Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Salem, MA

This is a city park with a beach and a campground. This is a no frills campground, though there is a playground and beach. It’s less than 2 miles from Salem and on the trolley line.

I came here last year with my dog.  We only stayed two nights.  It was his first time camping, so I made a note in my reservation request that I'd like a fairly remote site - just in case he got loud.  They put me in the perfect site, near the dog park (they have a dog park!).  When the forecast changed to thunderstorms, they let me switch my dates without any hassle.  The location is convenient for Newburyport, Portsmouth, and the Seacoast.   We ended up having a lovely stay.

Just a note, I took my dog for a walk around the campground and noticed that many of the other sites were rather close together - including the cabins.  Some people don't mind, and even enjoy, close neighbors.  If you're like me, however, you'll want to ask for a more remote site.

One more thing to note; I booked through Rover Pass and ended up paying them a fee.  Next time I'll contact the park directly.

I'm looking forward to another trip soon!

Beach Rose RV Park in Salisbury, Massachusetts is a small, friendly, family-owned campground near the beach. The staff was very accommodating and went out of their way to find us a spot on a busy holiday weekend due to a campground mishap. The park is very clean and they have a nice swimming pool and amenities. The dog park area was large and shady, but a lot of mosquitos. You are pretty close to your neighbors, but the sites do accommodate bigger rigs because of the length. The sites are 30/50 amp FHU and wifi was decent. The best thing about Beach Rose RV Park is the proximity to the beach and town. Who doesn’t love a day at the beach? 💗😬👍🏻

For videos on this campground and others, check out our YouTube channel: Jeff & Steff’s Excellent Adventure.

We chose this spot for a family weekend. Sites are spacious. Water from nearby facet. Because it was local and had history behind it. Rhe campground is within a state park and is built on a old military base. You can still see some bunkers with their vents all around the campground. Blue Mountain spring water can be found right near campground for some refreshing water. We brought our chow chows and their was a great harbor side dog park a short drive away along with some swimming. I would visit again.

First things first- no bugs!! That’s right I didn’t know what I was missing till I notice I wasn’t getting bit alive by mosquitoes!!! They spray for them!!! So you can enjoy the outside without the pesky bites that come with camping!

Then of course there is the luxury of having two pools, a ton of fun activities for kids, (fishing , dog park, horseshoes, tennis, basketball, etc)! It’s probably my favorite spot in New England merely for all the luxuries that come with this site!!!

Plus you are close to Gillette and shopping!! Can get better then that!

We stayed for two nights at Wakeda with our travel trailer. The paved roads were a plus, as was a very level campsite. The majority of campers seemed to be there for the season and were their own little community. 

Our full hookup site was very close to other sites, so unfortunately we had to deal with some noise issues. We could hear our neighbors loudly talking at 2 AM, and also were treated to the sound of the same neighbor's dog barking for hours during the when they left him alone. That being said, this was not the fault of the campground itself.

Wakeda's proximity to Hampton Beach was awesome -- a less than 15-minute drive for us. We also enjoyed the dog park. It was spacious and well maintained.

Are Pets Allowed at Pawtuckaway State Park?

 Leashed pets are welcome on hiking trails only. Pets are NOT permitted in the campground or beach area during the summer season(May 1- September 30).*Campers are only allowed to bring pets before May 1 and after September 30, which includes the cabins. See the NH State Parks Pets Policy for more information.

https://www.nhstateparks.org/find-parks-trails/pawtuckaway-state-park

This is resort camping, so don’t come here expecting seclusion out in the woods. The sites fit a family tent, picnic table, fire ring (with plenty of space for chairs) and a vehicle. You don’t have any boundary or open area between sites. The resort shines in its amenities (4 pools, big dog park, disc golf course, bike park, many fields, full program of events, pristine bathrooms and much more). What is just (if not more) impressive as the facilities is the service. The staff goes way above and beyond (opened the playground early for my kids, one driving by me as I was carrying a trash bag to dumpster stopped and told me to toss it in the back of his truck because he was already headed that way (saving half mile walk), and too many more to write in a simple review. It’s much more RV centric than tent camping (80/20 if not more), but there’s a few sections dedicated to tents. Highly recommended, just remember it’s more outdoor resort and not at all living in nature with no people around.

This campground is beautiful, the tent sites are set up right on the water. Other than loosing power twice due to mother nature its been a pretty good stay. They have a special beach for your dog if you're a puppy owner like me this is one of the only campgrounds that is very pet friendly. They also have free DVD rentals for those rainy days and some games up by the office if you have kids its also a wonderful campground.

I had a great one night stay at Wompatuck. We had a dog with us as well and the grounds were very pet friendly. Our campsite was huge and had plenty of room for both of our tents, was very flat, and felt private. Also nice new looking picnic tables and a fire pit. This campground is really accessible and easy to get to but also makes you feel like you are in a secluded spot, with a nice trails and some beautiful water. The price is also great- $17 for MA residents.

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.

This campsite was great for a first time travel trailer owner like me. I do not have much to compare to yet but the grounds had everything we needed to enjoy our weekend.

- Check-in was smooth as reservation was handled via an online format and validated by email and phone.

- They offer military or Good Sam discounts which is always a plus!

- Since we were there in early April the pool was not open but there was one on site. Shuffleboard was fun with the kids too. I did not see a playground and there was not a dedicated dog park if you are wondering. 

- Site size was adequate. Im guessing these sites will be considered "close" to "moderately close" by other site standards but it housed my 24ft trailer, truck, and my family just fine.

- Roads are a little narrow which made backing in a little challenging. I had to use other sites to complete the back-in process. If those sites were occupied, that would have been real interesting. Perhaps it is me being a rookie with the trailer that added to the challenge, can't rule that out I suppose.

- I did not interact with the staff much but the lady I did was nice and the tenants cruising by on carts were waving so that's a good thing.

- Grounds bathroom/shower facilities were very nice for campground standards. Warm and clean! 

- Only negative was there was a little more road noise than I would like but that's a personal preference of course. There is also a train somewhat nearby which, again, is personal preference. I swear I felt a rumble in the trailer from the train but who knows....I was half-asleep :)

Overall, the grounds were well maintained. My family had a good time and I had the luxury of testing everything out on my new trailer with zero issues or difficulties. 

It was a good trip, thanks Circle CG!