City: Cape Cod, MA

Category: Accommodations

Telephone: (508) 888-0351, (877) 422-6762

Description: The cool, wooded setting for Shawme-Crowell State Forest offers a summer haven for tent campers and RV owners. Just a half-mile away from scenic Route 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 more than 285 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 electricity. A convenience store carries firewood, ice, and other camping goods. Overseen by friendly park rangers, this quiet, uncongested 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). The nightly fee is $12 for in-state residents and $14 for out-of-state adults (children are free). Two vehicles are allowed per site. Pets are not allowed when camping in a yurt.