Best Glamping near South Orleans, MA

This campground was recently bought by Sun RV so there already some changes happening- the arcade room is closed and being remodeled and they now allow you to use your own boat (non motor) on the pond which is a definite improvement. Mini golf and the pools are nothing special. We have camped here every summer for 4 years in a “glamp” site which is large with fire pit. The staff has always been friendly and we even projected a movie 4th of July outdoors with no issue. That being said, we use this mostly as a location to do other things- Old Silver Beach is 10 minutes down the road as is the Shining Sea Bike path. Downtown Falmouth is 10 minutes away as well where you have great restaurants, shops and the ferry to the islands.

Solid state park. The yurts kind of suck. Kind of dirty, but would keep you real dry if it got wet. Actually ended up camping outside of the yurt. Glad we had it but also glad we didnt have to sleep in it.

Tents, yurts, powered or not powered. You can have remote-feeling sites, or ones that are close in…and all are “floored” with nice flat cover of dry pine needles from the towering white pines local to this area. A few miles from the north coast of Cape Cod (town of Sandwich), close to beaches and to a lovely long narrow “board walk” across a sea grass / marshland. You can have a campsite with a mountain bike trails leaving your space and ride through miles of trails. You can walk to fabulous shower and bath houses; you can also rent yurts!

This campsite loop at Myles Standish State Forest is closest to the headquarters and borders a small pond with beach. In addition to tent/RV sites, there are 3 yurts available with bunks. Sites that appear to be near the pond are pond view rather than pondside. Approaches to Yurt JC and J5, J 26, J27 are sloped. J14 is a little awkward. J33 is probably among the largest and nicest with a pond view. The sites aren't as large as those in the Charge Pond loops, but it's a smaller campground.

The loop has flush toilets and showers. Water is available, but no electric hookups. Fire rings and picnic tables provided. Cell phone coverage throughout the forest is poor to absent; download maps for offline use if you want to be sure to know where you are or find directions. There are miles of bike trails and ponds for fishing, swimming, and boating. There's a larger beach and picnic area at College Pond.

This state forest campground is located just over the Sagamore bridge, across the Cape Cod canal. It's a basic, no-frills campground, with more than half the sites designated as tent only; a few of the sites are designated for tent/pop-up. The tent sites tend to be on short spurs that may be hilly and uneven, so would be difficult to navigate with a trailer or larger vehicle. If you don't have camping gear, there are 6 yurts available for rent, though they were not available during the 2020 covid season. The bathrooms offer showers and are undergoing some renovations in 2020. No hookups, but there is a dump station. 

If you have young kids, they'll love the new playground area. That's really about the only attraction within the campground, though there are some hiking and biking trails. The Cape Cod Canal Bikeway is nearby and provides easy biking and exploration. If you're looking for a beach experience and you'll be there a few days, consider buying a weekly parking pass. During the week, it may be worthwhile to cross back across the Sagamore bridge to visit Scusset Beach State Reservation, but weekend summer traffic will likely make that prohibitive.

If you forgot food, Market Basket is a short distance away.

This park is huge! The 418 mostly wooded sites are divided into 7 sections and even more loops. You can find walk-in sites, tent sites, RV sites or yurts. The only thing missing is hook-ups. Water is readily available and there's a dump station, but you won't find electric. I liked some of the sites on the top and backs of the loops in the Section 6 area.

The attraction for me is the central location on the Cape Cod Rail Trail. Additionally, a number of beaches on Cape Cod Bay are only a couple of miles away, so you can easily bike over and avoid the parking struggle. There are bike trails in the park as well, but hillier than those outside the park. You can fill many hours hiking, geocaching, fishing, boating, and swimming. If you don't have a bike or a boat, they'are available to rent in or near the park. If you are seeking the dunes and expansive coastal beaches, you will need to leave the park and contend with traffic, but there's plenty to keep you busy without ever leaving the park.

Of note, the rates are quite reasonable for MA residents, but significantly higher for out of state campers. Even so, it's a bargain for the prime location!

When you are sitting by the campfire, sometimes, chilling with a beer or another adult beverage is nice. Not in Massachusetts State Parks. No alcohol allowed. Too bad. The place has nice level sites and close to the Cape.

When my boyfriend and I decided to camp on the cape, he had mentioned Nickersons but said he hasn’t been there since he was little. I decided to check it out online and found you were able to make an online reservation. This seemed appealing and I felt was the easiest way to go about it. Unfortunately it wasn’t the easiest process as the website itself that they use (reserveamerica) was very hard to navigate and super confusing. After awhile of trying to figure it out, I finally was able to reserve a site and pay right online. We even got the Massachusetts resident discount with his home address. When we arrived, it was a very easy check in. They gave us directions to our site and even to the store to buy fire wood. The tent sites were a little close together but luckily our neighbors were quiet and easy going. The bathrooms were right behind out site which was really nice. We only stayed one night but it was very enjoyable at Nickersons and we will most definitely be back!

I love this campground! Very family friendly, and makes Cape Cod accessible without having to rent a house or hotel. From this campground you can drive easily to lots of beaches, restaurants, and other tourist activities. It is right in the middle of the cape so even the very tip of the cape is within an hour's drive. Our campsite was huge and we had plenty of room to park a car with a trailer, two big tents, and lots of chairs around the fire.

I've been coming to Nickerson St. Park with my family for several years now and find I'm happy just staying there instead of running all over the Cape to hit beaches, P-Town, etc. The clean, freshwater swimming at the kettle ponds (which are usually uncrowded and within less than a minute's walk from our campsite) is incredible. The bike path and network of trails through the park (that connect to the beautiful 22 mile long Cape Cod Rail Trail) make for great bike riding and early morning running. Water is convenient to all the tent sites, and I really don't have any big criticisms on the park! this year, they seem to have sandblasted the inside bathroom doors as there's been some poorly drawn graffiti there over the years, but no more! There are multiple camping loops (7) for various sized groups/vehicles/campers, etc,. All in all, Nickerson is a true gem as far as state parks go.

We love this campground, and have been coming here for a few years. It’s dog friendly, and even though dogs aren’t allowed on the swimming beaches, you can bring them to different parts of the pond for swimming, and no one gives you trouble. The restrooms are clean, and the showers have hot water. There’s two large ponds for swimming and boating, and paved and unpacked trails for hiking and biking. The Cape Cod Rail Trail runs through the park, and is a great way to get around. The park is large, with about 7 different camping areas, and it always feels quiet an peaceful, even in the middle of a busy tourist season on the Cape. Oh, and you can have a campfire, you just need to buy your firewood at their adorable camp store. I camped at a different campground on the Cape years ago, and campfires were not allowed, so being able to have one is a big plus for Nickerson!

Love Nickerson - tough to get a reservation in prime summer months on the Cape but worth it if you score one

great campground - had a nice fire in the fire ring - ran down to get more wood when we decided to stay up later star watching. Was able to bring our two medium sized dogs and found an access point on the back portion of the pond - away from the beach for them to take a dip. cute store and easy access to stores, the bigger Cape beaches, etc.

It is at the edge of the Cape Cod Rail Trail bike Path from where you can access both bay side and ocean beaches by bike. it is also walking distance to a bayside beach. There is a bike rental place close to the park. The trails in the park are lovely, though hillier than the cape cod bike trail. There are so many things to do when staying there, including the John Wing Island (behind the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History), and even swimming or relaxing at one of the ponds in the park. The rangers offer various activities during the week. We have gone every year for 14 years! and will continue to do so! The sites are wooded. There is poison ivy so beware.

We loved this campground and have stayed with our two kids multiple times in the past three years. It is both basic and has everything you could need for car camping with your family (a camp store, small hikes to the kettle pond beaches, bike trails, playground) without being commercial. We love this place. My only two complaints are that despite its size it can fill up early and one of our trips was timed during the season of too many caterpillars (early July). But this place is great and close to lots of other fun things if you want to venture off the park too!

Nice campsite, great location.
We have camped there twice. The last time was a site on Flax Pond. It was beautiful. The edge of the pond was pretty overgrown, so fishing was challenging. I would recommend bringing a boat or waders if you can. There is a great lobster place within a mile.

This place is beautiful! There are great sites, gorgeous ponds for swimming, trails for hiking, trails for hiking, nearby beaches, and more! Huge area with all the recreation you can dream of. This spot fills up quick so reservations well ahead of time are needed. Can’t wait to come back!

Great place to spend a summer vacation. This state park is an oasis in the middle of a  busy tourist destination. The sites are large, although no hook ups. Lots of programs for kids. Miles of bike paths that connect to many towns on Cape Cod. Beautiful beaches are just down the road from the campground. Overall a wonderful place to camp.

We have stayed at Nickerson 2 summers in a row for 5 nights in August. Campsites had a good amount of space between them so you were not on top of each other. We have stayed in area 6x. The park has a number of kettle ponds to swim and boat in. There is one near area 6x which was a 10 minute walk from our campsite. It is such clean water! and the bonus is that there have only been about 20 people there at the most because one can only walk to it. There are bike paths in the park and the park is located on the main bike trail on the Cape. We have biked to ice creams shops, restaurants and a nearby beach. We also came/went to the Cape off weekend days so we did not have to deal with traffic getting to and from the Cape in the summer weekends. We loved our stays at Nickerson.

This campground is very nice. Clean and has lots of space in campsites. The facilities are also very clean. It has lots of bike trails and hiking trails to go on. Which we went on some hiking trails. Is very close to cape attractions and beach.

This is a great park for mountain biking, there are trails everywhere. Check NEMBA website for a trail map.

We had a great experience here and loved being able to hike down to Cliff Pond to swim and wander around. As long as you stay clear of the poison ivy, you will have a great time!

This state park is a family favorite located on the cleanest and most beautiful kettle ponds I’ve ever had the pleasure of swimming in! Perfect for exploring cape cod and all of it’s wonder

Very popular campground on Cape Cod with lots to do in and around it

I highly recommend hiking the Cliff Pond loop trail - it is fairly flat and an easy hike with a nice breeze coming off the water. I saw a bald eagle take off from a tree above my head. And there are plenty of white sand beaches to cool off in the water.

Most of the campsites are pretty close to each other, but you can find some with some privacy and even trails to Cliff Pond.

The bathrooms are very clean and nice.

Potable water fountains throughout campground.