Best Cabin Camping near Monroe Bridge, MA

Finally ventured out for a camping trip in this curious season and was delighted to find Bonnie Brae Campground in the Berkshires. It's a compact,clean campground tucked at the end of a quiet neighborhood street, within walking distance to a lake. Many of the RV site are occupied by seasonal campers, and the sites are well-kept. Some of the sites have platforms. This side of the campground was quiet most of the time. The tent and cabin loop circle around the pool area and although you could hear more conversation and noise from this section, everyone was respectful of quiet hours. They also offer a number of cabins for rent with AC and small refrigerator, but no bathrooms. The bathrooms are small, but very clean. They wouldn't meet ADA standards, but there are no drips, stains, or dirt and they seem to check in a couple of times a day to clean up if needed. The pool is now open (delayed this year due to COVID-19) and the kids in particular enjoyed it. You can add a firewood purchase to your reservation and they'll deliver it to your site. 

I was in site 28 with a teardrop camper. I could have used leveling blocks because it was hard to find a great spot that was level side to side. Sites 27 & 29 each seemed a little more level and 29 was larger.

Pontoosuc Lake is a short walk away; there are boat rentals available and I saw a number of people fishing from Pontoosuc Park just above the dam. There's a rail trail nearby and Mt Greylock State Reservation offers numerous hiking opportunities 11 miles to the north.

We took our new to us hybrid camper out for its inaugural trip.

We chose to stay in the wooded loop of the campground and we were very happy with our site, #66. That section has about 12 sites, some big and some on the smaller side. Our site was easy to back into, even more so since no one was in the site across from us. Our site was very spacious, level and included a picnic table, fire ring, and nicely placed hookups for water and electric. We had easy access to trails that went along the river behind some of the sites with a few paths down to the river.

Everyone we encountered was friendly and respectful. There are quiet hours from 10pm-8am that are enforced. We were grateful to not have to hear loud partying going on into the night. There was car noise from nearby Rt 10 on the other side of the river, but nothing you can do about that.

We asked for assistance at the office with our first time using a pumping station at the end of the trip. We were given friendly helpful assistance and some great tips and advice for the future.

This was a nice enjoyable first visit for us. We will definitely be adding it to our list of places to visit again, but likely later in the year when we can enjoy the river and activities a bit more. We did not explore the options for bike, kayak, and canoe rentals but would like to in the future.

I thought I read someplace that there is new ownership, at any rate the folks there were very nice. And the place lives up to its name. We’re not fond of RV parking lots and the sites were well spaced which gets it many extra points. We had a popup in a drive-through site at the bottom of the hill which was fine, though pretty muddy after a day of rain. With that hill there’s no place for larger RVs here unless they were to decide to use the field at the bottom. As far as infrastructure a lot of what is here is very old and dated, sometimes to the point of being comical, but it does appear some updates are happening. Bathroom building is decent and kept very clean (though it would be nice if any of the door latches on the women’s toilets worked.) It appears they have built or rebuilt some cabins. Hiking up and down the hill to the bathroom does get old and there is really no place to park there like most places have without blocking the road. Can squeeze in one car near the (ancient and yucky cold water) dishwashing station. There is a tiny campsite with cabin on the road below it, with a firepit and table like a foot away from the road. Maybe they should eliminate that site to make parking for a couple cars at least, as its a terrible campsite probably the only bad one there. (One night that site had 2 cars, with one blocking the road when we tried to drive past - they should have made the extra car stay down in the lot.) People moved their car a bit, but still had to drive very close to their bonfire. Like much of the area, there is essentially no cell coverage here. An area with wifi would be an excellent upgrade. I know, you’re camping, but sometimes you just need to do something, make a restaurant reservation, or check the weather.

Update- I just found and read an article about the change of ownership. Showed a picture of a recreation room. Where the heck was that? In the building labeled “the Barn?” Which I thought was an actual barn and off limits. The dyrt says there is wifi, maybe it was there? Would have been nice to know about.

We have camped at Woodford State Park in the summer and fall. It's a small park, but it never feels crowded. Most park activities are based around a small, 25-acre lake. You can rent canoes or kayaks, fish for trout, or hike the loop trail around the lake. Here's what we love most about camping here:

1)It's the highest elevation campground in Vermont, which means that when the temperatures soar in the valleys, you can come here for a noticeable temperature difference.

2. It's one of the most dog-friendly state parks. Dogs are allowed everywhere except three of the camping cabins.

3. The fall foliage is unreal!

There are great waterfront sites, cabins if it's too cold to tent, and the bathrooms are modern and clean.

We arrived and had booked an RV site thinking it would be large enough for my tent which is 21 x 17‘Immediately upon seeing the site I knew it would not fit without us possibly touching one or both of the RVs in the sites next to us. The sites while clean and well-maintained all shared one bathroom and one shower which was limited to one occupant due to Covid. The man that I checked in with via text immediately offered me a tent site that was right next to the pool and the bathrooms/showers! He gave me my choice of two sites that were not already booked with full electric. All in all this campsite was very nice but the sites did not offer any privacy from your neighbors.

For some, the strange people who haunt certain grounds are a plus. For the rest of us, they are just a regular feature of the land west of the great Massassippi River. Anyway, being some of the first people to hit a campground like this one early in the season certainly has it’s benefits. For one, the bathrooms are cleeean as hail, and this place is really well-appointed. Pooping in relative comfort basically makes this glamping. They even have a big ole nice sink to wash your dirty dishes (and whatever other unmentionables, if you nasty), clean water spigots, RV sites with hookups, plenty of wood for sale, forage, or barter, and flat campgrounds with concrete fire pits with built in grill grates and wooden picnic tables. All amenities are within close walking distance, which is also a plus. The trails in October Mountain State Forest are very pretty, with some grand vistas to pull over if you’re some sort of nature pervert or lookie loo. Good fishin’ and mushroom hunting and other things white folks like to do in these parts, too.

Now let’s get to the cons:

bugs- this place, at the end of May is positively swarming with mosquitoes and gnats, even in the 2 rainy and cold-ass nights we spent there, the flies were everpresent. It’s Hitchcockian; and I don’t want to make any accusations or cast aspersions, but these insects are prejudiced, at best.

massholes- these are a given. I’m one so I know.

rangers- because this is a state park, you will have ranger patrols consisting of, um, rangers, some of whom might be more interested in what’s in your coozie than others, because, you know, rules. That said, we had no enforcement issues, but then again the camp ground was empty. Otherwise, unless you’ve got one of the few yurts onthe property, the campsites aren’t far enough apart that you ever really feel secluded. They’re not too bad, though, plenty of room.

This place, overall, is a good time if it’s not below 60 and wet.