Best Cabin Camping near Shirley, MA

Con: Signage is awful! Hard to find park, office and cabins! Once there, Looong drive to both campground and Cabins.

Pro: cabins are on a remote lake. Perfect for star gazing! Rustic but comfy (beds) cabins. Bring all your own stuff. No electricity, so no lights. Our cabin had a steep path. Others did not.

We were delighted when we learned we had the little peninsula of site P1 all to ourselves. Stunning views across the large pond, and serving as a wonderful halfway rest/respite on the journey from NYC to Belfast, ME. We felt like we were on top of the world, discovering this perfect quiet nook and basking in nature’s splendor.

I can only speak for the camping on this peninsula/land, but the rest of the sites looked cozy, family-friendly, and fun. Cabins and RV sites across the lake, along with beaches for swimming. Bathrooms located on P1 peninsula. Canoe rentals on-site. Lovely picnic dining area alongside covered bridge and waterfall. Completely picturesque and, mostly, totally peaceful!

Great People, Great Times.

Ponky is a hidden jem! Minutes from Boston, feels Miles away. Love the cabins! Spending Friday & Saturday in one of the cabins (w/woodstove) is deal for a winter weekend adventure!

The spots them selves had a fire pure with grill grate and a picnic table. A parking spot and a decent amount of room to spread out. The have a hike with a fire tower at the top and you can see for miles every which way. Theres a lake and spots to swim with beach access. And they have kayak rentals. I love this place and a few friends an I go every year. Oh on a ledge at the top of the hike I also proposed to my wife. I 100%recommend this area for a fun get away

Convenient location, but still let’s you get away. Nice wooded sites. Only complaint about Massachusetts state parks is no alcohol even while sitting in your site.

I found this campground in a totally roundabout way, while searching for lodging during a field trip to Plimouth Plantation. After discovering it, I decided that we HAD to plan a trip here sometime soon.

Ponkapoag Camp is run by the AMC. 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. There is a year round caretaker there to help folks check in, and she also sells firewood. Reservations are by mail only, although you can call the caretaker to confirm availability.

Before I continue my review, it is important to note: THERE IS NO ELECTRICITY OR RUNNING WATER.

We brought all our water from home, and it worked well. Make sure you bring campsuds or other eco-friendly soap since the toilets are just outhouses without running water much of the year.

The Cabins:

Each cabin has between 2-6 beds. The mattresses in our large cabin were brand new dorm style mattresses, which were slippery but comfortable. The cabins have assorted dressers and shelves for storage, and a table for dining on those bad weather days. The floors are wooden. Many cabins have wood stoves, which is great for the cooler parts of the year. We were there Memorial Day weekend, and needed the stove when it dipped to 40 degrees. Outside of the cabin is a pedestal grill, and a picnic table. My children found trees close by to hang their hammocks.

Upon departure from the camp, you are required to sweep and tidy up the cabin.

The Grounds:

Hiking trails abound on the property. While none of the trails are steep, they all go through beautiful ares, with views of the pond, and interesting rock formations. Blue Hill is within hiking distance, and it is a favorite spot for seeing the sunrise. Apparently you can see all the way to Boston!

The pond itself is a wonderful place for kayaking and canoeing. There are several rocky boulders poking out of the water that make fun spots to discover. The sunsets over the pond are spectacular to watch from the dock.

Getting there: The driveway to the camp is totally unmarked. It is a gate studded with two american flags. When you confirm your reservation (by mail), the caretaker will give you the access code for the gate. We enjoyed being somewhere that was so close to people, but felt so remote and had no traffic.

Downsides: One of the nights we stayed, the flight path to Logan International Airport was right over the campground. We all slept fine, but it was distracting. Thankfully, they change the flight path every night, so it should not happen every night!

WILD ZORA FOOD review:

As a Ranger with The Dyrt, I was given the opportunity to test out food from Wild Zora Foods. https://wildzora.com.

This is a premade meal company, focusing on Paleo and Primal recipes. We tried out a sampler pack of their meat bars, and then two meal-in-a-bag freeze dried entrees. We ended up eating several meat bars while making the trip to the campground, since we were stuck in traffic and everyone was hungry. Our 5 children helped do the sampling. Out of the six flavors (Parmesan Beef, BBQ beef, Mediterranean Lamb, Curry Turkey, Chili Beef, and Taco Pork), our favorites were Parmesan Beef ad Mediterranean Lamb. The other flavors seemed a bit too sweet for our liking. However, the bars were a great substitute for junk food when everyone is hungry. Everyone enjoyed eating them. I liked that they used food such as dates and dried apricots as sweeteners. My children all wanted more. I'd say that one bar would be a good snack for an adult.

We also cooked up a batch of a berry breakfast cacao bowl, and their Chicken Caldera Curry. Both meals were super convenient in their pouches that could be cooked and eaten in. We just poured boiling water in, and let them sit. The Caldera Chicken Curry was well seasoned, and very meaty. I was impressed by how filling it was without needing any rice. The texture was a bit chalky, but overall, it was a great option for a Paleo freeze-dried meal. The berry breakfast meal was less satisfying--but it tasted very fresh, and not overly sweet.

It was fun to test these foods out. When camping with kids, it is often hard to have time to cook a camp meal each night, so having quick options can really make a trip go more smoothly. I recommend checking out Wild Zora if you are interested in a preservative free, high protein freeze dried meal option.

Lovely wooded campground where you can swim, hike, kayak, bike, canoe, fish, boulder, geocache and explore to your heart's content. Generally large and level sites, many with water access, Make your reservation well in advance if you're planning to visit during peak season or if you want a prime waterfront site. Sites on Horse Island will cost you $5 more than those on Big Island, but many of the sites are directly on the water, making it easy to slip your boat into the lake from your site. There's a campers only boat launch on Horse Island. Much of the lake is better suited to paddle craft rather than motor boats due to it's shallow nature and rocks. The an expansive beach as well, a camp store and boat rentals.

I've had a weekend when my neighbors were playing loud music all afternoon and stumbled drunk through my campsite after dark and other weekends when it was hard to tell there was anyone around.

Driving around this past weekend I did notice that some of the sites had damp spots; site 71 was the worst with deep mud on the long approach. Site 73 is near the bath house, but it has a long approach that provides a little privacy and it's higher than the surrounding sites with water access. Sites in the 3-15 range are waterfront, but they're higher off the water. Site 43-45 are great. Those along the southern edge of Horse Island offer a more level entry. Roads are narrow and many of the site entrances are narrow with rock/tree obstructions in places that may make backing in more of a challenge to thsoe with trailers or RVs. No hookups.

The bath houses are tired, but they offer free showers. Would love to see them renovated and brightened up. Big Island also has cabins available. Phone coverage is poor (Verizon); can usually get texts out. If you want to geocache, download the info for offline use!

If you are used to camping with pets, you'll need to visit outside of peak season as they are not allowed in the campground Memorial Day to Columbus Day and never on the beach.

It has a longer season than many campgrounds in New Hampshire, running to the end of October, and you can generally get a site last minute if you're waiting on the weather and don't need/want a water site. Its proximity to Boston makes it great for a quick getaway.

Love the facilities. Clean, well maintained, private bathrooms/showers. Store is best I have ever seen. Well stocked with everything you could need. Stayed in cabin and tented, as well. Only negative is that there transient RV sites seem crowded, and many are out in open area. I prefer trees, but this wont keep us away from trying out RV sites this year.

I have loved this campground for a long time. There is so much to do and it is close to everything. They have just remodeled so I haven't seen the new cabins but I am sure they are great. This is my hometown and I have always loved going there. It is great for group events, hiking, or swimming for the day.Too much to do!

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

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.

We visited this campground with a large group of extended family. Some families stayed in great little cabins, and some of us tented. The bath house was clean, the sites were well spaced and quite private. The lake is wonderful for kayaking and canoeing--we loved the many blueberry bushes scattered around the shores. There seemed to be good hiking trails as well--however during our particular visit the mosquitoes were quite ferocious and didn't make it too far down the trail.

The children all had fun biking around too. There are fun bridges to some of the smaller islands in the park.

Although we didn't end up visiting the ocean during our stay, one of the reasons we chose Pawtuckaway was because it was within a reasonable drive of the coast,

There were gas stations, grocery stores, and a drug store not more than 20 minutes from the campground

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!

Let me start off by saying this place is more of a resort than a campgroung. They have everything from go-kart/kayak rentals to mini-golf/arcade, but it all costs extra on top of the camp ground being pretty pricey, @80$/night for a tent site. On top of that the tenting area of the camp ground is over run with mosquitos , from morning to night they are all over you and I'm pretty sure they are immune to bug spray.

However they have lots of rentals and the campground is more favorable for RVers, with 80% of the sites being for RVs, and the mosquitos not being nearly as bad in those areas. The campground is huge and there's always something going on or to do. I highly recommend this place for their rentals or RVers, but its more suitable for a week than a couple days, otherwise you'll spend all your time just figuring out what there's is to do or how to get around.

Several miles into the woods in the middle of Bear Brook State Park.. none of the options include electricity or running water at the site but there are many water fountains throughout the areas as well as a dump site. There are cabin options and dry camping. Some of the sites are closer together and some further apart best to look at the map before you decide very few of them are real good for solar so make sure you have a backup. I was able to keep the solar up enough to keep going but had to charge one day.. just to top it off. Only saw one shower house but there is another option for restrooms and lots of outhouses. Small swim Beach and I saw kayaks and canoes available as well. There's also a camping store with some last minute items and things like ice and firewood and it's open till 8:00 p.m. which is very convenient. The people here also seem very friendly.. no complaints it has been wonderful! I spent time living within just a few miles of here it brings back lots of memories..

My first time experiencing a park in the New Hampshire Park system. We went down with a group. Pawtuckaway State Park offers a variety of landscapes, with something to do and see for everyone. 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, including a mountaintop fire tower; an extensive marsh where beavers, deer, and great blue herons may be seen.

The park lines the shore of beautiful Pawtuckaway Lake.  The 192 sites are wooded and many provide views of the lake.  Each campsite has an open fire ring, picnic table, flat areas for a tent, and a parking space. The bathhouses are equipped with running water, flush toilets, and 24 hour showers.  There are no hook-ups at any of the campsites. The park also has a camp store where canoe and kayaks are available, as well as a plublic canoe and kayak launch. Five cabins are available; each sleeps six people, has electricity, and includes a fire ring and picnic table. Pets are not allowed in the campground or beach area of the park.