Camping at Massasoit State Park

Massasoit State Park has a DCR campground for tents and RVs in the pines of East Taunton, with 84 sites you can book online: 48 standard sites with electric hook-ups, 25 without, 10 tent-only sites and one pop-up or tent site. Massachusetts residents pay $17 a night and non-residents $55, plus $6 a night for electric. Every site is reserved through DCR's ReserveAmerica system; there are no walk-ins, and no yurts or cabins are listed.

How to Reserve a Site

DCR books Massasoit only through its ReserveAmerica site (Massachusetts State Parks camping). You can reserve up to four months before your arrival date, and same-day bookings are taken until 2 p.m. on the day you arrive. Walk-in registration is not allowed, so book before you drive over even on a quiet weeknight. From April 1 through Labor Day, new dates open online at 8 a.m. Eastern each day.

Reservations must be in the name of the person who will be staying. If you leave early, check out at the contact station.

How Many Sites There Are

DCR's 2023 Resource Management Plan describes a 98-site campground. The reservation system lists 84 bookable sites, split across five loops:

• Loop A: sites A1 to A21
• Loop B: sites B22 to B53
• Loop C: sites C54 to C65
• Loop D: sites D66 to D77 and D78 to D94

The difference between the two counts is not explained by DCR; the 84 is what you can actually book. Sites take up to four people, and the RV driveways listed online are back-in pads of roughly 20 to 40 feet, so check the length on the site you pick.

What the Fees Are

The state sets camping fees in regulation 801 CMR 4.02. Massasoit is an inland campground, so the rates are:

• Massachusetts residents: $17 a night
• Non-residents: $55 a night
• Electric hook-up: $6 a night on top of the site fee

ReserveAmerica adds a non-refundable transaction fee. Changing or cancelling costs $10. Cancel on the day you arrive and you lose the first night plus the $10 fee; fail to call by 8 a.m. the morning after your arrival date and the site can be given away.

Electric, Tent and RV Sites

ReserveAmerica describes sites with 20, 30 and 50 amp electric service, tent sites, and a generator-free area. Each site comes with a picnic table, a charcoal pedestal grill and a fire ring. Accessible RV sites have hard-packed surfaces. The campground has accessible flush toilets and showers, and a dumping station for RVs.

Swimming for Campers

Campers get the one swimming area in the park: the Middle Pond waterfront, which DCR's plan calls "Camper's Beach". It is unguarded, and it is for campers only; day visitors cannot use it. DCR tests the water there for bacteria weekly in summer. Stay inside the roped swim area. See swimming at Massasoit.

Rules to Know Before You Arrive

• Bring rabies papers for pets. Every camper with a pet must show valid rabies paperwork at check-in. Dogs stay on a leash of 10 feet or less. See dogs at Massasoit.
• Don't bring firewood. Massachusetts prohibits moving firewood into or out of any DCR campground. Firewood is sold at the park for $7 a bundle, credit card only.
• No alcohol. DCR lists it among the park's restrictions.
• Bikes stay off campground shortcuts. DCR's plan calls for closing trail segments through the campground, so ride the marked trails.

Where the Campground Is

Enter at 1361 Middleboro Avenue, East Taunton. DCR's plan puts the campground entrance three-quarters of a mile past the contact station, among the pines and next to several ponds and Lake Rico. The comfort stations are all inside the campground. See parking and directions.

A Short History

DCR opened the campground in the late 1960s. A lightning storm in 2008 knocked out the park's electrical system and closed it. After renovations that started in 2015, with new lighting, water, electricity and a rebuilt Middle Pond waterfront, it reopened in August 2018. More on the park's history.

Things to Do From Your Site

The Five Pond Loop and the Adams Trail start a short walk or ride away, Lake Rico has two paddle launches, and the playground sits just south of the campground.