The camping is a large open area (no shade) with RVs lined up. There are full hook-ups and if you plan to only use the bathroom and shower in your RV it is likely fine. The showers are horrific. There are two different shower rooms, with two showers each. While we were there one whole room was labeled “out of order”. In the other, only one of the coin operated showers was working. So, only one shower for the entire campground. The shower area was FILLED with with bugs and spiders. We unfortunately had to kill one spider that was dangling from the ceiling into the shower we were trying to use. The kids screamed the whole time.
The lake water was deemed to high in bacteria to swim in while we were there, but the natives were swimming anyway, so we did too. The beach was nice and if it wasn’t for the bacteria concern we’d have enjoyed it even more. (Bacteria is why we didn’t skip the shower.)
The view was gorgeous.
Ok not bad not great just ok
A little of everything at this campground, 2 pools 2 hot tubes, a giant water slide that is even fun for the adults!!! Campsites are level and site is fairly easy to maneuver with bigger rigs. Have great activities daily for the kids a nice store onsite. If I have one issue it would be that it went to a KOA which isn’t bad but the transition year seemed a bit wanky and hopefully this year will be better as my kids love it there and we’ll continue to go back often
I hadn’t camped here in the past 8 years, so decided it was time to revisit; it helped that it was one of the campgrounds still open after Columbus Day weekend. Although reservations are available online, I didn’t need them for closing weekend; 3 sites were occupied when I arrived, about 15 by the end of the weekend. During the peak season, I’m sure it’s a different story given it’s proximity to Concord and Manchester and the variety of activities available.
Mostly level sites sit under towering pines and vary greatly in size. Many of the sites are separated from their neighbors by large, downed pine trees. I was in site 38 and found that the little loop to my campsite was tight to exit(I was towing a 14’ teardrop, not a big trailer) and I had to be careful to swing wide at the corner. This site backed onto an open field with a backstop for baseball/softball. It meant that I could enjoy the the sunny warmth on an otherwise cool morning. Last time I was here I stayed in site 45, a small tent/pop-up site along that same loop, but in the shade. If you are tenting and don’t mind a short walk, reserve site R1 for a raised site overlooking the pond. Sites 13-25 back up against a hill. Site 91 is near the entrance, but large and set back from the camp road, so it offers some extra seclusion. It’s across the street from the playground. I’d avoid site 93 because it is so close to the playground and the fire ring placement makes it seem like families enjoying the playground will be tempted to walk through your site. If you want to be close to the play area, site 90 or the ones on the loop behind it are better options.
There are no hookups, but there is running water and a dump station is available. Bathhouses offer coin-operated showers; I noticed a price difference between the two of them, so went with the less expensive option! It was the final weekend of the season, so that may explain the lack of attention to cleaning and upkeep of the restrooms. Several of the stalls were lacking toilet paper and, although it was nearly empty when I arrived, the bathrooms had little bits of debris scattered on floors and around sinks. The bottom of one of the dishwashing sinks was coated with something that resembled dried coffee grounds.
I was here with a 5-year-old the last time and she enjoyed the playgrounds both at the campground and at the Catamount Pond beach. There’s another beach in the campground itself. Numerous trails call out of exploration, around ponds and up and down hills, with geocaches to be found (if you can, download the info and maps before you get to the park to be sure you have the necessary info). The mountain biking trails are busy even on late October afternoons; some trails allow horses. Canoes and kayaks let you explore and fish. There are two archery ranges and wheelchair accessible docks for fishing. For history, check out the antique snowmobile museum and the Civilian Conservation Corp(CCC) museum. The CCC built much of the infrastructure here and elsewhere in the country.
The camp store offer a few basics and a selection of Bear Brook attire. Cell phone coverage varies from 1-2 bars, not always 4G, on Verizon.
Good sites, with water and 30 amp electric. Easy walk to the beach. Dog friendly, big dump site, and good prices.
Went there with our RV group (NE Pacers) for a weekend rally and had a great time. The staff was so friendly and helpful. The sites we good sized ( had water and 30amp) and the campground was very clean and well kept.
*CAMPGROUND REVIEW*
This campground is definitely a dazzler and I was fortunate to visit on a quieter weekend. I was able to enjoy an especially picturesque sunset over the lake and I would definitely visit this spot again, especially with how accessible the campground is. There is a nice stretch of sandy beach at the campground as well as canoes and kayaks for rent. The convenience store at the campground had essentially everything you would need for a good camping trip. Definitely do your research on the different site numbers because some sites are much more private and scenic than others. Each site is equipped with a picnic table and fire pit as an added bonus.
Pros:
-Within a short driving distance from the Boston area
-Lakefront sites available
-Canoe and kayak rentals available
-Well stocked convenience store
-Reasonable cell reception
Cons:
-Can get busy during peak camping times
-Some sites have a lack of privacy
*PRODUCT REVIEW*
As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time. During this trip, I took out a pair of Red Ledge Rain Pants. While it didn’t rain during my camping stay (great from a camper perspective, not so great from a reviewer perspective), I was able to try out the general fit of the pants. They have a nice stretch fit to them and a certainly one of the more stylish options as far as rain pants go. As is true for most waterproof gear, they run on the warmer side and don’t have a ton of ventilation so they may not be the best choice for hotter weather. Although I didn’t get to test out the pants in a camping setting, I did wear them a few days ago while making the 1.5 km evacuation route trek from my apartment to the flood shelter during one of the biggest typhoons to make landfall in Japan. After about 25-30 mins of walking in record breaking-ly heavy rain, the pants started to saturate around the knees and the upper thigh area started to get a bit soggy. That being said, this is probably the most extreme possible test setting and they did hold up reasonably well. Due to the aforementioned, I would recommend using these pants as a waterproof option when skiing/snowboarding in warmer weather where you still want a snow barrier but may not necessarily need the insulative warmth offered by actual snow pants.
Pros:
-Stylish look
-Stretch fit
-Waterproof
Cons:
-Trap heat
-Not typhoon proof
Although the tent sites are a distance from anything, the main areas of the campground are fantastic. With a full calendar of events (some free, some cost $) you will never be bored. Quiet time is quiet time which is great for families.
Some of the sites are a bit too close to each other but there are some that are nice and private. Mountain biking is awesome here, can ride right off the campground and onto the trails! Will def be coming back
Some sites are awesome and somewhat private others are on top of each other. We hammock camp so we took a chance and the employees were able to give us an okay site. We drove around and checked other sites out (huge campground!) and are excited to go back
Small but well organized campground. TT members will find all th e comforts of home. Staff is pleasant and helpful. Quiet during the weekdays, picks up over weekends but not to overbearing. Sandy beach by the water has plenty of room to relax out in the sun as well as launch areas to set out in a paddle boat, canoe or row boat, all available on site. Mostly a 5th wheelers park but you can see a 34 foot class A here and there so don't fret, there is room.
We camped in tents and loved this campground. The restrooms were very clean and being cleaned constantly. The beach was beautiful and enjoyed walking on the larger rocks. Also there's a beautiful lighthouse and some history plaques there.
Chuck and Laura are wonderful hosts and always available to help. The campground is clean, quiet, with plenty of open sites as well as sites in the woods. Sites big enough for our 42’ 5th wheel and 2 cars. Sites in the woods have water and 50 amp service, no sewer. Most of the open sites have 30/50 amp service with full hook-ups. River view sites available. Canoe rental available. Clean bath houses, laundry, dump station gameroom, and camp store. One of the best in the area!
I was looking for a campground near the Suncook Valley Rotary ballooon festival in August and the fact that the Lazy River was just a short drive away and offered a river for tubing and swimming, too, made this my choice. I really wanted to love this place (I've been on a quest for a campground with tubing this summer), but the downsides keep me from giving it 4 stars.
The good:
- location in the middle of the state, so it is a relatively quick getaway from the city or southern NH
- a newly built store and game room with a friendly welcome from staff
- the river offers a beach and tubing without having to drive anywhere; the water was on the low side late in the season, but there were still people tubing
- beautiful pool, very popular with families; there's a kiddie pool, too
- All the sites include electric
- nice playground with an open field
- riverfront sites
- Fields and equipment for volleyball, horseshoes, etc.
- Laundry
The opportunities:
Folks will tell you that a bathroom makes or breaks a campground and, here, the bathrooms hurt. One of the 3 bathhouses was out of order with a sign directing you to the one in the playground field. That one was clean, but there were no latches on any of the doors on the women's side. To get a shower, you have to journey over to the seasonal loop, which may be a bit of a walk depending on your campsite location. Once there, there's no guarantee a shower will work. The first day I found a shower that worked (coin operated), but the next day none of the 3 seemed to be working (one with an error on the meter, others wouldn't turn). Another camper was there and she couldn't get anything to work, either. Ventilation isn't great in that bathroom, so the ceiling is a bit mildewy. It does have a nice long counter with sinks.
Camp roads would benefit from grading, but they're navigable.
If you're on the river, you may hear some traffic noise from 28 on the other side of the Suncook River. It didn't bother me, but I can sleep through anything!
Some of the seasonal sites look cluttered.
Would be nice if you could make reservations online, but had no problem getting through on the phone.
All in all, great place to hang out on the water, whether the river or the pool, but would be even better with bathroom improvements.
This a a fantastic little camp for if you want to go canoeing or kayaking or boating of any kind! It's set up of three islands and a large majority of the campsites are right on the water
Very family centric, 7 pools which (include 2 hot tubs, a small 2x2 pool for kiddos, 1 adult only pool and 3 family pools). We went for halloween weekend in August and their haunted house was incredible for a campground! Nicely landscaped although the roads are very narrow. Made it hard to back in our spot. Will be coming back!
Super easy hike, will take a few hours! A great little campground like all state parks around! I'd recommend it, downside, no dogs allowed
Family oriented can ground, has a nice playground. There's a beautiful waterfront with a swimming area and boat rentals. One of our favorite things was an archery walk through the woods and a little pond for fishing! Definitely worth the stay
My girlfriend and I went here on a thursday and stayed till Saturday, so the camp was a little more empty then normal but it was a great little place. Nice views of the lake, swimming, wide open sites, not too over crowded! I'd definitely go back! Close by to Miller state park (NHs oldest state park), Garwin falls (beautiful little water falls you can swim in)
We spent two nights at this campground- the closest camping to Boston. The campground is right on the ocean with incredible harbor views. It was an easy bike ride to the Salem Ferry to get access into Boston for the day. The bathrooms facilities were standard. Book in advance here because it fills up quickly and there are very few RV sites!
This campground has nice, quiet, shaded riverside sites and other sites options as well. Showers are $0.25 for 8 minutes. Modest camp store. Pallets of firewood are delivered to your site and reasonably priced. Nice pool. Port-a potty by the river needs to be replaced.
Winters island is a beautiful campground in Salem,ma. We stayed 2times in the month of June and 1 time each in July and august.we invited our friends to camp as well and it turned out wonder ful.the kids had a great time by the sea and the playground.their are wildlife like skunks, racoons do put food in car . Each site has a grill and shade.you can bring your pets and campfires need to be off the ground. There was 2 weddings while we where their. It a great feelings sleeping under the stars and waking up to the crisp air. 1 of my daughters favorite summer activities this year.
I usually use #reserveamerica to book camp sites ahead of time and I mean months in advance. Which is great you can see the campsites but more importantly if they are taken already or not especially if you want to camp next to friends and family. My problem is you need to call into this campsite Everytime you find something you might want to book just to see if the sites are open or not.everytime!!! If one is open and the others are taken you now need to find all the other families and see if they want another spot. It's just a hassle that you cannot book online when you are coming from several dates away to meet up with friends or family
We made reservations to hammock camp at a site here. Received confirmation of everything and was told I didn’t need to put money down. We drove all the way from Massachusetts and arrived to find out that our reservation was canceled! The lady at the counter was nice and trying to figure out and had the owner come down who turned out to be awful. He said that he was the one that canceled it because I didn’t return his phone call and didn’t put money down. When I tried to explain to him that I talked to someone on the phone two different times about the reservation he claimed I was lying! The site was open so he gave it to us but then sold us wet wood. Got to the campsite and the couple next to us said they had to sleep on the ground because the owner wouldn’t fix the electrical box that night and wouldn’t let them move to the next site over that was free. Def a campground for RVS and seasonal people only
We camped for a weekend here in a group of 6 people on Horse Island spread out over 2 sites. Checking in at the park office was easy and we received our parking pass. Each campsite can hold two vehicles.
There are several bathrooms placed all over the campground with toilets, sinks, and showers (no quarters needed). There are also water spigots placed around which is nice to refill containers.
I only give 4 stars due to two issues: One of the showers was unusable as it was FILLED with insects. After scoping out a few other bathrooms the problem seemed to be isolated to just that one.
Secondly, the park office seemed to be out of firewood the whole weekend. We were able to find some at the grocery store ($18 for 3 small bundles), and a random house selling some ($10 for the equivalent of 4 small bundles).
Nonetheless, we had a great time, undisturbed by all around us, and we did a 5 mile round trip hike to the the Pawtuckaway Fire Tower (view from the top attached).
Thank You!
We went camping with a group of 5 people spread out onto two sites. We arrived after dark and our friends were able to pick up a parking pass for us ahead of time. It was easy to find the campground and our site.
Restrooms are easy to reach throughout the campground and there is a shower house near the entrance to the campground (no quarters necessary). Stores for extra food or forgotten materials can be picked up in town a 10-15 minute drive away. We enjoyed our time here and will be back!
Stayed here while visiting Salem in Oct 2017. Campground was empty due to the time of year which creeped out my family but I personally liked the peacefulness. Owner was very nice.
This is an all adult RV park run by a very friendly veteran. They can accommodate tents to full hook ups. The prices are reasonable and the park is peaceful, covered with trees, and extremely quiet!!
Great campground, though spaces are small, place is clean, nice pool and staff is very friendly, helpful and responsive! It's only about a mile from the beach. We rode bikes to Salisbury Beach and my young adult son rode his longboard to the beach. We thought the small campsites would bother us, but after one day we got used to it and it was fine. Neighboring campers were all very friendly. We'd definitely go back again!