Best Campgrounds near Manchaug, MA

This is a large campground and overall it's pretty nice. But the gem is the canoe sites at the north of the campground. These are tent only. You park and walk about 100 yards to the site. There are only four sites in this secluded section of the campground. Sites CN02, CN03 and CN04 have direct waterfront on the pond. You can launch kayaks, paddle boards, etc right from the site! There is an outhouse in the parking lot or you can walk 5 minutes to a nicer bathroom elsewhere in the park with showers.

General: There are three sections to this campground: five canoe sites; 16 sites including one cabin behind the ranger station and what I would assume is the main section with 61 sites. Some sites have water and electric hookups, but the majority of the sites have no utilities. Note: Pets are not allowed at this campground!

Site Quality: We arrived in the rain after the Ranger station had closed and circled the main section several times trying to find the site with the least amount of water. We did not know until the next morning when we went to pay that we ended up in an ADA-accessible site. It was not marked in any way and I’m guessing that the only reason it was designated as such was its proximity to the restrooms. All sites appeared level and even though they were supposed to have gravel pads, they were mostly a mix of dirt (or mud) and grass with a little gravel. 

Bath/Shower House: In the main section, there is a very large and clean indoor bathhouse with free showers. Did not use the shower so cannot comment. Appreciated that there was immediate hot water at the sinks. The other two sections have vault toilets. 

Activities/Amenities: In season there is swimming, but the beach is very small. Fishing, canoeing, and kayaking are also popular. There are also some trails for walking/hiking, a basketball hoop, a dump station, and recycling. 

This was an overnight stay for us but the rate for out-of-state campers, while higher than for residents, was reasonable at $30. We would return to this campground.

I use up my two weeks allotted here at Harold Parker every year. A great place to enjoy family in the outdoors .clean sites. clean bathrooms and friendly staff. I live in a neighboring town to Andover. It’s so easy to get to.

I booked Deluxe Cabin 1 at the Boston KOA based on my past experiences in VA and NC. BOSTON was the WORST KOA I've stayed at. The cabin SMELLED of mildew and cigarettes(pic of ashes in the tub), and there was NO HOT WATER, which is against MA law. It was FILTHY, the pots needed to be replaced, and you have to request blankets. I informed the after hours staff about the water, blankets, and smell. The next morning, I went to the office at 9 am and talked to LORI. She was COMBATIVE and confrontational which is weird because she just started her day. As a person of color, I had to walk away because I was frightened. When I returned, BOB Brammer(He wanted to write his name down, so I got it right(his words)) lacked empathy and had a facial expression of annoyance. He was also CONFRONTATIONAL as I explained there was no hot water and the cabin smelled. I informed the national KOA feedback team(Kaitlyn& Tiana) and they said it's handled internally, whatever that means. If you read the reviews about bad customer service, believe it. You can see CUSTOMER SERVICE IS BADDDD! The KOA will probably respond to this review, but NOTHING WILL HAPPEN. I'll be reaching out to TOBY O'ROURKE and OSCAR TANG so they are aware the BOSTON KOA is tarnishing the KOA brand.

Need to make reservations before 2pm!! This campground is nice and calm with a lot of space and bathrooms. There are water hookups at tent sites. Didn’t have any issues, just it is a little expensive for someone from out of state. We paid $54 because we are from Ohio

This is one of the best places we saw. We were here during a quiet period in August. The pitches are spacious and shaded.

The sanitary building is clean with good showers.

There is a lovely pond in which you can swim. It is somewhat small when crowded but nevertheless very lovely.

The water in the pond is not streaming so be prepared for mosquitoes when camping close to the water.

There is a well maintained playground for kids and there are activities planned for kids and adults.

We would definitely return.

JUNE 30,2024  my husband & I were seasonals at waters edge campground Lebanon Connecticuit  gave them a 30 day notice we were leaving this place wasnt for us just awful the owners are just money hungey thieves they told us they were keeping our deposit wich we expected because it says non refundable deposit so okay fine but we paid for the whole season its open april15 to october15 gave a 30 day notice left june 30 they refused to give us back the money for july ,august,september,to october 15 they ket 750 plus 2500 dollars told us were not getting our money back So iam sure they rented the site thats double dipping so fair warning I dont want this to happen to anyone else they will Rob you blind oh and they broke our ice maker when they dewinterized our trailer and never owned up to it came down to my floor in camper soaked with water from my freezer and didnr bother to clean tthe mess and said  it must have been broken nefore so they are also dirty liars I didnt want to even give a one star rating but had to put somethin i give the a big fat 0

This spot does have everything you need. It is very remote and a lot of distance between campsites. Lots of trees. The bathroom amenities work but not the cleanest. There isn’t much to the RV sites but an electric plug. Like I said what you need, but not want you might want.

PROS

- 45 min from Boston

- You have everything you need there: firewood, bathrooms (with shower, soap and toilet paper), a camp pit...

- You get a map in the entrance - very helpful for hiking.

- You can take a trail from the campsite.

- Good sights while hiking, with good spots to have lunch or pause for water.

CONS

- Only one really: You don't have the feeling of being really in the woods. There is NOT a decent amount of land between each campsite. So if you have neighbors all around, you'll feel like in a village!