Massachusetts Outdoor Guide: Campgrounds, Trails, Beaches & RV Spots
Key Takeaways
- Cape Cod and the Berkshires are two completely different trips — beach-and-bike-trail versus mountain-and-waterfall — decide which one your family actually wants before booking
- Crane Beach is the state’s standout, but it’s also a working piping-plover nesting site, so expect roped-off sections and real crowds
- Circle CG Farm is the go-to answer if you want full RV hookups without driving all the way to the Cape
- Most western-MA state forest campgrounds cap RV length around 34 feet with no hookups — check before you commit a bigger rig
Two Very Different Massachusetts Trips
Cape Cod gives you beaches, bike trails, and kettle ponds. The Berkshires give you mountains, waterfalls, and fall foliage. Both are genuinely good — just don’t try to do both in one short trip, since they’re on opposite ends of the state.
Campgrounds
Nickerson State Park — Brewster (Cape Cod)
418 mostly wooded sites spread across a 1,900-acre park, with kettle ponds for swimming and an 8-mile bike path connecting to the 26-mile Cape Cod Rail Trail. No hookups, but this is the top Cape family choice for good reason — the ponds are a real alternative to fighting beach crowds.
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Wompatuck State Park — Hingham
Close to Boston, with nature trails and paved bike paths — some sites have electric. A good pick if you want easy access to the South Shore without the full Cape Cod drive.
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Circle CG Farm Campground — Bellingham
Frequently ranked the top family campground in the state — full hookups, a pool, gem mining, and about an hour from Boston. If you want real amenities without driving to the Cape, this is it.
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Savoy Mountain State Forest — Florida/Savoy (Berkshires)
Remote, scenic, and a genuinely good base for a full Berkshires trip. Max RV size is limited and there are no hookups, so plan for tent or self-contained camping.
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Shawme-Crowell State Forest — Sandwich
A solid Cape gateway option, close to the canal and easy to reach without fighting deep-Cape traffic.
Learn moreHiking Trails
Mount Greylock — Lanesborough/Adams (Berkshires)
Massachusetts’ highest point, with a summit war-memorial tower. The Bradley Farm Interpretive Trail is the easiest family option; the Hopper-Overlook loop (closed November through April) is the best moderate summit route.
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Bash Bish Falls — Mount Washington
A short hike to the tallest waterfall in the state — a dramatic double cascade into a green pool. Worth the drive to the state’s southwest corner.
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Monument Mountain — Great Barrington
A roughly 3-mile loop up to Devil’s Pulpit, with views stretching to Mount Greylock and the Catskills. One of the better payoff-to-effort hikes in the Berkshires.
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Blue Hills Reservation — Milton
Over 100 miles of trails just 20 minutes from Boston — genuinely surprising terrain that close to the city, with skyline views from the top of Great Blue Hill.
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Purgatory Chasm — Sutton
A dramatic quarter-mile rock chasm that kids love scrambling through. Watch footing on the rocks — it’s more technical than the distance suggests.
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Cape Cod Rail Trail — Dennis to Wellfleet
22 paved miles through forest and cranberry bogs, past ponds — one of the best family bike-or-walk trails in New England. Do any stretch of it; you don’t need the whole thing.
Learn moreBeaches
Crane Beach — Ipswich
Repeatedly named among the best beaches in the state — over four miles of sand, dunes, and marked dune trails, plus a piping-plover nesting site that hosts a meaningful share of the state’s population. Nonmember parking runs $40-45 depending on the day, and it fills up. Worth it anyway.
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Coast Guard Beach — Eastham (Cape Cod National Seashore)
A consistent top-pick beach with soft white sand and real surf. Peak-season parking is resident-only — use the shuttle from the Little Creek lot instead of fighting for a spot.
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Mayflower Beach — Dennis
Soft sand, gentle warm water, and vast tidal flats at low tide — genuinely the most kid-friendly beach on this list.
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Old Silver Beach — Falmouth
Calm, warm water on Buzzards Bay. Popular with families; parking is limited right at the beach, so plan to arrive early.
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Singing Beach — Manchester-by-the-Sea
Fine sand that genuinely “sings” underfoot. Walk from the train station if you can — parking is limited.
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Duxbury Beach — Duxbury
A 6-mile barrier beach with dunes and calm, shallow bay water — a good pick for paddleboarding as much as swimming.
Learn moreRV Spots
Circle CG Farm — Bellingham
Year-round full hookups, including 50-amp, about an hour from Boston — the top family RV pick in the state.
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Boston/Cape Cod KOA — Middleborough
Full-hookup resort with a pool and activities, a good base if you want easy access to both Boston and the Cape.
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Old Chatham Road RV Resort — South Dennis
Full hookups right on the Cape, closer to the beaches than the Middleborough option.
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Scusset Beach State Reservation — Sandwich
Popular RV camping near the Cape Cod Canal with electric hookups — a solid state-run alternative to the private resorts.
Learn moreNote: Berkshire state forests like Savoy Mountain and October Mountain cap RVs around 34 feet with no electric hookups — confirm rig size before booking if you’re headed west.
Planning Your Trip
If it’s a beach trip, base at Nickerson and split time between the kettle ponds (less crowded, warmer water) and the ocean beaches (Crane or Coast Guard, worth the parking hassle). If it’s a mountain trip, base near Mount Greylock and build the days around Bash Bish Falls and Monument Mountain. For RV families, Circle CG Farm is the easiest full-hookup answer regardless of which half of the state you’re headed to.