of our favorite New England coastal towns. 

Our site (#124) was one of the new sites which they had just completed. It was a gravel back-in which was plenty long and level. They recently seeded the area so new grass was starting to grow. The roads in the park are fairly narrow and we had to drive over the grass across from our site in order to back in. Lucky for us nobody was parked in that site. We hate driving over grass as our coach can really make some ruts, but we had no choice in this situation. The ground was dry and hard so we didn’t make deep ruts. The park does not have cable and we were not able to get reception on our satellite because of the trees and could not get any over-the-air channels. No television was fine because we enjoyed sitting by a campfire after our long day of exploring. We had a picnic table that was kind of small if you had 4-6 people but fine for just two of us. Our firepit was a light weight portable one which we could move. The older sites had heavy fire rings that were not to be moved. None of the sites have a lot of space between them and I bet this park could feel quite cramped when it was full. We were there in the off-season(May) and didn’t have any neighbors so it was pretty quiet. There are not too many amenities in the park which was fine for us since we really don’t use them. There was a very large playground, horseshoe pits, shuffleboard, basketball, and camp store. This park really cares about appearance and grounds-keeping is top notch. Our site had a nice grassy space with a small garden planted with flowers. The laundry was very nice, clean and had big front-loading machines. Check-in was super easy and fast. All the staff were very nice. 

About 5 miles to the east is Hampton Beach and a little farther is the town of Rye which are worth the drive. There we discovered Ray’s Seafood and Petey’s Summertime Seafood where you can get a great meal right next to the water. After lunch pop over to Wallis Sand Beach for an afternoon relaxing by the sea. We love visiting the Kittery Trading Post(in Maine) which is a good outdoor outfitter and eating at Bob’s Clam Hut.

I wish I wasn’t writing this.

Truly. But if sharing our experience helps even one person avoid the same mistake, then it’s worth it.

We booked two full weeks at Douglas Forest RV Resort, drawn in by its wooded setting and supposed family-friendly charm. The photos looked peaceful. The location sounded perfect. But within hours of arrival, we realized we had walked into something completely different.

Almost immediately, we witnessed aggressive, disturbing behavior—adults yelling and chasing children through the park. At one point, a child was literally being pursued by a vehicle. In a campground. On the roads where people walk, dogs are walked, and kids ride bikes. We were shocked. We kept expecting someone from staff to step in—but no one did. When we brought it up to another guest, they just nodded and said,“Yeah… it’s always like this.” Turns out, management is known to overlook certain behavior from“regulars.”

As we walked the grounds, we also noticed**several people clearly living out of tents—**not camping, not weekend warriors, but living there long-term. It gave the entire campground an uneasy, off-kilter feel. The line between traveler and transient is not well-maintained here, and it adds to the overall lack of safety and structure.

We were ready to leave that night, but with tight, poorly lit roads, towing out after dark just wasn’t safe. So we locked up, barely slept, and pulled out at first light. We had paid for 14 nights. We stayed one. And we didn’t ask for a refund—because honestly, we just wanted out.

And yes, we later discovered that many of the glowing reviews online were written by someone who works at the campground. That’s not just misleading—it’s reckless. Campers rely on those reviews to make informed choices.

Douglas Forest RV Resort could be something special, but it’s not. Not right now. Not while safety is ignored, accountability is non-existent, and some guests are clearly treated as untouchable. Please, do your homework before booking here.

We wish we had—just one day earlier.

Mixed Experience- Potential Hindered by Operational Issues

The new ownership appears committed to improvements, though the focus seems more on revenue generation than guest experience at this time. 

Infrastructure Concerns: The electrical system needs significant attention. Multiple RVs share single pedestals, and we observed exposed wire connections and pest issues at electrical boxes. Power fluctuations are common during warm weather, causing frequent breaker trips. The road system requires maintenance- while some fresh gravel has been applied, many intersections remain challenging for larger trailers due to poor grading and poorly placed boulders. 

Accommodations& Atmosphere: This is primarily a seasonal/long-term resident park rather than a traditional camping resort. The site composition includes many permanent residents, which creates more of a residential community feel. For those seeking a transient camping experience, this may not align with expectations.

Facilities: The pool is well-maintained and enjoyable. However, other amenities need attention- the playground equipment shows its age, and laundry facilities, while clean, have mechanical reliability issues. Currently, only one restroom facility is fully operational, with others being gradually brought online.

Accessibility: Most sites feature loose gravel surfaces that may present challenges for guests with mobility equipment. The playground uses mulch surfacing, which may also limit accessibility.

Management: Communication with management regarding concerns can be challenging, and families should be prepared for a more relaxed supervision environment.

Bottom Line: While the location has natural beauty and potential, current operational challenges and pricing don't align well with the amenity level provided. Those seeking a quiet, well-maintained camping experience might find better value elsewhere until improvements are completed. Positive reviews seem to be coming from investors of the campground or people with personal interest.

Bear Brook SP, NH: Oct 2023 (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good (70 yr olds in 17’ trailer). I rate based on desire for at least a moderate wilderness type experience w at least some camp site privacy. Overall Rating: 4.5 Price 2023: $30 about Usage during visit: 10% weekday Site Privacy: Open Site Spacing: Very large sites. Site surface: Rocky soil. Reservations: Yes Campground Noise: Very peaceful. Road Noise: None. This is a long drive back through the woods from the highway.
Through Traffic in campground: None. Electric Hookup: No Sewer Hookup: No Dump Station: Yes Potable Water Available: Spigots are scattered throughout. See my picture of the map. Generators: Allowed. Bathroom: Clean flush toilets. Showers: Individual shower rooms Pull Throughs: Some. Cell Service (AT&T): 1 to 2 bars. Setting: Maple/conifer forest along a pond. Woods obscure atheist pond’s view. Weather: Beautiful day, High 80s, but the thick woods offers needed shade. Bugs: Yes, there are more mosquitoes than we experienced further north. Solar: Our site, B 31 offered enough solar to equal our minimal output late in the day.
Host: I don’t see a host near my location. Rig size: Orrery good size rig can fit in some sites. Sites: See map in my photos. There are some great sites here. Spaciousness is the plus point for this campground.

This small state forest campground in north/central Massachusetts is just up the hill from Damon Pond. I suggest downloading maps before you head out because cell service is iffy in the area.  

Sites are largely level, around a small, bisected loop with towering pines. Most of the sites are best suited to tents and small trailers (think teardrops and pop-ups), but a couple of sites can accommodate slightly larger units. They are level and there's not a lot of brush between sites, so not much privacy either. I liked site 3 for a bit more privacy ; it's also one of the 3 sites designated for an RV. Site 11 is larger and can accommodate a larger unit.

There is a large yurt suitable for 10 people. The yurt does offer electricity, but there are no hookups nor a dump station at the campground. There are flush toilets, but no showers. The small bathroom was under renovation autumn 2020. There is a dishwashing sink. 

There are hiking trails in the area and, of course, swimming at the small pond. A nearby roadside waterfall offers another picnic area opportunity. For a longer hike, you can hike to and from Pearl Lake State Park. Fishing, mountain biking, and geocaching are other activities available. There's a parking lot closer to the beach or it's an easy walk from the campground.

If you are from out of state, check fees carefully. In 2020 MA increased fees significantly in light of the pandemic. Prices are steep for what you get if you are out of state.