Where: Winter Island Park
Tips:
When camping at Winter Island Park one needs to be aware of the type of camping you plan on doing. The sites right near the shore are not really campsites. They are basically parking spots on the blacktop parking lot near the boat-launch. I suppose these sites would be ok with an RV for boat owners that want to be near to their boats. However, for most campers, you’ll prefer the grass sites away from the boat launch. If you have a large RV, sites 42 to 54 are adequate. However, pop up campers would probably be best served to consider other sites. Sites 54 and 55 give the most room for campers without large RVs. I recommend site 55 for a pop up. This site has water and electricity hook-ups, and is away from the other campers. This site features an entire field in front of your site for recreation. If you have a pop-up and need to consider a site between 42 and 53, go for the corner or end sites. For tent campers, I recommend sites 57 and 36. Be careful of tent site 58 as it is close to the road and has a steep slant.
Don’t plan on relying on the small store at the park. The store mostly just sells candy and t-shirts. However, near the front gate the park sells ices at a reasonable price. It’s nice to be able to buy ice without having to leave the park.
One small negative to the park is the very large power plant that is quite visible across the bay. It visually detracts from the natural setting of the park, but other than that, it’s easily ignorable and did not impact our stay.
50 Winter Island Road
Salem, MA 01970
phone 978-745-9430
Many people looking for a beach get-away in the Massachusetts area fight the hoards and travel to Cape Cod. The Cape Cod trip for a middle-New Englander is almost done by default. Although The Cape is nice, for my tastes it’s a bit overrated. Some of the other more popular spots include Rockport/Gloucester, Plymouth, or Newburyport. Others looking for a beach vacation may venture farther north to New Hampshire or the dramatic rocky shores of Maine. All along the North Shore (In local terms, the coast line above Boston is known as the North Shore, south of Boston is the South Shore.) are small spots that can be fun, but with less crowds (Keep in mind that this is a densely populated area. “Less crowds” does not mean zero crowds.). Salem, Massachusetts is one of those interesting North Shore spots. Rich in history (mostly infamous due to the 17th century witch trials), Salem is now a modern port town just north of Boston. Salem has embraced it’s infamous past and offers many activities exploring the sordid history of Puritanical New England. There are even two trolleys that take tourists to the different sites of Salem including the House of Seven Gables, the witch museum, and old graveyard among several others. Although rich in history, Salem is a modern town with shopping, hotels, and restaurants for every taste.
On the outskirts of Salem is a small public-owned camping area and recreation known as Winter Island Park. Winter Island has a rich history of it’s own. Before becoming a park, it was a military-owned island going as far back as the American Revolution. Signs of the military history of the island are still present today. Ammunition bunkers and an old fort can still be found on the island. Today, the primary feature of the island is a large public boat launch. The island also features a lighthouse, a public beach, a picnic pavilion, and a large playscape.
Winter Island Park is not a large park. One could likely walk across the entire park in 30 minutes. It’s not a place to go for a long hike or bike ride. However, take a leisurely stroll along the rocky shore at sunset and you can catch a nice sunset behind the lighthouse.
Camping at Winter Island Park is low maintenance. This is not a park that features tons of organized programs for the kids, or theme weekends. The attraction of Winter Island Park is the beach, rock shore, and open space to enjoy the outdoors. Many of the campers are also boaters, but there are large RV, pop-up, and tent sites available. My family and I spend Labor Day weekend (Thursday through Monday) camping with our pop-up camper at Winter Island Park. We planned on spending at least one day exploring the town of Salem. However, we were having so much fun at the campground that we ended up not venturing outside of the campground for the entire weekend. My 4-year old son spent a lot of time at the large playscape. The whole family enjoyed exploring the rocky shores looking for crabs and shells. We spent one day at the beach. We also used our kayaks to do some exploring. We even flew a kite on one particularly windy morning. We were having so much fun on the island that we never even got a chance to go fishing, although there were several fishermen on the shores near the lighthouse.
My family and I really enjoyed our weekend on Winter Island Park.
On the outskirts of Salem is a small public-owned camping area and recreation known as Winter Island Park. Winter Island has a rich history of it’s own. Before becoming a park, it was a military-owned island going as far back as the American Revolution. Signs of the military history of the island are still present today. Ammunition bunkers and an old fort can still be found on the island. Today, the primary feature of the island is a large public boat launch. The island also features a lighthouse, a public beach, a picnic pavilion, and a large playscape.
Winter Island Park is not a large park. One could likely walk across the entire park in 30 minutes. It’s not a place to go for a long hike or bike ride. However, take a leisurely stroll along the rocky shore at sunset and you can catch a nice sunset behind the lighthouse.
Camping at Winter Island Park is low maintenance. This is not a park that features tons of organized programs for the kids, or theme weekends. The attraction of Winter Island Park is the beach, rock shore, and open space to enjoy the outdoors. Many of the campers are also boaters, but there are large RV, pop-up, and tent sites available. My family and I spend Labor Day weekend (Thursday through Monday) camping with our pop-up camper at Winter Island Park. We planned on spending at least one day exploring the town of Salem. However, we were having so much fun at the campground that we ended up not venturing outside of the campground for the entire weekend. My 4-year old son spent a lot of time at the large playscape. The whole family enjoyed exploring the rocky shores looking for crabs and shells. We spent one day at the beach. We also used our kayaks to do some exploring. We even flew a kite on one particularly windy morning. We were having so much fun on the island that we never even got a chance to go fishing, although there were several fishermen on the shores near the lighthouse.
My family and I really enjoyed our weekend on Winter Island Park.
Tips:
When camping at Winter Island Park one needs to be aware of the type of camping you plan on doing. The sites right near the shore are not really campsites. They are basically parking spots on the blacktop parking lot near the boat-launch. I suppose these sites would be ok with an RV for boat owners that want to be near to their boats. However, for most campers, you’ll prefer the grass sites away from the boat launch. If you have a large RV, sites 42 to 54 are adequate. However, pop up campers would probably be best served to consider other sites. Sites 54 and 55 give the most room for campers without large RVs. I recommend site 55 for a pop up. This site has water and electricity hook-ups, and is away from the other campers. This site features an entire field in front of your site for recreation. If you have a pop-up and need to consider a site between 42 and 53, go for the corner or end sites. For tent campers, I recommend sites 57 and 36. Be careful of tent site 58 as it is close to the road and has a steep slant.
Don’t plan on relying on the small store at the park. The store mostly just sells candy and t-shirts. However, near the front gate the park sells ices at a reasonable price. It’s nice to be able to buy ice without having to leave the park.
One small negative to the park is the very large power plant that is quite visible across the bay. It visually detracts from the natural setting of the park, but other than that, it’s easily ignorable and did not impact our stay.
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