Established Camping
Winter Island Park
About
Municipal
Location
Winter Island Park is located in Massachusetts
Directions
From Route 128 Northbound: Take exit 25A and merge into left lane of Andover St./Rt.114-E toward Salem/Marblehead. Go .8 mile and turn left onto Pulaski St. / Rt. 114-E. Go .1 mile and turn right onto Gardner St. / Rt. 114-E. Go .5 mile and turn right onto Margin St. / Rt. 114-E. Go 1.4 miles and take the Rt. 107-N ramp, on the right, toward Beverly. Bear right at bottom of ramp. Go .3 mile and turn right, at lights, onto Bridge St. / Rt. 1A. Go .2 mile and turn right, at lights, onto Webb St. Go .4 mile and bear left onto Fort Ave. Go .7 mile and turn right onto Winter Island Road. Follow Winter Island Road .3 mile to end. From Boston: Take I-93N to exit 37A (I-95N) to Route 128N. Follow directions above.
Address
50 Winter Island Road
Salem, MA 01970
Coordinates
42.52805306 N
70.86912975 W
Access
- Drive-InPark next to your site
Stay Connected
- WiFiGood
- VerizonGood
- AT&TGood
- T-MobileGood
Site Types
- Tent Sites
- Standard (Tent/RV)
- Tent Cabin
- Yurts
Features
For Campers
- Market
- Trash
- Picnic Table
- Firewood Available
- Phone Service
- Reservable
- WiFi
- Showers
- Drinking Water
- Electric Hookups
- Toilets
- Pets
- Fires
For Vehicles
- Sanitary Dump
- Big Rig Friendly
Great for visiting Salem
We stayed here during the month of October, for two nights back to back (in different spots). We wanted to come to Salem for the Halloween season, and didn’t think it would be that bad, despite many warnings about how crowded it gets (it gets CROWDED).
I got our spots at Winter Island by repeatedly and obsessively hitting “refresh” for two days straight, and it paid off- couldn’t believe we snagged two nights there. I was worried about driving an RV through Salem, but Google took us around the main part of the city and it was fine. We saw much bigger class As and 5th wheels there (we are in a 26ft class c). So, no issues driving.
Sites are power& water only, and you drive up the road on your way out to dump at the wastewater treatment plant (available for campground guests and Salem residents only). The dump hole is awkwardly placed and gross (we saw the previous dumper’s remnants!) but it was fine.
The campground has good wifi that reaches throughout the campground, as well as good cell reception. We walked from there to town, but if that’s too far then there are Lyft and a trolley available. I believe the trolley was $22/adult, for a full day of a hop on/ hop off deal and a tour of the city.
- (13) View All
Bayside Is The Place To Be
Winter Island Park Campground: (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good (70 yr olds in 17’ trailer). I rate primarily based on desire for at least a moderate wilderness type experience w at least some camp site privacy. Overall Rating: 2.5(RV field and hanger spots; 4.5 (Bayside sites). Price 2023: $42 Usage during visit: 100% full because of October celebration in Salem. Site Privacy: None Site Spacing: Very close Site surface: Grass, gravel, and blacktop Reservations: Required Campground Noise: Quiet Road Noise: Not near a major road. Through Traffic in campground: Some traffic down to parking lot. Electric Hookup: Yes Sewer Hookup: No. Dump Station: Yes Potable Water Available: At the site. Generators: I think all trailer sites have electrical hookups. Bathroom: Yes - old. Showers: Yes - old style. Dressing area is not private. Pull Throughs: All are back in. Cell Service (AT&T): Very good. Setting: 3 settings : Open field, Back up to warehouse with ocean view, On blacktop along harbor. Weather: Clear and cool Bugs: None. Solar: Yes Host: Yes. Rig size: Large rigs will fit in many sites. Sites: 12 - 16D along the bayside have a beautiful view of the bay. These sites would be fantastic to be in even though the sites are close together. The sites along the hanger have a water view with a huge parking lot in between. The RV Field area is only good as a convenient spot to visit nearby Salem attractions or Boston (1 hr plus drive through heavy traffic).
- (14) View All
Great place!
Stayed one night just passing through heading north. Arrived about 10pm after a long day of traffic and problems. Woke up bight and early and was totally impressed by the beautiful scenery!! Staff was great, place was clean. Definitely recommend!!
Love the water, not a fan of the non-campers
This is a city park with a beach and a campground. This is a no frills campground, though there is a playground and beach. It’s less than 2 miles from Salem and on the trolley line.
Amazing
Friendly staff and friendly campers. Relaxing and fun. Whether you want to relax and be with self or get active and social you will find what you're looking for.
Not your average camping experience
We spent a weekend here on a tent site close to the beach. There was no parking at our site, but the parking lot was only 25 yards away so it was not an issue. Our site (27) was large enough for an 8 person tent, 4 person tent, EZ Up, and a pop up dog house for our pooch. We also kept our 2 kayaks on our site during our stay.
Being so close to the beach had its pros and cons. The pros were the great view, easy put in for our kayaks, and convenience for fishing and trail walking, The cons were the noise during the day from the beachgoers, and the visits from racoons and skunks at night (scavenging the food left by the beachgoers). We ended up leaving earlier than planned to avoid another night with the skunk activity, because we really didn't want to risk driving home with any skunk spray odor.
The park has a full time bathroom attendant from 8 AM to 8 PM, so restrooms and showers were well kept. There are no ground fires allowed here, but you can rent a portable fire pit from the camp store for $10. Each campsite has a charcoal grill. Wi fi signal was pretty decent. We ordered pizza from Door Dash on our first night here, and that was a very easy experience as well.
We definitely plan on coming back to this park, although we will probably do a mid week trip next time to avoid the heavy traffic and large crowds. Camping on the oceanfront was a rare treat!
Above and beyond
We drove 3-1/2 days from Idaho to get to a COVID testing site which would take non MA residents and turn the results around under 48 hours. We needed quiet camping and not have it cost a fortune. Winter Island Park accepted our same day reservation for two nights and they’re very reasonable rates. Campground is well kept and they’re being very diligent about keeping the bathhouse clean after each use! Amazing! People are social distancing and wearing masks. The beach is interesting with some tide pools as well as sand and warm water. Life guards were paying attention. The camp grounds are quiet and there are big curious ground hogs. Attendants are very thoughtful. We’d definitely stay here again next time we need to be close to Boston. One of our favorite public campgrounds.
Next to Boston
Great place for coming in and out of Boston
Rustic, urban campground on the water, near Boston
This campground offers basic campsites, with electric available on RV sites. Many of the RV sites are located in the main parking lot; others are in a field just to the right of the entrance. Tent sites tend to be grassy, but not all offer parking on site, so choose carefully. They do not permit tents on RV sites and vice versa. None of the sites offer much privacy. You can explore the beach, launch a boat (paddle or motor), catch a sunrise, or explore the remnants of Fort Pickering. There's a trail around the park with markers, but they're not well maintained. Stay here if you want to be near the water or explore the region. FYI - the dump station is not on site; ask at the office about arrangements for this.
I'm often asked about the best place to camp when visiting Boston and options are limited close to the city. This is one of two campgrounds located <25 miles from Boston with good commute options into the city. If you choose to drive, beware that traffic is a nightmare and parking expensive, but if you have a group that may price out to be less expensive than the commuter rail. The commuter rail is 2 miles from the campground and during peak season a shuttle runs between the campground and Salem.There's a high speed catamaran that runs to and from Boston (though stopped due to CoviD-19 in 2020), but it's expensive. The MBTA offers a special weekend commuter rail pass with their online app.
Salem offers plenty of sightseeing options, including the National Park Service Salem Maritime NHS, the House of 7 Gables, Peabody Essex Museum, and the Salem Witch Museum. Farther afield, the seacoast towns are worth exploring and you can catch a whale watch out of Gloucester.
- (44) View All
Beautiful campground in a great location
We camped in tents and loved this campground. The restrooms were very clean and being cleaned constantly. The beach was beautiful and enjoyed walking on the larger rocks. Also there's a beautiful lighthouse and some history plaques there.
Perfect for RVing Boston
We spent two nights at this campground- the closest camping to Boston. The campground is right on the ocean with incredible harbor views. It was an easy bike ride to the Salem Ferry to get access into Boston for the day. The bathrooms facilities were standard. Book in advance here because it fills up quickly and there are very few RV sites!
- (4) View All
Great for families
Winters island is a beautiful campground in Salem,ma. We stayed 2times in the month of June and 1 time each in July and august.we invited our friends to camp as well and it turned out wonder ful.the kids had a great time by the sea and the playground.their are wildlife like skunks, racoons do put food in car . Each site has a grill and shade.you can bring your pets and campfires need to be off the ground. There was 2 weddings while we where their. It a great feelings sleeping under the stars and waking up to the crisp air. 1 of my daughters favorite summer activities this year.
Quaint Island get a way
Small camp. Have very few campsites, you definitely need to reserve a spot before you come. The manager, David, is super friendly and helped me out BIG because I didn’t have a reservation and they were filled up. Very close to down town Salem!