I have been here twice, not to camp but to enjoy the park. The first time was maybe 17 years ago and the second time recently. The park has changed little though due to covid staffing levels there is no one to take payments so it is now free! Staff were very friendly both times. On the initial visit I had a child and dog in tow and while pets are not allowed in the pond they let us know they could splash along the riverbed which made for a fun pastime. This time due to the drought one of the branches of the river leading to the spillway was largely dried up, but the other was gurgling along. The water was a great temperature for a hot day but is muddy, and I came out with my arms brown from dirt. There are also tadpoles which may be a plus or minus for you. By moving deeper you hit water with a current that is cooler, so you can go where you feel comfortable. No lifeguards were on duty but the roped in areas for swimming were small. To cool off you will do fine, but serious swimmers will be disappointed. For a low key destination geared to family fun this place is solid. read more

See my tips. Nicely run. Good family hikes. Sites 1 thru 19 quiet but further from bathrooms. Most sites level but some would be tough with a tent. Pop ups can pretty well go anywhere but some of low 40s require some serious backing skills. Sites wooded mixed conifer. Yurts and the 70/ sites near the showers and new washrooms but al near the noise of rte 202. This is a nice place to camp with friends or family for a weekend or extra long weekend. read more

Pros: -Easy online reservation system -Nice, clean restrooms and sites -Close to a small town where you can get last minute essentials -The price of the firewood was fair and the wood was nice and dry. Some places they sell you wet wood that barely catches fire -Dog friendly Cons: -The campsites are not very private. We felt on display and could hear/see/smell everything going on at the campsite next to us. It would have maybe been okay if we had a group of friends reserve many sites next to each other. However, the sites were still close together and very close to the road everyone drives on to get to and from. -No alcohol allowed? I understand noise rules and a code of conduct, but half the fun of camping is sitting around a fire with a beer. -The staff did not enforce quiet hours or the dogs on leash rules. Given how close everyone was, it would have been nice to have quiet hours enforced. read more

2.5 Sites were way too close with no privacy. Not even tree cover to obstruct the view of neighboring sites. The site next to us decided to enjoy the "privacy" of their tent but apparently forgot to turn off their lantern, so the rest of the sites could freely view their "shadow puppets"..... No, we weren't peeping, but it was hard to miss the tent shaking so vigorously.... Seriously, who does something like that with a bunch of little kids so close by????? The sites are very close to the roads so you can hear every vehicle driving by. The quiet hours aren't enforced at all. The pond was closed due to algae; which is apparently fairly common. The fire wood available burns too fast so - if you can scavenge enough tinder and kindling to get it lit - you go through an entire bundle in about an hour. Now for the good: Restrooms and showers were fairly clean considering the amount of use. Dishwashing station was good. There are a few nice hiking trails that are well marked and easy enough for beginners. I would recommend Otter River, but there are certainly better camp grounds available. read more

Really spacious and gorgeous without the crowds of other state forests. A nice shallow pond for the kids. Only downside is that you can still here the traffic pretty badly. read more

Sites were great with lots of extra space. Daytime staff courteous. Big detraction which ruined our weekend was the lack of noise enforcement. I admit that the nights were July 2nd and 3rd 2017, so expectations should be low. We had a "block party with loud boom boxes" playing most of the night. This ruined our experience and there appeared to be no staffed presence to quiet things down. 2 nights with 2 different situations. Although the sites were great the experience was horrible. This was supposed to be a tent camping quiet area. It would have been quieter to go park in downtown Fitchburg. The place is beautiful but the peace and quiet is not there. read more

First off, the staff here is amazing and awesome and incredibly helpful! Didn't make it to the showers, but the bathrooms at the front were generally clean. The campsite itself is just alright. We mostly picked this place because it was close enough to get there after work. We left downtown Boston around 3:30 and made it (with traffic) with plenty of the time to set up camp, run to town and get supplies, and start making dinner before it got dark. We had originally booked site 63 (I think), but when we drove up to it we realized it was WAY too close to the other site. There is absolutely no privacy. We went back down to the station and the girl behind the desk was able to get us a better site. She let us drive down to all of the open options and pick which one we wanted. We ended up with 24, which was much better in that there weren't three other campsites right on top of ours. However, we were still next to a group with four children under the age of 5, and a baby. Which brings me to my next point- this is a great site for families. There were tons of kids for your kids to play with and yell at and they all ride their bikes around the little trails. It's not great for a pair of 20 somethings who just want to get out of the city for a bit. Speaking of getting out of the city... we were surprised none of the reviews mentioned that there's a train track nearby. You don't hear the whistle of the train, but you can definitely hear/feel it when it goes by, sometimes at 1am. Long story short- Pros: Helpful staff Clean bathrooms Close to Boston Lots of families with children* Cons: Very little privacy Loud train Lots of families with children* read more

Stayed in yurts. Much better then tenting or having to pull a camper. Traffic very close & noisy. Planes fly over till 12midnight. Restrooms clean but shower area needs attention maybe power washed would be the best. Train not far away.!! Let's just say you will know when it goes buy. Wood was good in price, but no ice to buy. If u want to catch fish go to state park next to this one beaver pond. Nice location. U can 4wheel drive through the forest it's fun & safe. Staff was very helpful with directions & best places to eat. read more

Nice camping grounds. Perfect camping for anyone. Great for family with small children or otherwise and really great for first time campers. Narrow paved roads throughout campground to sites. Well run and clean. Lighted bathroom buildings with stalls, flush toilets, and cold water at sink. Newly built shower building has hot and cold water. Handicap accessible shower with hand held spray. Outlets in bath house and bathroom buildings. Dish washing station at back of shower building with hot and cold water. Water spigots throughout the property. Pond with sand on beach for play. Nature center and Interpretive center. Wilder- McKenzie Nature trail was nice - switchback was slightly steep. Camp wood needs to be purchased (Firewood Donation/Conservation Trust) in park $5 a bundle. Bring hatchet to split. Do not bring in wood. Picnic table and fire pit/ring w/grill grate at sites. The map we looked at prior to our trip, did not show Rte. 202 or the train tracks. Rte. 202 is close to grounds especially near sites 68-75. Train runs close as well. We heard distant traffic day and night and then every so often a freight train would chug through. In most cases, the traffic did not bother us - kind've like white noise. And the sound of the train was somewhat peaceful as it passed by. During the nights we heard howls in the distance and one night we heard a critter checking out our site. Very little in terms of mosquito's, but keep in mind and read up on EEE. We had a great time and can't wait to go back. Super friendly staff/rangers. And I hate to even mention it but...our mobile phones had 4 bars - great for emergencies - but it's camping - so turn it off and enjoy the outdoors! read more