Great campgrounds and state parks welcome you to North of Boston/Merrimack Valley

Among the choices of lodgings and accommodations North of Boston, Massachusetts, are public and private campgrounds. Massachusetts campgrounds are operated at many of the dozens of state forests, state parks, and reservations throughout the North of Boston region. A stay at an MA campground at Harold Parker State Forest, Salisbury Beach State Reservation, or Walden Pond is a wonderful and inexpensive outdoor-oriented vacation for children and families, and people who love the beach, fishing, swimming, boating, and hiking. North of Boston region, including picturesque Cape Ann, is a place to go whale watching in Gloucester, visit museums of witchcraft in Salem, learn about New England’s seafaring past at the Peabody Essex Museum, enjoy art and beautiful harbor vistas in Marblehead and Rockport, see the history of the Industrial Revolution in Lowell, and dine on lobster and seafood at every stop.

Harold Parker State Forest

305 Middleton Road North Andover, MA Phone: 508-686-3391

Harold Parker State Forest, which lies in Andover, North Andover, North Reading and Middleton, comprises just over 3,000 acres of central hardwood-hemlock-white pine forest. The forest has over 35 miles of logging roads and trails and offers quiet seclusion to off-road hikers and bikers. Non-motorized boating is allowed on any of the 11 ponds. No horse, boat, or bike rentals. Lorraine Park Campground, located about two miles from the Headquarters, at 133 Jenkins Road, contains 89 sizeable campsites that are spread out sufficiently to provide a real "forest" camping experience. Each site is equipped with a picnic table and a grill. No electric or water hookups are available; the bathrooms have hot water showers. Camping is offered late May to early September; office hours are from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Camping office phone is 978-475-7972.
Recreational opportunities: hiking, mountain biking, fishing, hunting, horseback riding, camping and picnicking.

Salisbury Beach State Reservation

Beach Road, Route 1A Salisbury, MA 01952 Phone: 508-462-4481

Salisbury Beach is one of the state's most popular ocean beaches, stretching 3.8 miles along the Atlantic Ocean. This 521-acre park offers swimming, boating, fishing, and camping, and is very popular with trailer campers. Facilities include a 484-site campground with renovated bathhouses, an extensive day-use parking lot, three new comfort stations for beach users with boardwalks over the dunes, and a new playground and pavilion area. The facility also has two boat ramps on the Merrimack River at the campground's southern edge. In fall and winter, harbor seals often sun themselves on the jetty.
The campground office hours are 8 a.m.–10 p.m. The camping season is from early May to mid-October. Off-season camping is available from mid-October to late November for Thursday, Friday and Saturday night stays. There is a $2 per night surcharge for camping fees at Salisbury Beach. the $2 surcharge will be added to the day-use fee for cars and buses.