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Cape Cod
Campgrounds and State Parks


Cape Cod is a paradise for those who enjoy water sports, fishing, hiking, biking, and any of the other outdoor activities for which it is so well known. The Cape has a number of picturesque campgrounds and state parks that allow visitors to enjoy a peaceful outdoor experience amid unspoiled surroundings. Whether it’s in a tent or an RV, camping Cape Cod-style takes you out of the rhythm of everyday life and gives you a chance to lead a freer lifestyle—at least for a while. You’ll go home refreshed—and you’ll save scads of money, because camping is the best deal going on the Cape. For less than $20 per night you can pitch a tent in a quiet, rustic environment on the edge of the dunes or deep in woodland.

In this chapter, we’ve included information on both public and private campgrounds. Cape Cod has over 3,700 campsites in 20 campgrounds and three state parks with 800 campsites. As there is a diverse range of campgrounds, visitors will be sure to find accommodations to suite their style of camping. Peak season on the Cape is from the close of schools (around mid-June) until Labor Day, with peak weeks from early July to mid-August, and during this time reservations are essential at most campgrounds

Cape Cod Campgrounds

Upper Cape - Mid Cape - Lower Cape

Whether you are an experienced camper or a first-timer, decide what kind of camping experience you want: back-to nature, family oriented, in the woods, or close to town. Note that there is no wilderness camping on Cape Cod.

Secondly, consider your choices. Some people prefer to camp at smaller, more remote campgrounds and like to “rough it.” In this case, consider the quiet solitude of the National Seashore and surrounding areas in the Lower Cape. To others, camping is merely an affordable way to spend time on the Cape and you may want to be near more lively areas, in which case the privately-owned campgrounds in the Upper and Mid-Cape areas will probably suit your needs.

You’ll always be close to water, so that shouldn’t be a consideration, but there is a difference between the campgrounds on the Upper Cape and those located on the Lower Cape. Many campgrounds located in the Upper Cape have such amenities as swimming pools, game rooms, and organized activities, and tend to be more self-contained, while the smaller campgrounds on the Lower Cape may not have these amenities, but are closer to bike paths, hiking trails, and other areas of natural beauty. All campgrounds listed offer suitable tent sites and/or RV camping and provide flush toilets, while most offer electrical and water hookups. Individual offerings are outlined in the entries below, as are costs. While the listings below are as up-to-date as we can make them, you may want to use the phone numbers given to verify current fees and services.

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Upper Cape Campgrounds


Most of the campgrounds have bundles of wood available
to be used for campfires.
$10 will get you a good size bundle that should last you a few nights
of toasting marshmallows.

View Campground

260 Mass. Rt.. 28 (MacArthur Blvd.), Bourne
(508) 759-7610

Perched on one of the highest points of land on Cape Cod, this 430-site campground is a perfect spot to enjoy beautiful sunsets and also take advantage of the recreational opportunities in the area. Bay View is 20 minutes by car from both Falmouth and Sandwich. Walkers, runners, and in-line skaters will enjoy the nearby canal bike path, and nearby, within a mile, is Adventure Isle, which has miniature golf, amusement rides, batting cages, and a go-cart track. Needless to say, Bay View is extremely popular with families. The campground offers so much leisure activity you may find it difficult to fit it all in. Bay View has areas for tennis, basketball, volleyball, shuffleboard, and horseshoes, plus two playgrounds, three large in-ground swimming pools, and a baby pool. In the recreation hall you can play table tennis, pool, and video games. Bay View has a full-time recreation director who organizes daily activities for all ages, from teen dances with pizza to arts and crafts, water volleyball, magic shows, baseball, and family wagon rides and dances. Each site has a picnic table, fireplace, and hookups for water and electricity (full hookup sites have 30 amps); most have sewer hookup. A cable TV connection costs extra. Facilities include showers and toilets, ice, gas, and wood. You can buy RV supplies such as hoses and awnings at the office.

The campground is open from May to October. Reservations are accepted from January 10th on for the upcoming season. In season rate, 2 people, is $31 plus $3 children under 18 and $5 over 18 years of age. Off-season rate, May –June and Labor Day – October is $25. Pets are welcome but must be restrained, and you’ll need to bring their current rabies vaccination certificate.

Bourne Scenic Park

Bourne Scenic Hwy.(U.S. Rt 6 and Mass. Rt.28), Buzzards Bay
(508) 759-7873

For location, Bourne Scenic Park rivals the best accommodations on Cape Cod. Situated on the banks of the world’s widest sea-level canal, this 475-site facility offers shady woods and proximity to shops and grocery stores. And the scenery is extraordinary: gigantic white cruise ships and tankers glide past your campsite along the canal and occasionally give a massive blast on their horns.

From the park, bikers and strollers have several access points to the popular canal service-road bike path where people push baby strollers, walk dogs, bike, and in-line skate all day long. In the summer, the park offers hayrides and live entertainment, including bands and DJs. You can swim in the park’s large saltwater pool. Operated by the Bourne Recreation Authority, the Scenic Park has electric and water hookups, a dump station, playgrounds, a recreation hall, a volleyball court, and activities for children throughout the summer. The country store sells basic supplies, including ice and wood.

In season, the rates are $23 per day with electricity hookup and $20 without, or $250 for two weeks. In the off-season, a two-week stay costs $140 ($80 per week) with electricity, $125 without.

Dunroamin’ Cottages and Trailer Park

5 John Ewer Rd., Sandwich
(508) 477-0859

A family-run business since 1952, Dunroamin’ offers 65 trailer sites for self-contained vehicles, plus four cottages, on 35 acres next to Peter’s Pond. The cottages, which book early, are right on the pond, which offers great freshwater fishing, and all guests of Dunroamin’ are welcome to use the park’s rowboats. There’s a swing set and basketball court, and the park is a good, safe place for children to ride their bikes. Trailer sites, which include hookups for water, electric, and sewerage, may be rented by the night, or a week, for up to four people. Cottages are available by the week and can accommodate five to six people. The park, in South Sandwich off Cotuit Road, just 6 miles from the village of Sandwich and 13 miles from the Sagamore Bridge, is open mid-April to mid-October for trailers and mid-June to mid-September for cottage rentals.

Peter’s Pond Park

185 Cotuit Rd., Sandwich
(508) 477-1775

For campers who return year after year, this facility is as close to owning waterfront property on Cape Cod as you can get without paying taxes. A 100-acre campground situated on a lovely freshwater lake, Peter’s Pond Park offers swimming, fishing, and boating. It abuts a large conservation area with walking trails and has playgrounds, playing fields for baseball and volleyball, horseshoes, a convenience store, and adult and teen recreation halls. The campground, which has been in the DeGraw family for 68 years, offers 475 large sites, one-third of which are for tent camping, and the rest are for RVs. Wheelchair-accessible facilities are available. You can cook on individual charcoal and gas stoves. Campers are only a few miles from beaches, museums, the Cape Cod Canal, and antique and gift shops in Sandwich and Mashpee.

The park rents tepees, trailers, tents, and rowboats by the week (daily off-season). The rates run from $27-$37 per night. The campground is open from mid-April until mid-October.

Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve

Washburn Island, Mashpee/Falmouth
(508) 457-0495, Ext. 100

Camping on the 300-acre Washburn Island in Waquoit Bay should be considered a privilege as well as a luxury. This beautiful island is now managed by the state, and campers must have permits (see information below). Ten sites are available, nine for families and one for a group of no more than 25. The Reserve offers a group rate of $55 for residents of Massachusetts. Facilities consist of composting toilets and outhouses; the island has no electricity or fresh water. Only hibachis and Coleman-type stoves can be used for cooking. Access to the island across a narrow tidal channel is possible only by private boat—your own. Camping ends in mid-October.

Permits costs $5 per night for Mass. Residents, $6 for out-of-staters. For more information, call the number above or write to the Waquoit Bay Research Reserve, P. O. Box 3092, Waquoit, MA 02536.

Sippewissett Family Campground

836 Palmer Ave., Falmouth
(508) 548-2542, (800) 957-CAMP

This 40-year-old, family-owned campground offers a home base from which to reach the shops, restaurants, and historic sites in Falmouth. In fact, campers can pick from seven great beaches, two windsurfing beaches, fishing, golf, boating, and hiking trails that are no more than 15 minutes away by car. A free shuttle service transports campers to nearby beaches and the ferries to Martha’s Vineyard that depart from Falmouth and Woods Hole. The campground has an activity center, a playground, and a volleyball area. Most of the 120 sites (60 for tents and 60 for RVs) are wooded, and all have picnic tables and fire pits. This shady campground offers 24-hour security, emergency assistance, and a coin-operated laundry. Dogs are not permitted here from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Nightly charges for families are $29 in season . Electric an water hook-ups are $2 per day. . The off-season rate is $21 and $23 with water and electrical. Rates apply at the beginning and end of the season, which runs from mid-May to mid-October.

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Mid-Cape Campgrounds

Grindell’s Ocean View Park

61 Old Wharf Rd., Dennisport
(508) 398-2671

This is an RV aficionado’s dream come true—a real village within one of the prettiest stretches of the Cape. The park has 160 sites for RVs up to 34 feet long; book early if you want to stay right on the ocean. All sites have three-way hookups and concrete patios. You can also opt for one of the 11 white and weathered-gray cottages, all with bathrooms, electricity, wooden decks, and lots of privacy, on the ocean or nestled among pine trees. Spend the day relaxing on the private saltwater beach, or try your luck at fishing—cast a line off the breakwater right outside your door.

The park has two pay toilets, hot-water showers, and a fully stocked grocery store. The park is open from mid-May through the end of September; rates are $30 a night for a waterfront site, $20 one row back, ($200 per week).Cottages are available by the week during July and August for $320-400 per week. Reservations are a must from mid-June through Labor Day. Grindell’s does not accept credit cards.

Campers Haven Ltd.

184 Old Wharf Rd., Dennisport
(508) 398-2811

Hosts Paul and Elaine Peterson place the emphasis on family fun. The festivities here include free movies, sing-alongs, story hours, candy bingo, beach barbecues, mini-golf, volleyball, basketball, horseshoes, potluck suppers, and two playgrounds, one for little tykes and another for older children—all included in the rock-bottom price. Some of the warmest waters on the Cape are just seconds away, so hop aboard the free shuttle to the beach.

Choose from among 265 shaded sites; all include water, electricity, cable TV, and gray water disposal (many sites have full sewage disposal). Rates are $42 per day, or $275 per week. The park is open from April to Columbus Day.

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Lower Cape Campgrounds

Shady Knoll Campground

1709 ..Mass. Rt. 6A, Brewster
(508) 896-3002

With 100 wooded sites for tents and RVs, Shady Knoll is close to bay beaches, the bike trail, and shops, and is within walking distance of a small grocery store. Located near the Mass. Rt. 137 junction, Shady Knoll offers hot showers, full hookups, fireplaces, laundry facilities, a playground, game room, lounge, and campground store. Reservations are requested. It’s open May 15 to October 15. Rates are $28 to $37 a night, depending on the number of peopleand whether you need electric or sewer hookup. Pets are allowed, provided you take them with you when you leave your site.

Sweetwater Forest

Off Mass Rt. 124, Brewster
(508) 896-3773

Don’t let the winding, bumpy dirt driveway fool you—that’s as rough as it gets around here. One of the largest and oldest campgrounds on Cape Cod, Sweetwater is a sprawling spread of 250 sites situated lakefront and in 60 acres of woodland. You can rent a canoe or a rowboat and cruise around the lake, fish off the dock, or play horseshoes on the beach—you can even arrange for a pony ride! And in case you forgot to bring enough reading material, Sweetwater offers a free lending library.

Sites are available with partial or full hookups, and there’s a separate area just for tents. Each site has its own fireplace. Four modern comfort stations assure that you won’t have far to go when you have to go. Rates start at $24 per day for family of 4 with no hookup, $30 for full hookup which includes Cable TV with the electric hookup. Reservations are recommended during the summer and on holiday weekends. Though the grounds officially close from November through April, self-contained camping is allowed during these months.

Atlantic Oaks

3700 U.S. Rt. 6, Eastham
(508) 255-1437

Just a half-mile from the Cape Cod National Seashore’s visitor center, this modern campground meets the needs of RV-ers and tent campers alike (though the emphasis here is on the former). The 135 large wooded sites include 100 drive-throughs with full electric and water hookups and cable TV. Other amenities include metered gas service, free hot showers, laundry facilities, nightly movies during the summer, and, to keep the kids entertained, a playground. Unlike many campgrounds, dogs are allowed here, provided that they are taken with you when you’re away from the camp. You might want to bring your bicycles, as Atlantic Oaks abuts the Cape Cod Rail Trail.

The grounds are protected (not that they need to be, in sleepy Eastham) by a 24-hour security gate. Rates are $28 to $40 per night at this year-round campground. Winter camping (November through May) is by reservation only.

Paine’s Tenters Village Campground

180 Old County Rd., Off U.S.Rt. 6, South Wellfleet
(508) 349-3007, (800) 479-3017

The emphasis here is on tent camping, and those who really want to get away from it all can choose a secluded site, whether in the “single and couples” section or in the “quiet couples only section”. Both very private areas, although with no water or electricity available. This is just one of the special amenities the Paine family has offered dedicated campers since 1958.

Campers with children are placed in a family section. Many of these sites will accommodate multiple tents. Hook-up sites are grouped together and suitable for tents, pop-ups, and pick-up campers with water and 15 amp service. Although Paine’s preference is for tents, seven sites have been converted for RVs, with electric and water hookups, for an $4 additional fee per day. Base rates are $24 per night for two people, extra adult $12 per night, extra child is $4 per night with adult member. Off season rates drop to $18, $9 and $3, respectively. Larger group sites are able to accommodate small to large groups, perfect for family reunions. No water or electrical is available at the group sites. Several private shaded “lug-in” sites are available for those who want to simply unwind under the fragrant pines. Reservations for any site is strongly recommended. Paine’s Campground is open May through

Maurice’s Campground

80 U.S.Rt. 6, Wellfleet
(508) 349-2029

This place redefines “rustic.” The 200 tent, trailer, and RV sites, as well as four cottages and seven cabins, are set in the middle of a large pine grove, far from the hustle and bustle of U.S. Hwy. 6. Each site is spacious and has a picnic table. The general store offers pick-your-own lobster—perfect for a clambake! (State law forbids open fires in any campground, but you can bring your own hibachi.)

The cottages, always in demand, can sleep two to four people and have insulated walls, fully equipped kitchens, and maple furnishings. The cabins, which can accommodate two or three people, are similar in construction to the cottages but do not accommodate cooking. Three utility buildings provide plenty of sanitary facilities, including metered hot-water showers (a quarter and a bar of soap will do the job!).

The site fee is $23 per day for two adults with no hookups. Electric and water hookups are an extra $3. Cottages start at $440 for a week; cabins $65 nightly. Reservations are strongly recommended for July and August. The campground is open Memorial Day to Columbus Day.

North Truro Camping Ground

48 Highland Rd., North Truro
(508) 487-1847

This is camping at its finest: 350 tent, trailer, and RV sites surrounded by 22 acres of native pines and rambling hills, smack-dab in the middle of the Cape Cod National Seashore. Think of it as your year-round vacation home, replete with flush toilets, metered hot showers, a Laundromat, private picnic tables, ceramic-tile restrooms, and even free cable hookups for your portable TV! Saunter over to the ocean or bay beach, both less than a mile away, or hike and bike the nearby trails.

Free cable television connection is provided with electric hookup. Weekly stays are discounted by 10 percent; stay for a month, and the discount increases to 15 percent.

Horton’s Camping Resort

71 South Highland Rd., North Truro
(508) 487-1220, (800) 252-7705

The 200 sites here come in one size—large—but in a choice of sunny, shaded, or wooded areas. Some tent sites have partial hookups (electricity and water) for a nominal additional fee. RV owners can choose from 74 sites with hookups, most in an open grassy area, though you can opt for a wooded site (the latter does not provide electric, water, or sewer connections). Horton’s, open from May to Columbus Day, is close to the Cape Cod National Seashore and other Lower Cape attractions. Camp amenities include a playground, access gate, and camp store.

Site fees start at $18 per night for tent sites and work their way up to $27 for those with full hookups. About 10 sites have sweeping water views that take in Highland Light and Pilgrim Monument in Provincetown; these premium sites are $22 with no hookup. The same rate applies to several more secluded sites reserved for adults camping without children. There’s no charge for the sea breezes. Reservations are strongly recommended from July through Labor Day.

Dunes’ Edge Campground

386 U.S. Rt.. 6, Provincetown
(508) 487-9815

Only in Provincetown would the roads of a campground have such cute names as Bunny Trail, Blueberry Lane, Cranberry Bowl, and Beach Plum Road. Dunes’ Edge, nestled beneath the shadow of Horses Head, one of the tallest hills in town, is as idyllic, clean, and quaint as you’re going to get short of starting your own outdoor hideaway.

Most of the 85 tent sites and 15 trailer spaces offer the utmost in privacy. The campground offers hot showers, laundry facilities, and a store, as well as close proximity to the Cape Cod National Seashore, which actually borders Dunes’ Edge. The rates are $26 per day for one or two people in season, and $23 in the off-season. The limit is six people per site. Your pet—one per site, welcome as long as it’s leashed—stays free! Reservations are highly recommended. Personal checks are accepted for the initial deposit only, and then only cash or travelers’ checks are accepted. No credit cards are accepted.

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Cape Cod State Parks

Scusset Beach State Reservation - Shawme-Crowell State Forest - Nickerson State Park

Within Massachusetts state-owned campgrounds you’ll discover some of America’s best camping experiences. There are 27 exceptional state forests and parks in Massachusetts and three of them are on Cape Cod—Nickerson State Park, Scusset Beach State Reservation, and Shawme-Crowell State Forest.
Campsite reservations for Scusset Beach State Reservation and Nickerson State Park may be made for the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day weekend. Reservations may be made as early as six months in advance for a stay of seven or more consecutive days. Shorter stays of two to six days can be reserved after March 1st.
Shawme-Crowell State Forest does not accept reservations.

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Cape Cod’s scenic roads and bike paths are renowned for bicycle touring, a perfect activity for campers who want to get to know an area intimately.

Scusset Beach State Reservation

Scusset Beach Rd., Buzzards Bay
(508) 888-0859

What a great place to spend a vacation! Barely a few hundred yards from a beautiful sandy beach on Cape Cod Bay, Scusset Beach State Reservation offers pleasant walking trails and immediate access to the 7-mile long Cape Cod Canal bike path. Deer, foxes, upland game birds, and rabbits make their homes in the 380-acre preserve.

Fishing enthusiasts can cast their lines from a stone jetty at the end of the canal or from the banks of the canal, and there’s also a wheelchair-accessible fishing pier. Scusset has 98 campsites, most in the open, including three wheelchair-accessible sites. Fresh water and dumping stations are nearby.

The campground is open year-round; however, after Columbus Day the water is turned off in the public facilities, and only self-contained vehicles are permitted until early April. The seasonal rate is $17 Massachusetts residents, $20 out-of-staters per night and includes water and electricity. Off-season rate is $12 Mass. Resident, $15 non-resident. Large groups or clubs with self-contained RVs might be interested in reserving the 3.5-acre field with grills and tables.

Stays are limited to no more than two weeks between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Off the beaten path, Scusset is located at the end of Scusset Beach Road, which runs parallel to the canal. To get on this road, make a three-quarter turn around the Sagamore rotary coming from Boston on Mass. Hwy. 3.

Shawme-Crowell State Forest

Mass..Rt. 130, Sandwich
(508) 888-0351

The cool, wooded setting for Shawme-Crowell State Park offers a summer haven for tent campers and RV owners. Just a half-mile away from scenic Mass. Hwy. 6A, it’s close to the canal bike path and Sandwich’s marina, museums, and restaurants. Campers here have beach privileges at Scusset Beach on the opposite side of the canal.

Encompassing 742 acres, Shawme-Crowell is the fourth-largest park in Massachusetts. It has 280 sites, all with their own picnic tables and fireplaces. Scattered throughout are clean restrooms, hot showers, and sewage disposal sites. The park has no on-site hookups for water or electric. A convenience store carries firewood, ice, and other camping needs.

Overseen by friendly park rangers, this quiet, un-congested campground is open year-round for both tents and RVs—the first state park to adopt this year-round policy (previously, the park allowed only self-contained vehicles in winter). Reservations are not accepted, and at these prices you’ll want to arrive early to assure getting a site, at least in the busy summer season. The nightly fee is $10 for Massachusetts residents, $12 out-of-state visitors.

Nickerson State Park

3488 Mass. Rt. 6A, East Brewster
(508) 896-3491, reservations (877) 422-6762 (ICAMPMA)

This beautiful park, one of the state’s largest, is Cape Cod’s crown jewel. The 1,900-plus wooded acres that make up the bulk of the park once belonged to Roland Nickerson, a multimillionaire who founded the First National Bank of Chicago. The Nickerson’s, who lived farther west on Mass. 6A in an opulent estate, now known as Ocean Edge Resort (see our Hotels, Motels and Resorts chapter), had a hunting lodge on the acreage that now makes up the State Park. The Nickerson’s hosted private hunts at their “Bungalow Estates,” as they referred to their rustic playground. Nickerson’s wife, Addie, donated the land to the state in 1934 in honor of their son, a victim of the 1918 influenza epidemic, and in honor of her husband.

The park features eight kettle ponds formed by ice-age glaciers. A kettle pond that you see today may be gone next season. The ponds are completely dependent on ground water and precipitation, and the water levels fluctuate from year to year. You can spot many rare species of plants and wildflowers growing around the edges of kettle ponds, but remember it’s against the law to trample or pick them.

You could spend a month here and still have things to do. Boat or swim in the beach-edged Cliff Pond, the largest in the park, or try your luck fishing at one of the four trout-stocked ponds. (Note there are no lifeguards.) Birdwatchers will be pleased to know Nickerson is a regular stop on the migration route of such feathered friends as larks, woodpeckers, wrens, warblers, and thrushes. It’s also a watering hole for cormorants, Canada geese, great blue herons, ducks—even the occasional common loon. You may also spot owls, ospreys, hawks, eagles, and such woodland animals as red foxes, skunks, chipmunks, white-tailed deer, and nonpoisonous snakes. If you like bicycling, the Cape Cod Rail Trail passes right through the park, with a few loops branching off through different areas of the park. And that’s just in season! Nickerson is open year-round, and winter visitors can ice-fish, ice-skate, and when there is snow, cross-country ski on marked trails. The park is an easy walk or drive from bay beaches, and beach walks are among the many interpretive activities led by park naturalists in season.

Nickerson State Park offers 420 camping sites at $15 per night for out-of-staters and $12 Massachusetts residents, but does not offer electric or RV hookups. The sites are large enough to handle 2 tents, 2 cars and the rate is for 4 adults per site. Nonprofit organizations can reserve one of the two group camping sites (each cabin holds about 30 people). Reservations are strongly recommended; 80 percent of the park’s sites (up from about 50 percent a year ago) are now under the reservation system established years ago.

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