Boondocking New England

[adarklake]

As far as I can tell there are no BLM sites or National Forests in Massachusetts. Everything I've looked at says there's no free primitive sites anywhere in the state. RI and CT look barren too. I'd really like to take my TT out into the woods somewhere on a weekend off grid trip, but I appear to be geographically challenged. Does anyone have any good advice or favorite free places within a reasonable distance from say Boston? The closest I found was in the White Mountains area, a bit of a hike for a weekender.

[Ortep]

What about some family members , friends or coworkers that have some acreage in the area? We just bought 5 acres 85 miles north of us and until we build a house on the site we go camp out on the property, good test of how long we can camp on batteries and a tank of water.

[ependydad]

I haven’t looked but for free campsites, I’ll typically check http://freecampsites.net and www.campendium.com (it has a search filter for price).

[NJKris]

What about Green Mountains in VT?

[Theo]

adarklake -

I don't believe there are many, if any, boondocking areas in MA, especially near Boston. However, MA and neighboring NE states have some terrific, well-maintained State Parks. Most require you to dry camp and are very wooded, but they are relatively inexpensive (~ $22 for out-of-state campers). Check out the following parks:

Nickerson State Park (on the Cape Cod Rail Trail)

Scusset Beach State Park (south of Boston)

I know that Vermont is on the "other side" of New England from Boston, but their State Parks are very beautiful. I've been to Woodford State Park and most of the sites are moderately sized (30'-35' TT) and deeply wooded. Vermont State Parks also have very useful websites; they present a campground map with "clickable" site numbers that link to a photo of the site and its details.

If you rely on solar battery charging, go to Scusset Beach or venture north to the western VT border. You may want to check out the VT State Parks near Lake Champlain. A fair number of parks there have open sites.

HTH

[adarklake]

Originally Posted by ependydad

I haven’t looked but for free campsites, I’ll typically check http://freecampsites.net and www.campendium.com (it has a search filter for price).

I did check Campendium first and MA, CT and RI were a big blank unfortunately. I think there were a couple Wallys & Cabelas, but asphalt wasn't really doing it for me.

[adarklake]

Originally Posted by Theo

adarklake -

I don't believe there are many, if any, boondocking areas in MA, especially near Boston. However, MA and neighboring NE states have some terrific, well-maintained State Parks. Most require you to dry camp and are very wooded, but they are relatively inexpensive (~ $22 for out-of-state campers). Check out the following parks:

Nickerson State Park (on the Cape Cod Rail Trail)

Scusset Beach State Park (south of Boston)

I know that Vermont is on the "other side" of New England from Boston, but their State Parks are very beautiful. I've been to Woodford State Park and most of the sites are moderately sized (30'-35' TT) and deeply wooded. Vermont State Parks also have very useful websites; they present a campground map with "clickable" site numbers that link to a photo of the site and its details.

If you rely on solar battery charging, go to Scusset Beach or venture north to the western VT border. You may want to check out the VT State Parks near Lake Champlain. A fair number of parks there have open sites.

HTH

Thanks! I've been to a few of the state parks and while they are nice, they're typically crowded, close together and cost money.


I think I am looking for Federal land. I want to try out the full boondock experience, no facilities, no marked sites. Campendium showed me a few spots in the National Forest in the White Mountains and the Green Mountain National Forest in NH and ME respectively. All are at least a 3 hours drive or more. BLM had nothing, they don't appear to have a very large presence East of the Mississippi.


Unfortunately I don't know anyone that owns private land in Mass, or I'd certainly hit them up! If anyone's offering, let me know!

[pete00]

check out harvesthosts, and BoonDockers Welcome.

for some New England camp Sites, fee for joining, but some sites for free

https://harvesthosts.com/

Wineries, farms, breweries, museums, and more Free overnight stays at over 719+ incredible locations across North America

https://www.boondockerswelcome.com/
Free Overnight RV Parking on Private Property
Make new friends and sleep soundly
Locals invite travelers to spend the night, share their stories, and save their money for the real adventure.

pete

[NJKris]

That boondockers welcome site looks promising.

[Chief T]

Originally Posted by adarklake

As far as I can tell there are no BLM sites or National Forests in Massachusetts.

FYI... BLM only manages land in the western states and Alaska.

[MT Biker]

There is nothing free in Rhode Island!

[PaGroundhog]

Originally Posted by ependydad

I haven’t looked but for free campsites, I’ll typically check http://freecampsites.net and www.campendium.com (it has a search filter for price).

These web sites are amazing. I did a 6000 mile motorcycle trip towing a small camper. I used freecampsites.net and saved a huge amount of money on camping fees.