Shawme-Crowell State Forest

August 9, 2020 Sunny

Shawme-Crowell State Forest is a 700 acre forest of pitch pine and scrub oak, with campgrounds and hiking trails. It’s near the beginning of the Cape in the town of Sandwich, and is near the Scusset Beach State Reservation.

This summer, with Covid-19 travel restrictions, camping is an especially popular activity, but we were able to find a spot for a one night Sunday reservation about a week in advance. Fortunately for us, the weather was warm and sunny.

With reduced capacity, we were at site 48, far from the main entrance, off of the loop road, and with no immediate neighbors. This spot was also near the restrooms, which is always a plus. On the other hand, the showers were in a separate building in a different location.

In any case, the camping sites here seem to be well separated and fairly private. Ours had a fire pit and picnic table.

We pitched our tent without any issues in the early afternoon Sunday and then set off for the Cape Cod Rail Trail and Nickerson State Park, for a day of biking and swimming.

Here we are just after setting up the tent, which has a divider flap and enough room for a queen mattress in each section.

We had brought hamburgers and chips for dinner, and settled in just after sunset to make a fire and grill, after a long day. But yours truly bought the cheap-o Simple Living charcoal rather than the good Kingsford stuff.

This charcoal just would not seem to light and we had no lighter fluid. We had trouble starting the fire even with the “Extreme Fire Danger” conditions, some paper bags, and kindling gathered from near the site. It was getting pretty dark and we just had one lantern. But eventually the fire got going thanks to the fat drippings from the burgers, and they were pretty good.

Amazingly it was very warm that night (around 70 as the low), with some light wind and no mosquitoes.

After roasting a whole bag of marshmallows between us, the boys turned in early and unknowningly did a shadow puppet show for us.

We all slept well on our queen air mattresses that night, falling asleep to the close and loud chirping of crickets. Except for a brief scare in the middle of the night, when Diana and I woke to the sound of crunching gravel and voices. It seemed like someone was at our campsite walking around, and maybe trying to steal something (but what?) Definitely not an animal. After a few anxious moments we realized it was just one of the boys grinding his teeth and mumbling something from the other side of the tent!

Here we are the next morning around 7 or 8 am (it’s hard for us to sleep in while camping). In any case, after a simple breakfast of donuts, muffins, and cold brew coffee for us (and Tang for the kids), we started to pack up.

Diana took Miles to the nearby playground to check it out. Pretty nice equipment for a campground.

They also practiced shooting hoops for a while.

This is one of the few state campgrounds on Cape Cod and has good facilities and a great location for exploring the rest of the Cape. Sandwich has a few attractions as well, and Scusset Beach State Reservation is nearby (We heard this beach is great but were not able to get in as it filled by 10 am on Monday morning).

All in all, we enjoyed the camping here and wish we had spent at least 2 nights.

We enjoyed the dense forest and privacy of the sites. Good location for exploring Cape Cod.
Campground was quiet and well maintained. Nice playground area.
We couldn’t get a fire going, and then there were a lot of large bugs, and then nobody could sleep.
The campground was okay but I don’t really like camping.
The camp was super good, and we ate, and we tried to make a fire and eventually we made a fire.

For more information: Shawme-Crowell State Forest official site

Wells State Park

January 12, 2020 Sunny

Wells State Park is located near Sturbridge around a pond called Walker Pond. There is a campground and boat ramps for outdoor activities in the summer. We went on a warm winter day, when the snow on the ground had melted and puddled on the trails.

From the parking lot, there’s a side trail to a small pond called Mill Pond. After this side trail, the road went uphill to a large picnic tent and a signpost marking the “Walker Homestead”. Although nothing was left of the Walker family’s homestead, the nearby Walker Pond was probably named after them.

Past the sign, there were two major loops – the North Trail and the South Trail. We chose the North Trail and followed up to the Carpenter Rocks, named after John Carpenter who operated a sawmill nearby. Carpenter Rocks was a ledge that overlooked the surrounding areas, but we could not see Walker Pond or Mill Pond from the ledge.

In general, the trails were not too strenuous, but muddy and flooded at places and icy at other places. It wasn’t very pleasant. This is a park that’s better experienced in the fall, or as part of a camping trip.

Trails are quite rocky and rutted and better when dry. Views from the cliffs were pretty generic.
The trails were too muddy and quite ordinary. Views were limited.
This was a huge waste of time. All the views we attempted to see were garbage, just trees for many miles, and dead ones at that. The only highlight was when Ryan slipped on the ice after specifically saying that he wouldn’t slip on it.
The day was very warm and the view was great from the hill.
I liked the hill view and Ryan slipped on the ice .

For more information: Wells State Park official site

Clarksburg State Park

November 30, 2019 Cold

Clarksburg State Park is a 368 acre park located in Clarksburg, MA. It consists of northern hardwood forest surrounding Mauserts Pond. The park also has a campground and picnicking as well.

Although the main visitor station and campgrounds were closed, we parked and headed down the access road to the pond, starting the loop trail along the southern rim of the pond, with views to the north.

The scenery here is really beautiful but the day we visited was around 32 degrees with a strong northwest wind.

The trail heads west and hugs the pond, leading past some marshy areas.

Fortunately there are many small footbridges or logs along the path to get past the apparently muddy areas. When we visited this wasn’t a concern as the mud was semi-frozen and icy leaves crunched under our feet.

You can see some wind turbines on the mountains just to the east, one of the few man-made items we saw along the pond.

The views to the northwest (above) and the north (below) look directly into southern Vermont, as this park basically touches the border of the two states. You can see from these how wild it looks. You get the feeling of being farther north.

The views along the pond and to the distant mountains are really striking. The campground sites looked small, however, and we could hear the distinct road noise as cars passed from time to time.

The location feels more wild and remote than it really is, which is a pleasant surprise. Beautiful scenery along the pond.
The trail was long, and we didn’t have a map (and no internet connections either). It would be a neat place to camp in the summer.
A small, wild path around a large lake. No surprise no one was there. It was bitterly cold and Miles had to poop when we were coming back. 10/10 stinky odor, 1/10 for the park overall.
There was so much moss on the ground and the river was frozen 10 feet away from the shore!
I liked the super duper big amount of ice on the lake.

For more information: Clarksburg State Park official site.

Lake Dennison Recreation Area

October 13, 2019 Sunny

This recreation area has a campground with 150 sites and a beautiful lake with a small beach. We reached it via a trail from the Otter River State Park, but it also has a large parking area of its own.

The first thing we noticed was the beautiful fall foliage and stunning waters. Under the trees in the photo above is a picnic area that offers shade and a view of the lake.

The beach is relatively small but was clean, with inviting sand. The boys stopped to play for a while.

What struck me most was the clarity of the waters, which you can see below. It was breathtaking.

Although we didn’t explore the campsites, the beach was warm and inviting even under the October skies, with amenities including a picnic pavilion and public restrooms. Lake Dennison seems to be a real gem and we’d like to return for the beach and swimming.

Beautiful scenery, clear water, and a clean beach.
Looks like a fun place to swim and hang out in the summer.
I threw a stick at a rowboat but I missed 😦 Otherwise, great beach!
The sand was soft and the weather was great
I liked the beach but we didn’t have much time to play.

For more information: Lake Dennison Recreation Area official site

Otter River State Forest

October 13, 2019 Sunny

Otter River State Forest was the first area acquired by the State Forest Commission in 1915, and also the first campground in the Massachusetts State Park system.

There are a number of trails, but we decided to take a trail, about 2 miles round trip, to Lake Dennison.

Immediately we noticed that we were walking in the pine forest. It was such a contrast from the surrounding areas that had more maples and birches and colors. The trail was narrow and at places quite steep.

We saw large areas of the pine forest being cleared. The sign on the trail explained that this State Park was reforested with groves of pines which were planted by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930’s.

Otter River looks like a great place to camp, and we will surely check it out in the spring when the campground (and yurts) and open.

The recent clearings gave the forests an interesting texture but road noise was a noticeable presence.
Forest has limited views. Not as colorful as other forests in the area.
Just another futile forest…
The hike was cool and so were the trees.
I liked running down the hill.

For more information: Otter River State Forest official site

Pearl Hill State Park

September 29, 2019 Sunny

Pearl Hill State Park is located near the New Hampshire border. It is primarily a campground with a lake, and there are hiking trails from Willard Brook State Forest.

We stopped here on a warm fall day. Right around the main entrance there was a lake and some picnic benches. The bathrooms were already closed for the season, so there was no place to change.

We packed a picnic and had picnic near the lake. There were no bugs. We were surrounded by a pine forest, which was very peaceful.

There was a loop road around the campsites. We did not see many hiking trails, so we drove on the loop road. Most of the campsites looked quite secluded amidst the tall pines. We only saw a few tents and a few campers taking walks on the loop road.

The leaves were already starting to turn, which made this a great place for fall camping.

Looks like a peaceful campground with plenty of privacy, but not much hiking unless you connect with trails to the Willard Brook State Forest trails.
Serene place for camping, but not many hiking trails.
This place was kinda stupid but it wasn’t too bad tbh.
The picnic was very fun.
The pond was very nice. The picnic was very yummy.

For more information: Pearl Hill State Park official site.

Willard Brook State Forest

September 29, 2019 Sunny

Willard Brook State Forest actually consists of several sites. Damon Pond has a visitor’s center and a campground. The Willard Brook Campground is one of few DCR campgrounds that offer yurts.

To the right of the Damon Pond entrance is a large pond for swimming. When we went, DCR had already drained the pond for the season to improve the water quality.

To the left of the entrance, there were hiking trails. We picked the shorter blue-blazed trail. The longer orange-blazed Friends Trail actually reaches Pearl Hill State Park and the campgrounds, so it may be a fun hike when camping at Pearl Hill.

Immediately the trail took us right by the brook, and covered bridge.

This was so unexpected and beautiful. We saw ducks and fish in the brook. The trail follows the brook for more than a mile before turning uphill. The kids had such a blast picking their way on the rocks, crossing and exploring the brook.

After that, the trail turned and we followed a carriage road and returned to the visitor’s center. On the way we spotted a snake sunning itself. That was really exciting for the kids!

The other part of Willard Brook is a waterfall called Trap Falls. When we went, the water was really sad. I think there’s supposed to be 3 main areas of flow, but we only saw a trickle of water. The kids climbed all the way up to the top of the falls. There’s also a bridge spanning the brook and rocks.

When the falls are bigger, this could be another adventure.

The walk along the brook was lovely but had some road noise. The waterfall was small when we visited, but would be impressive after a sudden rain.
The covered bridge was beautiful. The brook was fun.
The waterfall was small, but the rocks and trail were good.
Going on the rocks in the river was fun and the trail was good.
I like jumping on the rocks and I don’t like that I tripped.

For more information: Willard Brook State Forest official site.

Harold Parker State Forest

August 31, 2019 Sunny

Harold Parker is in Andover and covers some adjacent towns. Much of it is forested with a complex network of trails and numerous ponds and boggy areas. It also contains a campground with 89 spots, access to a pond, small beach, and hot showers.

We came to explore the trails by day and camp by night.

We started along a trail and came to a pond right away.

Along the way we noticed lots of trees that were clearly felled by the work of beavers in the area. The trees ranged from very thin to rather large, and many were chewed through and then abandoned before they were finished.

The loop trail we followed had some muddy areas but fortunately was well tended, with bridges to cross.

One of the bridges had a huge brush pile, evidence of a beaver’s diligent work.

As we returned along the loop trail we passed by a very scenic bog with reddish brown hues among the grey trunks of long-dead trees.

Unfortunately the trail was quite buggy when we visited, although not with mosquitoes as much as small gnats.

Lorraine Campground

After the hike, we returned to our campground where we had set up the tent earlier in the day. This site (site number 2) and others we toured on an evening walk seemed mainly level and had some privacy. But ours lacked a natural barrier of trees with the neighbors so was somewhat less private. On the other hand it was close to some decent restrooms with hot showers.

Each site had a bench, grill, and small firepit.

After grilling some hot dogs and roasting Smores, we turned in for the night. Unfortunately, although we had queen air mattresses and some blankets, the night was very cool (upper 50s) and we were pretty chilly all night. Except for Miles, who had a “snuggle tail” (a small, cozy sleeping bag). Note to self – follow Miles’ lead and bring warm sleeping bags next time.

But in any case we rose early to a sunny day and other adventures in the area.

Harold Parker would be better in a drier or less buggy time, or maybe for mountain biking. The campground is clean and family oriented, which is good for novice campers.
Camping was fun. The trails were nothing special.
The campsite was buggy and it was kind of cold. Overall not a very good experience. As for the actual forest, it wasn’t as bad but still buggy.
The camp site was good but buggy and so was the forest.
It was fun camping but it was too buggy.

For more information: Harold Parker State Forest official site