Best Tent Camping near Westwood, MA
Tent camping near Westwood, Massachusetts provides access to several unique campgrounds within a 30-mile radius, including rustic island experiences and wooded inland sites. Boston Harbor Islands State Park Campground, operating from June through Labor Day weekend, offers tent campsites on multiple islands including Peddocks, Lovells, Grape, and Bumpkin. Camp Nihan Education Center in Saugus provides a more accessible tent camping experience with walk-in sites. For primitive tent camping options, Buck Hill Campground in Rhode Island features large tent sites in a heavily wooded setting approximately 35 miles from Westwood.
Most tent campgrounds in the region require advance reservations, particularly during peak summer months. Boston Harbor Islands tent sites are accessible only by ferry, requiring careful planning and packing. According to reviews, campers must "bring everything, including water" for island camping, though Peddocks Island does provide running water. Cape Ann Camp Site (open May 15-October 15) offers wooded tent sites with more amenities, including picnic tables, fire pits, and access to bathrooms with pay showers. Most campgrounds permit fires in designated rings, though Boston Harbor Islands only allows fires below the high tide line using scavenged wood.
The tent-only camping experience near Westwood varies dramatically between coastal and inland options. Boston Harbor Islands provides a unique backcountry tent camping experience despite proximity to Boston, with one camper noting that "sitting on the beach watching the sun set over Boston was awesome and made everything entirely worth it." The islands offer exploration opportunities including historic forts, rocky shorelines, and swimming areas. Camp Nihan provides what one visitor called "a perfect blend of rugged and convenient" tent camping, with sites that are "super close to parking and yet the terrain is rugged enough that it always felt like we were really in the woods." Buck Hill Campground offers a more remote primitive tent camping experience with minimal amenities but access to Wakefield Pond for swimming and paddling.