Parking & Directions

Parking at Massasoit State Park is free. The main entrance is at 1361 Middleboro Avenue in East Taunton, where a 0.3-mile entrance road leads to the contact station and the main lot. Day-use visitors can also drive 1.4 miles into the park to the Big Bearhole Pond area, park at the small Turner Street lot for the Five Pond Loop, or use the two gravel lots on Middleboro Avenue for Lake Rico. The park is open sunrise to sunset.

Getting There

DCR's plan puts Massasoit about 30 miles south of Boston and 20 miles east of Providence, close to Routes 495 and 24. Set your GPS to 1361 Middleboro Ave., East Taunton, MA 02718. Middleboro Avenue also runs past Lake Rico, so the launches are on the way in.

The Main Entrance and Contact Station

The landscaped entrance road runs 0.3 miles to the contact station, with the cranberry bog beside it. Park here for the Rico Trail and the Adams Trail, which DCR starts near the bog at the main entrance lot. Campers check in at the contact station, then drive another 0.75 miles to the campground entrance. The contact station's number is (508) 822-7405.

The Big Bearhole Pond Day-Use Area

Follow the park road 1.4 miles in to reach the day-use area by Big Bearhole Pond, with the amphitheater, picnic sites, a boat launch, fishing spots and the playground nearby. DCR's plan notes that day-use cars often outnumber spaces on busy days, so come early in summer and on fall weekends. See picnic areas and playground.

Turner Street (Five Pond Loop)

DCR's signature hike, the Five Pond Loop, starts from the Turner Street trailhead in East Taunton. The lot is small; DCR's plan reports people parking along the road when it fills. Park only in marked spaces, and do not block driveways or gates.

Lake Rico Launches

Two dirt-and-gravel launches sit off Middleboro Avenue on Lake Rico's north-western shore. MassWildlife says the first holds about 20 cars and the second, 100 yards up the road, about 10. These are for cartop boats; there is no trailer ramp. See Lake Rico.

Big Bearhole Pond Fishing Access

MassWildlife lists a DCR fisherman's access for cartop boats off Bearhole Road on the pond's north-western shore. See fishing.

How Many Spaces

DCR counts 10 lots and 116 marked spaces in the park, 13 of them accessible. Parking on road edges damages the pavement and the woods, and DCR's plan names it as a problem; if a lot is full, try another or come back later.

Tips

• No fee, no pass. DCR lists free parking. There is no daily parking fee at Massasoit.
• Dogs stay leashed in parking areas. That is a DCR rule everywhere.
• Leave nothing in view in your car. DCR's hiking notes say not to leave valuables in parked cars.
• Planes overhead are normal. Taunton Municipal Airport is just west of the park.