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Best Campgrounds near Melrose, MA

602 Reviews

Campgrounds near Melrose, Massachusetts feature a mix of developed sites within state parks and privately managed facilities. Lorraine Park Campground in Harold Parker State Forest, just 15 miles north of Melrose, offers tent and RV camping with sites situated among towering pines. Winter Island Park in Salem provides coastal camping opportunities approximately 10 miles northeast of Melrose. Camp Nihan Education Center lies closest to Melrose, situated within 5 miles of the city center, offering tent camping and cabin accommodations. Massachusetts state parks in the region accommodate various camping styles including tent, RV, and in some locations, cabins and yurts.

Most campgrounds in the area operate seasonally, typically from May through September or October. Harold Parker State Forest campground runs from late May to early September, while Winter Island Park remains open from May 1 to October 31. Reservations are strongly recommended, particularly for weekend stays during summer months when sites fill quickly. Many Massachusetts state parks prohibit alcohol consumption, even within campsites. Water access is common at campsites, though hookup availability varies significantly between locations. A visitor noted, "Sites are large, often with good separation from neighbors, some have a hilly approach. The reservation website doesn't provide pictures, so I've tried to capture most here."

Campers report high satisfaction with the region's proximity to Boston while still providing a woodland retreat experience. Lorraine Park Campground receives positive reviews for its spacious sites and recreational opportunities, including hiking trails, a small beach area, and fishing. Winter Island Park offers coastal camping with easy access to Salem's historical attractions. Several visitors mentioned appreciation for the convenience of these campgrounds to urban areas while still providing natural surroundings. A review highlighted that "this campground is superlatively convenient if you live in the Boston area" when referring to Ponkapoag Camp. The camping areas around Melrose provide good options for visitors looking to explore both natural areas and nearby cultural or historical sites, with most developed campgrounds offering basic amenities such as restrooms, picnic tables, and fire rings.

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Best Camping Sites Near Melrose, Massachusetts (81)

    1. Lorraine Park Campground — Harold Parker State Forest

    32 Reviews
    North Reading, MA
    11 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. Winter Island Park

    14 Reviews
    Salem, MA
    11 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."

    3. 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."

    4. Hanscom AFB FamCamp

    9 Reviews
    Bedford, MA
    12 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."

    5. Boston Harbor Islands State Park Campground

    8 Reviews
    Hull, MA
    13 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."

    6. Camp Nihan Education Center

    2 Reviews
    Saugus, MA
    3 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."

    7. Spacious Skies Minute Man

    28 Reviews
    Ayer, MA
    25 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."

    "Easily accessible by car to shopping, groceries, etc. but no hiking or good walking paths from the campground."

    8. Cape Ann Camp Site

    16 Reviews
    Gloucester, MA
    22 miles
    Website
    +1 (978) 283-8683

    $36 - $44 / night

    "Perfect location with access to Rockport - a beautiful place to visit, shop, eat & a great little trail with great views Beach down the street was big, beautiful and low tide was unexpected as you"

    "Beautiful campsite, nice sized sites surrounded by trees so it felt pretty private. Bathrooms and showers well maintained, 25 cents for 5 minute shower."

    9. Normandy Farms Campground

    39 Reviews
    Foxborough, MA
    31 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."

    10. Ponkapoag Camp

    6 Reviews
    Randolph, MA
    18 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."

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Recent Camping Photos near Melrose, MA

298 Photos of 81 Melrose Campgrounds

Recent Reviews near Melrose, MA

602 Reviews of 81 Melrose Campgrounds

  • JThe Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 18, 2025

    Massasoit State Park Campground

    Campsite was great, staff was rough

    I loved our campsite. But the staff was pretty rude. I was there for a family reunion. I told the staff my mom and dad would be dropping me off the next day, so they added their name to the site as it is a mile walk in. They didn’t give us another car tag, just said if there names were in the site we were good. Next night, we get dropped off in the rain, with a 50 lb bag of dog food and they wouldn’t let me parents take me to my site. Eventually we convinced them of we left my dad and sister at the front gate with them in the pouring rain, my mom could drive us in. They never even checked our reservation to see if the names were in there. Bring a car if you are camping here in a motorhome

  • 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.

  • Utshob A.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 2, 2025

    Bear Brook State Park Campground

    Convenient and fun

    The park was easy to get to, only about half an hour from Manchester. It has kayak rentals and a very well stocked camp store, that was close to the camp sites. Our campsite was only about a hundred feet away from the camp store but still felt private.

    Our campsite also had a fire pit and a picnic table which were great.

    The size of the sites varies quite a bit though as well as their isolation, some were out in the open.

    For cell service: ATT seems to have pretty decent coverage but not Verizon.

  • 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.

  • 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

  • Savanna B.
    Aug. 8, 2025

    The Green Gate Campground

    Quiet and relaxing

    The campground is nice, friendly people. The pool is 9ft deep. The office is the store and there isn't that much to purchase but everything is reasonably priced.

Guide to Melrose

Camping near Melrose, Massachusetts, offers a great mix of outdoor fun and relaxation. With several campgrounds nearby, you can find the perfect spot for your next adventure.

What to do

  • Hiking: Explore the beautiful trails at Pawtuckaway State Park Campground. One camper mentioned, “So many lovely waterfront sites, clean facilities, camp store and beach are great.”
  • Water Activities: Enjoy kayaking or canoeing at Wompatuck State Park Campground. A visitor shared, “The park includes a large family beach on the lake. There are many opportunities for hiking, with trails leading to many special points of interest.”
  • Family Fun: Check out the activities at Normandy Farms Campground. One family said, “Absolutely love this campground. It has so many things for the kids to do.”

What campers like

  • Spacious Sites: Campers appreciate the roomy sites at Bear Brook State Park Campground. A reviewer noted, “The campground has a beach, a playground, a ball field, and a store.”
  • Clean Facilities: Many visitors rave about the cleanliness at George Washington State Campground. One camper mentioned, “Very clean, not as busy, and has all the basics.”
  • Friendly Staff: Campers often highlight the helpful staff at Minute Man Campground. A visitor said, “The staff was very nice to deal with.”

What you should know

  • Pet Policies: If you're bringing your furry friend, check the pet policies. At Pawtuckaway State Park Campground, pets are allowed on trails but not in the campground or beach area during summer.
  • Crowded Weekends: Expect busier crowds on weekends. A camper at Greenfield State Park Campground noted, “The weekend was packed! Our neighbors were playing karaoke till 11pm.”
  • Limited Amenities: Some campgrounds, like Wompatuck State Park Campground, may not have extensive amenities. A visitor mentioned, “There isn’t much to the RV sites but an electric plug.”

Tips for camping with families

  • Activities for Kids: Look for campgrounds with kid-friendly activities. At Normandy Farms Campground, one parent said, “Everyone is so friendly. Can’t wait to go back for the 4th of July.”
  • Choose Spacious Sites: Opt for campgrounds with larger sites for more room to play. A camper at Bear Brook State Park Campground mentioned, “The sites were spacious and nice.”
  • Plan for Quiet Hours: Be mindful of quiet hours to ensure a peaceful night. A visitor at Salisbury Beach State Reservation noted, “Loud neighbors after quiet hours.”

Tips from RVers

  • Check Site Size: Make sure the site can accommodate your RV. A reviewer at Boston/Cape Cod KOA said, “Our site however was pretty awful. It was purely loose dirt with no grass or gravel.”
  • Bring Leveling Blocks: Some sites may not be level. A camper at Normandy Farms Campground advised, “We recommend this campground but just be prepared and bring plenty of leveling blocks!”
  • Utilize Dump Stations: Make use of dump stations available at campgrounds like Greenfield State Park Campground to keep your RV clean and ready for the next adventure.

Whether you're camping in Melrose, MA, or exploring nearby campgrounds, there's plenty to enjoy in the great outdoors!

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I find camping spots near Melrose?

Several excellent camping options exist near Melrose. Lorraine Park Campground — Harold Parker State Forest is less than 25 miles north of Boston, offering wooded sites and serving as a great base for exploring Massachusetts' north coast. For military families, Hanscom AFB FamCamp provides wooded RV sites with hookups as well as secluded tent sites and even a yurt. Both locations are easily accessible from Melrose and offer clean facilities. Other nearby options include Salisbury Beach State Reservation for oceanfront camping and Wompatuck State Park for a more rustic experience closer to Boston.

Can I book one-night camping stays near Melrose?

Yes, one-night stays are generally available near Melrose, though policies vary by campground. Beach Rose RV Park in Salisbury is a small, family-owned facility that accepts shorter stays and has been known to accommodate last-minute bookings even during busy periods. Barretts Pond Campground — Myles Standish State Forest also typically allows one-night stays, offering large sites near Cape Cod. For travelers just passing through, the Riverside Terminal Overnight Parking area permits overnight stays for a small fee ($6 weekdays, $3 weekends). Always check reservation requirements ahead of time, especially during peak summer months when minimum stays might be enforced.

Are there tent-specific campsites available near Melrose?

Yes, several campgrounds near Melrose offer excellent tent-specific sites. Willard Brook State Forest Campground in north/central Massachusetts features level sites under towering pines, creating an ideal tent camping environment. The campground is situated on a small, bisected loop and is located just up the hill from Damon Pond. Ponkapoag Camp is another convenient option for Boston-area residents seeking tent camping, offering an accessible wilderness experience without traveling far. While cell service can be spotty at Willard Brook, this adds to the authentic outdoor experience many tent campers seek.

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