Lorraine Park Campground — Harold Parker State Forest

Harold Parker State Forest, MA: (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good (70 yr olds in 17’ trailer). I rate based on desire for at least a moderate wilderness type experience w at least some camp site privacy. Overall Rating: 4.25 Price 2023: INCREASED RATE FOR OUT OF STATE: $60 per night for electric site Usage during visit: Low, though the electric sites are at about 70%.
Site Privacy: Pretty good in most sites. Our site, #115 opens up to #48 Site Spacing: Most are very good. Site surface: dirt and some gravel.
Reservations: Required Campground Noise: Quiet Road Noise: Set far back from the highway except for the water sites. The moderately used highway is across the pond. The pond view would be worth it as there was not that much traffic.
Through Traffic in campground: None Electric Hookup: Some sites Sewer Hookup: No. Dump Station: Yes. Potable Water Available: At electric sites and bathhouses.
Generators: Allowed Bathroom: Flush toilets. Clean. Showers: Yes. Shower Room is not heated , so very cold this time of year.
Pull Throughs: Some.
Cell Service (AT&T): 2 bars Setting: In a deciduous / conifer forest.
Weather: Highs 60s and lows 40s during our stay. Bugs: None due to the cold, I am sure.
Solar: To heavily forested for most sites.
Host: Around.
Rig size: The largest I saw was a 25’ trailer. I think larger rigs are allowed. Check website and carefully select your site.
Sites: #61 through 83 that are on the water side and are nice, not as private and Road/Highway across the water. I think they would be worth the moderate road noise for the water view. 102,105,108,113 are slightly better of the electric sites. Other sites that I took pictures of are sites I would be happy with. There are so many I can’t list them all. The best sites are among the no electric sites.

We stayed here in September 2021 and had a great time.

- VERY close to Boston. What a local gem.

- Quite close also to Lawrence Municipal Airport, so jet noise is an issue.

- You will need mosquito repellent. These are not Minnesota mosquitos which will carry off infants and small dogs, but they are plentiful especially when hiking. The whole area is a swamp/marshland, so they have a lot of space to breed.

- Bathrooms are great. FREE hot showers, flush toilets and sinks with soap. There are even outdoors/portable handwashing stations with soap/water and hand towels.

- Some sites have electricity and water hookups.

- Most sites have water hookups.

- Some sites have neither.

We originally booked site #7, but when we arrived, unfortunately, it's right across the street from a restroom/shower building (that is not shown on the reserveamerica campground map!) so we drove around and decided on site #19 which was AWESOME! It's HUGE. plenty of space for a few tents.

We hiked all over the place and each hike was a little better than the others.

Humidity was an issue. It's a swamp, and we had a light drizzle each day, so that was no fun. I don't think it's the site's fault, but it may be damp all season. I just don't know.

The fire pits are an unfortunate downer for this site. They are rectangular and completely enclose three sides to a height of about 18 inches, so you can't have a nice "outdoorsy" fire. The grate is not adjustable which also makes cooking on them very difficult.

There is a pole-mounted grill with adjustable grate for cooking with charcoal and those looks like they would work super.

The bathroom/shower buildings have a large two-sink with drainboard dish washing setup. Unfortunately, the station across from site 201 had the sink removed for some reason so we had to walk to the one across from site 111 It wasn't THAT bad, but I don't quite understand why there was all the plumbing, but no sink.

Less than 25 miles north of Boston and <5 miles from the interstate, Lorraine Park campground at Harold Parker State Forest provides ample on-site activities and also serves as a jumping off point for exploring the Massachusetts coast north of Boston or a stop en route to NH and Maine.

Every site seems to have its own water spigot, though it's not necessarily conveniently located if you want to hook up a trailer/RV. There are 11 sites with water/electric. Sites are large, often with good separation from neighbors, some have a hilly approach. The reservation website doesn't provide pictures, so I've tried to capture most here. Some of the sites are large enough that if you have a small camper or van you may be able to pull through. They've designated more than half the sites as tent only. There's a great playground area and also basketball and volleyball courts, but in this COVID-19 era, don't expect them to be open in 2020. I heard a little road traffic around the perimeter, but not much.

Bring a bike, pack some sneakers or hiking boots, toss in a swimsuit or a fishing pole, and explore! There are miles of trails and logging roads for hiking and biking. A small beach is within walking distance from the campground (wildflowers bloom in the area in late May). 

Nearby national park sites include Lowell, Minute Man, and  Boston where you'll learn about the industrial revolution or the American revolution respectively. Concord will introduce you to some early American authors; Salem Maritime, Saugus Iron Works, Essex National Heritage explore other aspects of the area. Head to Gloucester for a whale watch or wander the coastal towns.

We stayed at Harold Parker State Forest Campground during Memorial Day Weekend. Reservation through Reserve America was a breeze. Check in till 9:00 pm was convenient. Checkout by 11:00 am but we paid for an additional night to be able to leave at night the day we checked out. Totally worth it!

Nice large campsites. The sites’ privacy is very diverse. You could be tucked away from everyone or closer together depending on the site you choose but they are all pretty decent in size. All sites have water which is a plus. All have a fire pit/box, charcoal bbq and a picnic table. Most of them are drive in. 

Quiet hours from 10 am to 7 am. No alcohol allowed (although I didn’t see an actual enforcement of this rule and guess it’ll happen only if people act out). Rangers are constantly patrolling. Felt pretty safe at night. You can’t bring wood. Bundles are $5 each and it burns really well. 

Lots of biking/hiking/walking trails, a nice small pond/beach, boat access, a few basketball courts, a volleyball court and a common huge fire pit added to the fun. A ranger ran a program to teach about the area fauna which was pretty interesting for kids and adults alike. 

Bathrooms were fairly clean although small and showers were free! Some sites were right in front of a lovely pond and there were many group sites available as well. 

The location is pretty good. Salem, Andover, Boston Are accesible while staying here. Close proximity to Richardson Ice Cream which you CANT miss if you decide to stay.  They have cheap but amazing ice cream, mini golf and battling cages which was entertaining for my whole crew. 

It rained a lot during one night of our stay and the site (301) did not flooded at all. All sites seemed in pretty good shape the morning after as well. 

Beautiful and will recommend to families with small kids, groups and couples too.